Having read L'escargot's efforts to remove excess oil, I am wondering, is it a problem if the oil is overfilled?
I recently had an 'extra' (6,000 m) oil/filter service on my 1.6 TDCI, and it came back with the oil well over the top marker.
Should I follow L's example?
Thanks
Peanut
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It is indeed a problem.
I'd ake it back to the garage that did the service, get them to fix it, and agree to warranty your engine for another 3 years.
L'Escargot is unusually tolerant of unnecessary screw-ups, I'm not and I don't think you should be either. When the engine goes bang in six months he probably won't be so forgiving.
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My dad did this in his 1.6 Zetec Escort and it gushed out a load of white smoke. After he got it drained it seems to suffer from sticking valve issues.
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Heck. How serious is this? What does excess oil do?
Peanut
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Excess oil in a diesel can get drawn in to the air intake and it then provides extra fuel for the engine to run on, except that it's not under the control of the accelerator. The car then decides to go accelerating off whatever you do with the accelerator.
At least that's what the leasing company and Vauxhall told me had happened when I had that the day after my local (now bankrupt) Vauxhall dealer had serviced it.
For what it's worth the service manager's initial response when I had the car relayed there was "nothing to do with the service, mate" Oh yeah!
If any of you real techies out there can put me right on the possibility of that happening please do.
Edited by commerdriver on 29/06/2009 at 18:16
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My friends headgasket went on a diesel. Car started running on the sump contents and he had to stall it rather unkindly to get it to stop it racing. So true I guess!
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Lots too much oil, engine gets hydraulic locked and goes bang! But it takes a huge amount of oil and I've never seen it.
With an older car, between this and the max mark on the dipstick might smoke a bit and be no major problem or could dislodge a seal. Could get expensive if it does.
New cars have catalysts so as well and they can get poisoned by burning oil.
I suspect though there is a safety margin as if one mm above the max was instant death, the mark ought to be lower!
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>>well over the top marker.
What do you mean by this?
How far over when compared with the distance between min & max?
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My sister did this twice.
First time the car began running on the oil, think she stopped it by stalling it. Car recovered home, oil changed and back on the road.
Then she did it again, this time it broke a cam follower which we replaced. Discovered that a big end had gone afterwards and couldn't face doing it myself. Car has been sat in our barn since. It runs, but badly. Worth more on the scappage scheme than private sale now anyway.
Parents bought sister another car. I quietly despair. :-)
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Overfilling: churns the cankcase oil, it has to find a way out. Via the cylinders: burning oil, leaving deposits on plugs (if petrol) and valves (any engine) and catalyst, and giving unlimited fuel to a diesel. And/or via the crankcase seals: ruining the engine sooner or later. Not trivial.
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It needs sucking out. PELA's your friend.
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Pela pump it is, then.
Darn.
I think the mechanic just wacked a load of oil in without allowing enough time for it to settle.
N_C: The dip stick is a piece if wire with a plastic lump on the end, which has the max.min markers. The oil level covers the entire plastic lump, which is at least the same distance above the max as the distance between max and min.
Thanks for all your replies.
Peanut.
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The oil level covers the entire plastic lump whichis at least the same distance above the max as the distance between max and min.
Ouch! Sounds like they kept pouring in oil untill it came out of the dipstick tube!
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That sounds like a significant overfill. It's definitely worth getting that excess oil out ASAP, and a vacuum pump is probably the best way to do it.
The extra benefit you'll gain is that oil changes are much easier with a vacuum pump, especially if your car has a top mounted oil filter. You can do all the work cleanly, and from above.
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In my case I siphoned out the excess myself because it meant that (a) I didn't need to spend any time taking my car back to the garage ~ the oil siphoned out while I was doing other things at home, and (b) I didn't have the cost of driving to the garage and back. I did it for my own convenience. Getting on one's high horse and complaining is all very well, but I decided that the time and money that would be spent in doing so would be cutting off my nose to spite my face.
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In my case I siphoned out the excess myself because it meant that
(c) You now have some spare oil for topping up purposes ;o)
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 30/06/2009 at 11:23
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Just wondering how this happened.
Is it an attempt to sell more oil on a price per litre basis, or was it just a "we allways put 5 litres into eveything" situation?
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I've carried out many oil changes over the years.
I leave the sump plug off for ages but never find that the amount of oil stated in the handbook is needed to fill the sump, it's always less.
If a servicing garage just pours in the recommended amount it will always result in an overfill.
I usually put in about 0.5L less than required, run the engine, wait a while and then top up to the max mark on the dipstick.
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As a very general rule (check your handbook) the distance between Min & Max on the dispstick represents 1 litre of oil. Overfill and underfill are both bad, for different reasons. Make sure it is right after a service and check regularly afterwards to keep the level between the 2 dipstick marks!
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I manages to siphon the excess oil out with some thin tubing: wasn't quick, but it flowed at an ooze. I took 0.5L out to get it to the middle mark. So that equates to your 1L estimate.
You would have thought a garage would have filled an engine with oil before and get it vaguely right.
I'd better give it a wash and a polish by way of making up to it.
Peanut.
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Peanut,
How did you set the siphon away? Did the oil taste nice?
I shouldn't imagine a half-litre overfill will have done any damage.
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Delicious, thanks. Interesting, rich bouquet. Lovely synthetic overtones.
Actually, I used two pieces of tubing, 2m of thin stuff to get into the sump and then 2m of thicker stuff attached to it. I sucked away at the end of the thicker stuff till the oil had come as far as the join, and then pulled the two pieces apart to allow the oil to siphon into an old whiskey bottle (well it had to be clear so as I could look at the oil...my excuse and I'm sticking to it). So I don't think that any 'oily' air actually got as far as my mouth. Certainly didn't taste anything.
Plan B, should I attempt this again, is to do this at a local car park where part of the park has an 8 foot drop down to the pavement, this should expedite siphoning.
I'm hoping 1/2 litre wasn't terminal, but I still will proceed with the wash and wax. You never know.
Peanut.
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