Yes I did the same, and got it maybe a half inch higher than the full mark before I figured it out.... Didn't seem to matter than I could tell?
Average car Overfilled 1 qt. anyone ever see this cause a problem?
- Thread starter WobblyElvis
- Start date
I have 2 cars that spec 4.5qts and they get 5 every time…
They really needed 4.5 quarts, but then the oil company said "hey pssst here's some cash, make it 4.65"
The Buick takes 4.5 quarts, I don’t mind saving the half quart.
Her Jeep GC on the other hand takes 5.9 quarts, I’m not measuring out .1 quarts. It gets all 6
Her Jeep GC on the other hand takes 5.9 quarts, I’m not measuring out .1 quarts. It gets all 6
Patman
Staff member
Those are the times when I feel like they are just messing with us because they know it will drive some people nuts! I really don’t understand why they would not just list it as 6.0 in the manualThe Buick takes 4.5 quarts, I don’t mind saving the half quart.
Her Jeep GC on the other hand takes 5.9 quarts, I’m not measuring out .1 quarts. It gets all 6
Carlostrece
$100 Site Donor 2025
I thought everyone always pulled out the dipstick, wiped it, then reinserted it fully, then pulled it and read it. That's how I've always done it.
Carlostrece
$100 Site Donor 2025
My dad's mid 80s Oldmobile and mom's 79 Mazda didn't care if they were overfilled up to 1 quart. My parents both sometimes did that. I never noticed any problems from it. There was one time that Jiffy Lube overfilled my dad's Oldsmobile 4 quarts too much, which caused obvious problems.
My 96 & 99 Jeep Cherokees specified 6 quarts, but that put it ½ qt above Add mark. So I always put 5.5 in it when using stock size filter. It worked fine with anywhere from 5 to 6 qts. I always had 5.5 to 6 qts in it. AFAIK the Jeep 4L is not sensitive about oil level.
Most cars are not hyper sensitive about oil level. However...
My 97 Buick is very sensitive about oil level. If it's ⅔ quart above Add mark (⅓ quart below Full mark) it does not use oil. However, if I fill it to Full mark, then over 250-300 miles it rapidly uses/loses ⅓ quart of oil, which brings it to ⅔ above Add Mark. Once it reaches ⅔ above Add mark, it stops using/losing oil and doesn't lose another drop. Why is this?
My 97 Buick is the only car I ever owned that's sensitive about a small difference in oil level. Any ideas why? It's not a problem. I learned to fill it to ⅔ qt above Add Mark and by doing this, it never uses/loses oil.
My 96 & 99 Jeep Cherokees specified 6 quarts, but that put it ½ qt above Add mark. So I always put 5.5 in it when using stock size filter. It worked fine with anywhere from 5 to 6 qts. I always had 5.5 to 6 qts in it. AFAIK the Jeep 4L is not sensitive about oil level.
Most cars are not hyper sensitive about oil level. However...
My 97 Buick is very sensitive about oil level. If it's ⅔ quart above Add mark (⅓ quart below Full mark) it does not use oil. However, if I fill it to Full mark, then over 250-300 miles it rapidly uses/loses ⅓ quart of oil, which brings it to ⅔ above Add Mark. Once it reaches ⅔ above Add mark, it stops using/losing oil and doesn't lose another drop. Why is this?
My 97 Buick is the only car I ever owned that's sensitive about a small difference in oil level. Any ideas why? It's not a problem. I learned to fill it to ⅔ qt above Add Mark and by doing this, it never uses/loses oil.
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Unless there is foaming or bubbling of the oil, the small overfill won't harm anything. Dipsticks aren't very accurate on some cars. I fill with the recommended quantity and if the indication on the dipstick is not full, I scribe a mark on it.
Just a guess here but it could be the design that is not linear. For example imagine a funnel upside down. It is narrower up on top and a small loss is very noticeable on the dipstick and down about the 2/3rd mark, oil is in the wider area and much larger volume and it's hard to tell a small loss on the dipstick.
It could also be capillary action through slim tube where the dipstick is measuring. Basically we are dealing with a very small amounts of oil in a tube.
Not sure! It's another wild guess.
Google capillary action.
Sounds like your engine doesn't burn much oil in general and you are saving about 1/3rd a quart and it's all good so don't worry.
You really need to know the geometry of your oil pan, the angle of the dipstick and where the fluid level sits in the oil pan. Unfortunately, the only way to get the info is to drop the pan yourself or find someone who did it and reported it on You Tube.
Firstly, most oil pans have a sump. You need to know where your full fluid level sits in the sump. Secondly, most dipsticks enter into the sump at a high angle, so any indication on the dipstick is exaggerated as far as the increase in level goes. Look for a You Tube video where someone has the oil pan off, and pours the 6 quarts of used motor or whatever is required for the recommended volume not including an oil filter. Then they observe where the level is in relation to the top of the pan.
Another thing that is useful is to know the distance from the top of the usual fluid level to the crank counterweight. Without all this information, one is absolutely in the dark about the issue.
For me I don’t sweat it. One 5 liter container plus one liter measured out from another 5 liter container. I keep the 1 liter measuring cup in a plastic box with a lid so it doesn’t get dust on it. This is on my 6.0 LS Chevy engine. Hard to go wrong.
Firstly, most oil pans have a sump. You need to know where your full fluid level sits in the sump. Secondly, most dipsticks enter into the sump at a high angle, so any indication on the dipstick is exaggerated as far as the increase in level goes. Look for a You Tube video where someone has the oil pan off, and pours the 6 quarts of used motor or whatever is required for the recommended volume not including an oil filter. Then they observe where the level is in relation to the top of the pan.
Another thing that is useful is to know the distance from the top of the usual fluid level to the crank counterweight. Without all this information, one is absolutely in the dark about the issue.
For me I don’t sweat it. One 5 liter container plus one liter measured out from another 5 liter container. I keep the 1 liter measuring cup in a plastic box with a lid so it doesn’t get dust on it. This is on my 6.0 LS Chevy engine. Hard to go wrong.
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My neighbor took his Audi S6 to a local shop less than a mile away instead of his usual mechanic for a quick oil change before going out of town. After all, how can you screw up an oil change, right? Well, it turns out it's not that hard. They drained fluid from under the car, filled the engine with the prescribed amount of engine oil, and proceeded to destroy the engine. The person who drained the oil did so from the transmission, not oil sump.
He's now driving an Audi RS7, paid for mostly by the shop's owner and their insurance.
He's now driving an Audi RS7, paid for mostly by the shop's owner and their insurance.
Dipstick? What dipstick? (Audi Q5)
Same here for past 30 years.
I've never had a problem with a slight overfill. I never put in an entire extra quart, though. That seems excessive.
My Rav4 gets a new filter and a full 5qt jug and it ends up being just above the full line.
The CR-V gets a new filter and pour in 4.5qts based on the markings on the jug and call it good. It's always right around the full line. I'll use the remaining half quart for top-off.
Once you do a few oil changes, you'll get to know how much to pour in without doing the dipstick dance every time.
My Rav4 gets a new filter and a full 5qt jug and it ends up being just above the full line.
The CR-V gets a new filter and pour in 4.5qts based on the markings on the jug and call it good. It's always right around the full line. I'll use the remaining half quart for top-off.
Once you do a few oil changes, you'll get to know how much to pour in without doing the dipstick dance every time.
I've often considered this and I'm guessing most cars on the road are running around +/- 1.5 or even 2 qts.
The minus happens from burning and leaks, assuming it was properly filled to begin with.
The plus happens from overzealous paranoia when filling plus people don't understand how to read dipsticks and/or have poor eyesight with clean oil (I find my headlamp invaluable).
Furthermore it's often impractical to let a vehicle sit long enough to drain everything from the top end, so I'm sure plenty of shops add within a minute or two of shutdown -- I don't blame them. I personally feel five solid minutes is long enough -- life's too short. But you can judge and figure the level will come up a bit overnight.
I've seen a 3V Ford 4.6 overfilled by ~4 qts from quickie lube with no discernible problems.
I've seen a Subaru EJ overfilled by 3-4 qts and it smoked like Pigpen just from EVERYWHERE. This was a teenage kid who couldn't read the dipstick and kept adding.
The minus happens from burning and leaks, assuming it was properly filled to begin with.
The plus happens from overzealous paranoia when filling plus people don't understand how to read dipsticks and/or have poor eyesight with clean oil (I find my headlamp invaluable).
Furthermore it's often impractical to let a vehicle sit long enough to drain everything from the top end, so I'm sure plenty of shops add within a minute or two of shutdown -- I don't blame them. I personally feel five solid minutes is long enough -- life's too short. But you can judge and figure the level will come up a bit overnight.
I've seen a 3V Ford 4.6 overfilled by ~4 qts from quickie lube with no discernible problems.
I've seen a Subaru EJ overfilled by 3-4 qts and it smoked like Pigpen just from EVERYWHERE. This was a teenage kid who couldn't read the dipstick and kept adding.
Also I very much question the tick marks on 5qt jugs. I think many are more of a general guideline. So if you're pouring less then the full five and using the lines, you could be off a 1/2 qt.
I'll tell you they definitely don't jive with the HD graduated buckets, BUT I certainly don't think the buckets are gospel, either.
I've never cared enough to figure out which is more or less accurate -- the buckets or the jugs. Honestly I guess weight would be the best way to figure this. Maybe use water rather than eyeballing lines to see which is closer.
But you get into a science experiment I don't have time for. I can just tell you from random observation all marks/graduations are approximate, then add in human error, a level surface, thickness of the lines etc
I'll tell you they definitely don't jive with the HD graduated buckets, BUT I certainly don't think the buckets are gospel, either.
I've never cared enough to figure out which is more or less accurate -- the buckets or the jugs. Honestly I guess weight would be the best way to figure this. Maybe use water rather than eyeballing lines to see which is closer.
But you get into a science experiment I don't have time for. I can just tell you from random observation all marks/graduations are approximate, then add in human error, a level surface, thickness of the lines etc
An automotive pal built his '89 5.7...he did the "383 conversion" rather well.
He told me the SBC was known to readily accept a quart over.
That alone makes me think this question (overfilling, OK?) is answered case by case.
Patman
Staff member
I think most GM V8s can handle a quart over quite easily. My 98 Corvette’s owners manual recommended adding an extra quart for racing, so I added that extra quart even for the street. No issues in the 9 years that I had it (and 215,000 km on it when I sold it)
I would assume, with the history of mass-produced products we all grew up with, there'd be an "Acceptable Overfill Table".
Then again, perhaps such a table would prompt stupes to grossly overfill?
I think Kia had a recall a while back and part of the recall was to swap your dipstick with one that took 1/4 quart more oil.
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