Another too much oil in the sump thread

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The last 2 times I've changed the oil in my Civic, I've gotten above the full mark. This last week, it was between 1/2 and a full inch over. It is probably a bit less than the distance between the add and full marks, which is about a quart. I've checked just after driving the car 2-3 times, and no bubbles, so I think I might just leave it in.

But it is irritating. I've started changing my own oil since I joined BITOG, and I've done each car several times. It has always been right at the full mark, when I'm done. I'm not sure what the issue is. Logic tells me either I"m pouring in too much, or not draining out enough.

I double checked that it was in fact 3.8 quarts, and not liters, when I poured the oil in. I poured out enough oil in a new 5 quart jug, to take it down to 3.8 quarts, and then poured all of the remaining oil down the fill hole. I let the oil drain out until the steady stream had stopped, and there was just one drop coming down every few seconds. Screwing the drain plug back in at that point, I realized there was some oil still left, but I was thinking that it would be only a couple of ounces at most. I did change the filter as well, so the oil couldn't be coming from an old filter that remained there.

Now as long as it is not foaming up, I guess I would be ok, but if the level on the dipstick is that high, that tells me that I've got a fair amount of dirty oil in the sump, so I'd like to avoid this in the future.

Has anyone here found that just waiting till the steady stream stops, isn't long enough for an oil drain?
 
VW came up with a method for this. So many seconds between each drip on hot oil, cant remember.
Is your car raised up in the front when draining oil? Some vehicles don't drain all the oil out unless it's level.
 
I let mine drip overnight in the garage. I get an extra 1/2 quart believe it or not. I fill mine until it reaches the full mark, old school. Do you have an oil cooler?
 
Yes, it is raised up on rhino ramps--but I've never had this problem before when I've used those ramps. Also, the drain plug on both my cars is at the back of the sump, which means that when it is raised from the front, the drain plug is smack dab at the bottom, in between two sloping sides. So I wouldn't think that this would be an issue causing what I'm talking about.

Originally Posted by skyactiv
Is your car raised up in the front when draining oil? Some vehicles don't drain all the oil out unless it's level.
 
No oil cooler.

I did the old school method too, until I realized that the convenience of just pouring in the contents of a 5 quart jug into my Sienna could be matched, by taking a 5 qt jug down to 3.8 quarts, and then just pouring the contents of that into the Civic. But even if I did revert to the old way, until I figure out what's going on, I'll still have a lot of old oil left, which I do not want.


Originally Posted by Onetor
I let mine drip overnight in the garage. I get an extra 1/2 quart believe it or not. I fill mine until it reaches the full mark, old school. Do you have an oil cooler?
 
Next time put 3 quarts in and run the engine a minute. Let it sit a few minutes and then add what you need to fill it. Your draining of the oil sounds normal to me.
 
Last edited:
No, I'm using the specified (Wix) one--the 51334.

Originally Posted by Blkstanger
What size filter are you using? It will make a difference if you are using a small one.



Dave, perhaps, but if this is the issue, it was working fine until the last 2 oil changes, and I sure can't see anything that has happened to it, so I'm inclined to think that it isn't the dipstick.
 
You indicated that you took the oil out of a a 5qt jug and filled the car to 3.8 .
Was the jug actually filled to the correct cap. Or was it short filled.
If you started with a short filled jug and stopped at the 3.8 mark you were short from the initial start point.
Just a thought.

TOMB
 
However much was in the jug originally, i took the level down to the 3.8 quart mark, checking after every 10 seconds or so of pouring. I didn't simply pour out 1.2 quarts, I made sure that the oil was at the 3.8 quart level.

Originally Posted by Convert
You indicated that you took the oil out of a a 5qt jug and filled the car to 3.8 .
Was the jug actually filled to the correct cap. Or was it short filled.
If you started with a short filled jug and stopped at the 3.8 mark you were short from the initial start point.
Just a thought.

TOMB
 
Originally Posted by Blkstanger
Next time put 3 quarts in and run the engine a minute. Let it sit a few minutes and then add what you need to fill it.


Correct answer right there.
 
I remove the drain plug AND THE FILTER and go in the house for lunch. If you do not remove the filter there is a lot of oil trapped in the engine. When I come out, no dripping. I fill the engine with enough oil to get it between the low and fill mark after running. Within the next couple of days I drive the vehicle AND GET THE OIL HOT I will check again and, maybe, top it off. Anywhere between half and full is fine by me.
 
Originally Posted by paulri


I double checked that it was in fact 3.8 quarts, and not liters, when I poured the oil in

Has anyone here found that just waiting till the steady stream stops, isn't long enough for an oil drain?


If this civic is a DX with the original engine and oil pan, the oil pan is likely steel. In which case total capacity with oil filter is about 3.5 quarts. If you have the aluminum oil pan the capacity is listed as 3.8 quarts.

REGARDLESS, you're pouring too much oil, so step it back a tad. Don't over think this.
 
Yes, it is a DX, and it must be teh original engine and oil pan--I got it at 82K, and I know I sure haven't replaced either of those items.

OK then, maybe I have been pouring in too much, instead of draining too little. Nobody here thinks there is much wrong with screwing the drain plug back in when I have been, so that suggests that the issue is pouring in too much.

I can easily take it back a bit. I'll find a nice spot somewhere around 3-3.5 quarts and see where that gets me.

Originally Posted by Tman220
Originally Posted by paulri


I double checked that it was in fact 3.8 quarts, and not liters, when I poured the oil in

Has anyone here found that just waiting till the steady stream stops, isn't long enough for an oil drain?


If this civic is a DX with the original engine and oil pan, the oil pan is likely steel. In which case total capacity with oil filter is about 3.5 quarts. If you have the aluminum oil pan the capacity is listed as 3.8 quarts.

REGARDLESS, you're pouring too much oil, so step it back a tad. Don't over think this.
 
The vehicle needs to be level when the oil is drained. If it's up on ramps then jack the other end up to make it level before you drain. You'll get complete drain when the vehicle is level. (even though a little old oil will always remain in the engine).
 
Originally Posted by Convert
You indicated that you took the oil out of a a 5qt jug and filled the car to 3.8 .
Was the jug actually filled to the correct cap. Or was it short filled.

You misunderstand what he's doing (presuming I understand him). He has an EMPTY 5 quart bottle, presumably with markings for capacity. He takes his FULL bottle and pours 3.8 quarts into the EMPTY bottle - so no 'subtracting' is going on or worries about the new oil bottle being underfilled or overfilled.
 
Originally Posted by paulri
I can easily take it back a bit. I'll find a nice spot somewhere around 3-3.5 quarts and see where that gets me.

Put 3 quarts or a little more in. The engine will not blow up with that amount in there. Run it for 5 minutes, shut it off, and walk away. 30 minutes later (doesn't have to be that long), check the oil level. If you're really patient, remove the dipstick, wipe it off, and set it on the valve cover and walk away again. Let any oil that may have gotten 'pulled' up the dipstick tube flow back down. After 5-10 minutes, put the dipstick back in and check the level. If it's low, add oil in 1/4 quart increments and repeat.
 
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