Is a slight oil overfill bad?
- Thread starter The Edge
- Start date
Overfilling with oil can be just as bad as not having enough, for several reasons. First, you can blow oil-seals due to excess pressure, I have also read that if the level is so high that the crank 'dips' into the oil in the sump, the crankshaft 'whips' the oil into a frothy sludge. Or something.
Just drain some out.
Just drain some out.
Soldato
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I topped up my oil Sunday and probably due to not leaving long enough before checking the level i've gone about 3mm over the maximum mark on the dipstick.
Is it worth draining a bit out or will I be OK to leave it?
Ta
I did the same thing a little while ago, it's easier to just drain a bit off than worry about any potential damage it may do.
Yeah you're right, it's up to the OP I guess, but I personally wouldn't care about over-filling by a few mill.
My car is a PITA to get on axle stands though, even with a trolley jack
Isn't it common to over-fill for track days, though?
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i wouldnt be worried about 3mm. a girl at work got an oil warning light come on, she put just under 6 litres into her celica (some was still left in the sump too) so it was miles over the maximum, it has not died yet lol ive overfilled by a couple MM a couple times. mine works great
Tbh I think if we had a trolley jack that jacked/extended a bit higher we'd have struggled a lot less and not nearly broken my car in 2
or does yours jack to the standard height or something?I need to buy one anyway.
I have
Unfortunatley i found a leaking CV gaiter while i was at it and that looks like a swine of a job. Needs doing though
If your car has a cat converter, too much oil can knacker it. Even a small amount over the max on some cars could be enough to cause some damage, even if it's just temporary it'll reduce the cat's life.
The excess oil will be 'breathed' back into the intake system where it is burned in the combusion process and damages the honeycomb core of the cat, just like if your engine tries to burn too much fuel because of a lambda failure or something.
You'd have to have a hell of a lot excess oil to blow crank seals tbh.
You've done the right thing by correcting the level. The max line is there for a reason.
The excess oil will be 'breathed' back into the intake system where it is burned in the combusion process and damages the honeycomb core of the cat, just like if your engine tries to burn too much fuel because of a lambda failure or something.
You'd have to have a hell of a lot excess oil to blow crank seals tbh.
You've done the right thing by correcting the level. The max line is there for a reason.
LOL.
Many years back, I got to my Scania truck at the start of a shift. I as per usual, dipped the oil and could not see any at all on the dipstick! it was dark, but, you don't usually miss the black stuff on the dipstick.
So, I started it up regardless, & drove the truck over to the oil drum & added about 7 litres of oil.
I then drove the truck to Scotland.
On checking my oil again the following day I found to my surprise the oil level to be approx 150% of what it should have been!
I had not realized the truck had been for an overnight service and had an oil change, as the oil was new & fresh, it had not had chance to turn into the black sludge you find in most diesel engines hence me missing it on the dipstick - yes, I felt a complete dipstick too!
The excess oil was drained off back at Stoke after approx 1500 miles and the truck never showed any signs of problems caused by the overfill.
I was probably very very lucky!
Many years back, I got to my Scania truck at the start of a shift. I as per usual, dipped the oil and could not see any at all on the dipstick! it was dark, but, you don't usually miss the black stuff on the dipstick.
So, I started it up regardless, & drove the truck over to the oil drum & added about 7 litres of oil.
I then drove the truck to Scotland.
On checking my oil again the following day I found to my surprise the oil level to be approx 150% of what it should have been!
I had not realized the truck had been for an overnight service and had an oil change, as the oil was new & fresh, it had not had chance to turn into the black sludge you find in most diesel engines hence me missing it on the dipstick - yes, I felt a complete dipstick too!
The excess oil was drained off back at Stoke after approx 1500 miles and the truck never showed any signs of problems caused by the overfill.
I was probably very very lucky!