The engine oil is protected by the oil cap that is perfectly placed on the engine. The oil cap is not a prominent part of a vehicle but it provides immense protection to your engine oil by covering it up and maintaining the accurate pressure inside the engine. Helpful in protection from oil spillage and leakage, the oil caps are regarded as a shield that does not allow any pollutant to get inside the oil storage of the engine.
With an oil cap, the vehicle can be driven effortlessly at its best performance. It can be a rough day without an appropriate oil cap. Losing the oil cap increases the probability of oil spillage and engine damage to a greater extent.
One should always be ready for such challenging times. Here, we have come up with some solutions regarding the lost oil cap quick fix.
Is it safe to drive without an oil cap?
The absence of an oil cap makes your engine vulnerable to various deteriorating factors. The oil cap protects the engine oil by blocking different kinds of pollutants, impurities, debris, dust from getting inside the oil chamber and contaminating the oil. These impurities may cause early damage to the oil filter and other parts of the engine. The absence of an oil cap increases the probability of the engine getting damaged which may cost thousands of dollars to the vehicle’s owner.
The risk of oil spillage is one of the major reasons to avoid driving your vehicle with a lost oil cap. The oil may leak and get spilled all around the hood of the engine. The spillage of oil on the hot exterior of the engine may cause the burning of the oil. Burning oil emits smoke and a false odor that makes it difficult to drive and get a view of the path. It can invite unwanted circumstances with a higher possibility of accidents.
Due to leakage and spillage of oil, the engine will soon run out of oil resulting in increased friction and stress inside the engine. The engine may experience functional breakdown due to inappropriate lubrication of pistons, axles, and other parts of the engine. The absence of an oil cap will adversely affect the health and performance of your vehicle in minimum time. Driving the vehicle without an oil cap will damage its mileage and fuel efficiency due to excessive stress on the engine.
The oil cap is a protective shield between the engine oil and the contaminants ready to enter inside the oil chamber and pollute the oil inside. It is always advised to quickly cover the open mouth of the engine oil tank with something rigid or place a new cap as soon as possible. The temporary cover for the oil chamber will prevent the leakage of oil and facilitate reaching the nearest mechanic or repair shop to place the new oil cap. With a temporary solution, one can drive the vehicle but placing the new oil cap to the earliest before the drive is surely the best advice one will ever receive.
What to Do For Lost Oil Cap Quick Fix?
When there is no other option available except driving the vehicle with a lost oil cap, one must try to accurately cover the open hole to prevent it from dust, debris, pollutants, etc. The hole must be accurately sealed to prevent the oil from coming out of the engine. Steps to one of the best temporary solutions to this problem of lost oil cap are mentioned below –
1. Get a cloth or a towel with moderate thickness and twist it to form a conical or cylindrical structure.
2. Try to fit the twisted towel/cloth inside the gap at the place of the oil cap accurately.
3. Cut the excessive towel while the needed quantity is placed inside the gap. It will minimize the chances of the towel catching fire due to the heat and burning of oil.
4. After removal of the excessive cloth, one must wrap the towel/cloth placed inside the gap at the place of the oil cap with tape to avoid the spillage of oil.
5. Wrapping it tightly will keep the chamber a little aerated but it would not allow the oil to come out and spill over and around the engine and hood of your vehicle.
6. After placing this temporary oil cap, drive carefully to the nearest garage, repair center or sales point to get a brand-new oil cap for your vehicle’s engine.
This is one of the best temporary solutions to fixing the lost oil cap. One must drive the vehicle with this temporary attachment with controlled RPM and avoiding bumps while moving slowly over them.
What if we lose the oil cap somewhere in the engine’s bay?
There are times when the oil cap can fall into the engine’s bay or the pieces of the oil cap may fall into the engine itself. This will not be a problem in the starting but ignoring the fact of having pieces of the cap inside the engine can cause enough expense for your pocket.
One must always seek professional help or try to remove the oil cap from the engine bay to eradicate several problems. One of those problems is the false smell that can be experienced by the driver and other passengers inside the vehicle. The reason for this kind of false smell is the melting and burning of the oil cap due to excessive heat and stress inside the engine. The oil cap stuck inside the engine bay will melt and deteriorate the material of the engine’s part.
On the other hand, it might be a big problem if the cap falls inside the engine. These pieces will travel inside the engine with the help of the oil in several ducts and parts. These pieces can be easily trapped between the parts colliding and rubbing each other which supports the motion of the vehicle. By getting stuck between those parts, their movement will be hindered resulting in the functional breakdown of the engine. The small debris or pieces can also accumulate inside the ducts and obstruct the flow of oil inside the chamber. It can also cause early damage to the oil filter.
Seeking professional help to eradicate such issues regarding the oil cap lost in the engine’s bay or inside the engine is the best possible solution to this problem. The professionals will check for every possible damage and repair the engine accordingly after removing those parts of the oil cap from the engine.
Where to find the best oil caps?
Being an emergency, one can use the available resources to cover the gap and block the entry of contaminants and pollutants from getting inside the oil chamber. Once the vehicle is back to the desired destination, the first task is to find the best suitable oil cap for the engine. One can find them in the reliable automobile and spare parts shop nearby or search for them online.
Taking your vehicle to the official service centers of the company can be helpful. With satisfactory service, they will place the best quality oil cap on your vehicle. These service centers are solely dedicated to providing service to the vehicles of that specific brand.
Various online stores are providing the best oil caps at the best prices. Among the variety of oil caps, one must look for the cap suitable for the vehicle’s engine. There is a wide range of oil caps available at Amazon.com. Various sellers are providing the best deals on the oil caps suitable for your vehicle.
Is every oil cap the same?
Several oil caps differ from one another. The vehicles of similar brands might have similar kinds of oil caps. There are different kinds of oil caps with varying build and material according to the requirements of the engine and the vehicle.
For example, one cannot place the oil cap of Mitsubishi cars in the Honda cars.
Consequences with loose oil cap?
There are several oil caps with bad quality build and loose fittings. These oil caps may not be beneficial for your vehicle as these oil caps will not be able to prevent leakage and spillage of oil. Your vehicle may experience the loss of oil within a few days of placing such caps. This will also lower the pressure of oil and can create a vacuum leak inside the engine. Choice of bad oil cap may result in the functional breakdown of the engine.
Conclusion
An oil cap is a necessary item that helps protect the engine and the engine oil from various kinds of pollutants and deteriorating factors. To tackle the emergencies of lost oil cap, one can use the best temporary solution stated above to cover and seal the gap at the place of the lost oil cap. This will be helpful in comfortably driving the vehicle until you reach the nearest repair shop. Also, one must keep a spare piece of oil cap in the vehicle to avoid such circumstances. With the best oil cap placed on the engine, you can enjoy a hassle-free ride in your vehicle.