Doug S

Well, I feel stupid, checked my oil today and found my filler cap off and caught in some hoses. It's probably been off for about 250 miles.

So, did it suck in a bunch of dirt with no cap on?

I'm not sure how it works, I figured it would throw oil out of the fill hole in the valve cover, it didn't. Does the PCV valve create enough suction to cause stuff to be sucked in? I changed the oil/filter and that's about all I can do but I was just wondering...

Thanks,
Doug

phorunninduke

You are probably fine... Unless you where cruising though the desert or something crazy.

If you are still worried take the cover off and wipe it out. Give your self an oil change a little sooner too.

Elton

dont think you hurt anything

mpavolka

how did the oil look when you changed it? If you got a lot of dirt in there than you could probably tell. As long as you didn't drive through puddles or water than I wouldn't worry about it.

Doug S

The oil looked OK I guess, I had changed it 500 miles ago so it was pretty clear. My garage floor and driveway have a pretty good slope to them so I had checked the oil level at work (level parking lot) and topped it off a little. I guess I got side tracked and either left the cap loose or just plain forgot to put it back on.

I'd still like to know which way the crankcase presure is, does it suck in or blow out -(positive or negative)..thanks

Doug

MTL_4runner

You'll be fine and all the junk that went in is likely in the oil filter by now. Just fill the oil level back up to where it should be and reinstall the oil filler cap nice and tight. You might change your oil a little sooner next time, but it's nothing to really worry about (lack of oil is the biggest concern and you obviously avoided that completely).