I appreciate all the help, but I decided to pay a mechanic to do this job. I could have saved some money but got a very good deal for $650. 110 degrees in the shade in Phoenix convinced me to bypass the opportunity.

If anyone in the Phoenix area needs the # of the mechanic, I can pass it along.

So two days after getting the vehicle back from the mechanic, it experienced an oil change incident involving a drive-thru lube shop in Phoenix. My girlfriend took it there to do a post-head gasket oil change + get the various grease points lubed on the chassis.

She drove it home 1 mile, then started it again the next morning before work, but only for a few seconds. A squealing serpentine belt caused her to shut off the engine right away and raise the hood. Then she saw a pool of oil on the concrete floor.

She called me up (I was out of town) and I told her to check the drain plug - sure enough, she could tighten it by hand and then 5 more turns with a wrench..by luck she didn't drive far enough to drain the oil.

She called the company and they rushed over to the house. Fortunately Carla had determined that oil still registered on the dipstick, so no damage was done. The boss called up the guy who was responsible who was on his day off so that he could clean up the garage personally. Then they brought the Montero back to the shop where Carla found them sorry and professional about things. They changed the oil, checked the plug for sure, and then gave her the free oil change next time she comes in.

That's the last time it sees a lube shop, however. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" />