Advantages to overfilling oil?

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Extra oil would almost certainly increase the rate of consumption, to various degrees. More crankcase pressure and sloshing around for the rings and PCV to handle.

The crank will be running through more oil, so more drag will occur. This can be minor to major.

Some road racers add extra oil to endure the sump pick up does not go dry on high G turns.

Will the extra oil make your oil stay cleaner longer? If it gets up to high temperature, and there are no other problems, it could. It can work the other way around [more condensation] , if it inhibits oil from getting properly warmed up.
 
Overfilling may increase the rate of oxidation as well due to windage (the crankshaft sucking up oil as it spins very near the surface) or the crankshaft actually striking the oil. The crankshaft is designed to stay clear of oil. If it dips into it, or even gets to close, it will make a lot of splash, which creates a mist that the PCV will readily suck up and consumption goes up. The splash also exposed the oil to more oxygen, which increases the rate of oxidation. It may also cause foaming. The excess splash on the cylinder walls may overwhelm the oil control rings and increase consumption in the cylinder, thus increasing carbon deposits on the cylinder walls and combustion chamber. The crankshaft dipping into the oil will also cost power and that's why HO engines use windage trays to keep the crank free of the oil. Constant dipping into the oil may also increase oil temp due to fluid friction and there may be a cumulative shearing effect on the oil as well.

How many of these things will be issues depends on the engine. Given the manufacturing variances I've seen over the years, inaccurate dipsticks etc., the oil level may be an inexact situation anyway. In a few cases, I have found exact information of where the oil level is designed to be in an engine but the dipstick is off from that for whatever reason. Some Land Rovers and BB Mopars encountered in years past come to mind. Overfilling may put you to rights or may put you way, way over the top.

Other than the high speed cornering aspect, which I'm sure most of us face on a daily basis ( : < \ ), I can't think of any good reason to do it. And not all cars are susceptible to it. To overfill so you don't have to bother opening the hood later to check it seems the height of laziness.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
I think Arco has some pretty extensive knowledge.
OTOH, Arco has also ruined a number of engines based upon his own posts.
He may or may not be a very good source of information and advice.
For my part, the 4.5 quart '99 Accord and '97 Aerostar always got five quarts, and I never saw any ill effects in either.
The ~4.5 quart Subie also gets five, as does the 4.5 liter BMW.
Both seem content with this.
The only real advantage is that I prefer to avoid having a bunch of orphan half quarts laying around.
The '97 Accord takes, and gets, four quarts, and after 4K on its current fill of PP, hasn't used a measurable amount.
It is very posible that the extra .5 quart in the others is consumed more quickly than the remaining fraction.
Yes dang me faintly - and ignore the Manufacturer's CAUTION(!) REQUIREMNT to not overfill - this is not a recommendation (like oil viscosity).
Yes, I admit, I ruined my engines by exactly following manufacturers recommendations and having the TOYOTA Service Center use GENUINE products on my car.

Hey FDCG27 - you are on to something - it's Toyota's fault!
After all these years we have the logic to assign proper blame! I believe it as my Yaris was running well until I had Toyota perform 30K mi service and replace a wheel bearing - then the troubles all started ....
 
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Arco,
I don't intend to "dang" you at all.
You obviously have an extensive set of practical wisdom and I regard you as a bright guy.
I offer you my apology for having made humor of your misfortunes with your cars.
You did not have that coming.
 
Originally Posted By: Jim Allen
Overfilling may increase the rate of oxidation as well due to windage (the crankshaft sucking up oil as it spins very near the surface) or the crankshaft actually striking the oil.


Yup. My '67 Camaro 1/4-mile drag car will run two tenths slower if the oil level is just a little above the FULL mark on the dipstick. If I lower the level by half a quart, full potential returns. With the oil level above the full mark, the crankshaft strikes the oil and consumes power that should be going to the rear wheels. FYI, my street-legal Camaro is equipped with a 406 cubic-inch small-block and runs the 1/4 mile in 9.07 seconds at 146.85 mph. And, yes, it does have a windage tray in the oil pan.

I can't say for sure if overfilling affects a street car this way, but I've got time slips that prove overfilling isn't beneficial at the drag strip.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Arco,
I don't intend to "dang" you at all.
You obviously have an extensive set of practical wisdom and I regard you as a bright guy.
I offer you my apology for having made humor of your misfortunes with your cars.
You did not have that coming.
I wasnt being sacrastic, I think you steered me toward my epiphany! - I'm now thinking the Toyota service center intentionally (or moronically) injured my cars. They always ran pretty well before we bring them there. Now, I have to figure out what happened to the suzuki's and the current subaru ...
 
Running the oil level a bit high can also help in preventing oil starvation when going around a corner when all the oil sloshes to one side, especially on FWD cars with the pan 90 degrees to the centerline.

I had a Lancia that had the oil light go on even around mild corners from the oil sloshing over.
 
Maybe the Suzi and the Subie dealers are not to be trusted either?
The only car I've taken back to a dealer service department in the past twenty five years was the Aerostar, for two recalls, both of which sounded drastic enough to be must-dos.
One involved the throttle cable fraying and then sticking open, while the other involved the ignition switch and the car catching fire.
And no, the Ford dealer didn't hurt the thing at all.
 
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