Dealer overfilled engine oil...

[boyce89976]

by 1/2 quart. I noted it on iDrive when I picked the vehicle up and had them check it. They said it was fine and that there is a SIB for incorrect oil level via iDrive. We scheduled the SIB work at the earliest opportunity. We put about 800 miles on it during the week and a half prior to the SIB service call. When I dropped the vehicle off, I also requested they change the oil. When I got home and looked over the paperwork it said the software was the most current software and that they opened a PUMA case. It also said they put 9 qts in during the oil change (I know they round up, so they probably only put in 8.5 qts). Thanks to this forum I found that the vehicle should only hold 8 qts with a filter change. I was beginning to believe the iDrive was reading the level correctly. I went to WalMart and bought one of those hand pumps for $8 and pulled 1/2 a quart of oil out of the engine. What do you know, iDrive showed the oil at the proper level the next day! So my question is... in those 800 miles, with 1/2 a quart too much oil, do you think there was any damage to the gaskets and seals that hold all the oil in the engine?

Sorry for the long post. Appreciate the replies!

[JasonG]

Originally Posted by boyce89976

by 1/2 quart. I noted it on iDrive when I picked the vehicle up and had them check it. They said it was fine and that there is a SIB for incorrect oil level via iDrive. We scheduled the SIB work at the earliest opportunity. We put about 800 miles on it during the week and a half prior to the SIB service call. When I dropped the vehicle off, I also requested they change the oil. When I got home and looked over the paperwork it said the software was the most current software and that they opened a PUMA case. It also said they put 9 qts in during the oil change (I know they round up, so they probably only put in 8.5 qts). Thanks to this forum I found that the vehicle should only hold 8 qts with a filter change. I was beginning to believe the iDrive was reading the level correctly. I went to WalMart and bought one of those hand pumps for $8 and pulled 1/2 a quart of oil out of the engine. What do you know, iDrive showed the oil at the proper level the next day! So my question is... in those 800 miles, with 1/2 a quart too much oil, do you think there was any damage to the gaskets and seals that hold all the oil in the engine?

Sorry for the long post. Appreciate the replies!

Year and Model? e.g. which motor?

[boyce89976]

Sorry, 2010 35d.

[Penguin]

Highly unlikely that a half quart overfill will cause any damage. It depends on the engine design and size, but usually it takes a quart or more overfill to cause damage.

Just make sure the overfill is documented. If there is any damage, it would show up while your vehicle is still under warranty.

[Jeg Norge]

0.5 is actually nothing IMO. overfill it by 2 or 3 qts u might have problems.

[JCL]

Agree with the previous posts, but to put your mind at rest further....

The problem with overfilling is when the oil level is high enough that the crankshft dips into the oil, effectively whipping it up like a blender. It looks frothy, and air bubbles don't lubricate very well. When you pulled out the half quart, it was either golden or dark coloured like oil should be, or it was frothy like a milkshake. If it wasn't frothy (and it is very unlikely that it could be with only a half quart overfill), then there was no possibility of damage.

[FunfDreisig]

Originally Posted by boyce89976

Sorry, 2010 35d.

35D's have REAL manual oil dipsticks. ...... Even a certified BMW tech should know how to use one

FWIW I agree with the others, .5 qt overfill will probably not be a problem. But you are right to be sensitive to overfilling a diesel engine. At some point (of overfill) the engine can start to pull oil into the combustion chamber. When this happens a diesel can 'run away' since the 'throttle' is controlled by metering the fuel not the air. The conditions are very unlikely in passenger vehicles. But there have been a few posts of run away 35Ds. The subject is much more common on tractor forums where people roll over the tractor and the engine continues running on oil pulled in through the crankcase breather tube until it runs out of oil or blows.

Funf Dreisig

[boyce89976]

Thanks for all the replies! I suspected as much. The 1/2 quart I pulled out was not frothy at all, but it was very dark, almost black, even though it only had a few miles on it. When I asked about the color of the oil they said that was normal for the diesel oil. Castrol for gas engines is usually darker than other synthetics, so I didn't question that part of it. Thanks again!