My friend got given a vectra (W reg) by his brother; he accidentally put in too much oil (the dip stick goes up past the max by about the same amount as the distance between the max and the min). Now it takes a few turn s to start and there was a puff of black smoke..
He hasnt got any inspection ramps or anywhere to safely drain away the oil, is it safe to drive the car about 2 miles to the garage to have the oil changed, or will it cause damage..?
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Oh yes (as Churchhill says.)
Crankcase may pressurise and spew oilout into clutch.
Catalyst , if fitted will be wrecked. Sure there are more pitfalls........
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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Is it safe to have the engine on for a couple of minutes to manouevre it onto some ramps he can borrow off me?
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if its going to die mate its already dead just do it.
if worried ,have a co test afterwards this will confirm or deny if the cat was killed by overfiling (they are only £50 s/h anyway)
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Thanks - He'll just have to do it :)
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Mrs Steptoe once got 2 miles from home in our old 90ish Astra before it spluttered to a stop through being filled up to the brim with oil.
This Astra caused me several headaches in the short while we owned it but the overfill never did it any harm.
The funny thing is that Mrs S looked me straight in the eye and said she didn't do it; the only reason I know she was lying is that since that day she has always asked me to check levels.
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One mans junk is another mans treasure
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black smoke is overfuelling,if the oil overfill was going to be a problem you would have blown a seal by now.
if level has not reached bottom of bores,should be enough area to dissipate returning pressure of piston,though would get some drained off asap
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Steve
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I have read that overfilling is harmful to the engine regarding pressure as a few members have posted. I have read on oil forums that cheap oil in the crankcase when overfilled can cause oil failure to vital engine parts. Quality oil in the engine reduces heat and lubricates the engine,however, when overfilled, as the crank spins it causes the cheap oil to breakdown causing foaming(like moving your hand in a bubble bath) this has air in the foam which is sucked up by the oil pipe and in turn, air is lubricating the engine. If it is not possible to move the car or ramp it up, there is a product on the market made in America where you are able to place a pipe down the dip stick tube and suck oil out that way. Have a search on google, but it is expensive. For further advice e-mail Simon or Guy at opie oils regarding this matter at www.opieoils.co.uk or look in the oil section on the forum, excellent advice they give. Hope this helps, Nick
Oh, I have a Vauxhall Zaf and I needed a torx bit for my sump plug aswell
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'black smoke is overfuelling,if the oil overfill was going to be a problem you would have blown a seal by now.'
That reminds me of a joke involving an Eskimo...can't repeat it on here tho'.........
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Overfilled oil can cause engine damage whether its cheap oil or quality oil.
Drain some as soon as possible.
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is it safe to drive to the garage though. He doesn't have the facilities at home
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With a bit of discomfort, he should surely be able to get at the sump plug and drain off at least a couple of litres into an old (or new -- v. cheap) plastic garden tray or washing-up bowl. Do it cold, wear rubber gloves, don't unscrew the sump plug completely, set the oil aside until he has a suitable container to take it to the official local oil dump. I'd do all that before risking further damage by driving the car anywhere.
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Thanks mate. I'll tell him. I'll give him a lift later to sort everything out. Just a quik question. The car was built in 2000. I used to have a 99 corolla and even though you could do an oil change you couldn't change the transmission fluid because it had a special tool to ( 8* attachment) which cost about £80. Shouldn't be the same on the oil for this should it?
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You'll need a T45 sized torx bit to undo the sump plug. Or do what a lot of garages are doing these days, extract it from the dip stick tube using a vacuum pump.
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Removing the sump plug could be messy as you may lose all the oil if you can't get it back in quick. I do not know where the oil filter is on the Vectra engine but if accessible from above, wouldn't it be easier to take off the oil filter and empty it? You may have to do it twice depending on how much it has been overfilled. Naturally starting the engine to allow the filter to refill before measuring the level.
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Very clever idea frogeye!
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The idea of removing the filter to drain a measured amouint of oil is an honest idea but not goo idea sorry.
Any oil filter should only be used (tightened onto its seal) once. It will invalidate any warranty if removed and refitted (not sure how they would know though!) and if it is likely to allow it to not be sealed or unseat in its life you wouldnt want that aggro anyway (with or without warranty)
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>>(not sure how they would know though!)
possibly, because the thread allows movement from side to side, so the seal may become slightly offset causing the seal not to reseal in the same place.
They dont always reseal anyway and drip,been there done it,once only though-never again :(
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Steve
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