Too much Engine Oil?
 

Hi all,

The "Engine Oil Low Level" light came on, checked the level was below the lower mark... so bought a bottle of Shell Synthetic Oil 5W-40 (4 liter) from the petrol station.

But I was in a rush and made a mistake by letting the guy at the petrol station to fill it in for me. And it now looks like he has added more than it needed.... passed the upper mark and almost over the whole plastic part of the dip.

Only about 0.25 liter left in a 4 liter bottle.

Will it cause any major issue?

Thanks.

i would get the level down. either slightly open the plug or use a 'mighty vac' fluid removal system.

You mean slightly open the "dip stick"? Not pushing it in all the way?

He means to drain some oil from the undercariage, as you would when changing the oil, or suck some oil out. I would opt for the former. The dipstick should always be pushed down all the way!

spot on, though many ppl are unsure about getting under the car (I don't find it any fun!). i have used the mighty vac successfully on many oil changes. It may not be quite as good, but it seems to work great!

Thanks guys.

Where's the plug exactly underneath the car?

Look for the DIY oil change on this website...It will show you where the drain plug is..Its really easy to do. But do it soon. That is WAY too much oil and could cause you major problems if you don't.

Thanks, will do it first thing tom morning!

What kind of major problem would too much oil cause?

It could cause a plethora of issues. Oil could seep into the plugs, and I believe into the cylinders but i could be wrong on that part. Its not good. Good thing you asked us!

Got it. Thanks. Will get it done tom!

The crankshaft is spinning above the normal noil level. If the oil level is too high, the crankshaft can 'dip' into the oil, effectively acting like an eggbeater or blender. That causes the oil to be whipped up, incorporating air bubbles. You can tell if this has happened by looking at the dipstick, and seeing if the oil is whipped up. If air is incorporated into the oil, it doesn't have the same lubricating qualities, and you can experience major engine damage, including bearing and crankshaft failure.

Oil doesn't seep anywhere if it is overfilled, especially into the cylinders, as the cylinders are located above the oil level.

Thanks for the info. I've just finished draining some of the oil out from the bottom. What a messy job but thank god I was prepared for it!

I think I drained out quite a bit and now back to just below the upper mark.

I drove the car for about 50Km only after overloading it last night, then drained it out this morning. Should I have the car checked / serviced asap?

Depends on whether the oil looked like a milkshake or not. If not, I wouldn't worry about it.

I would think you would be fine since you caught it right away and made fixing it a priority.

Thanks guys.

Nope, didn't look like "milkshake" at all.... looked pretty normal except slightly darker than expected (suppose to be new oil).

I'm monitoring the oil level / quality and the fuel consumption closely. I was quite shock when the level went to so low only 3 months (4000km) after the oil service. I checked and couldn't find any obvious leak.