Running A Quart Over

[lovcom]

Those that over fill on purpose, and say that there is "no problem"...how do you know?

What about oil frothing up as the cam splashes into it wildly?

I wonder if the damage is not revealed until long term....hmmm....

And why over fill on purpose and temp the [censored]'s? What benefit? All I see is potential calamity over time...frothy bubbly oil means air, and air means no oil coverage, at least to my mind...and what about the seals? Could over flowing cause the seals to weaken or blow?

 

[javacontour]

Some cars have room for an overfill.

As I think I may have said before, perhaps even in this thread, it's sometimes a defensive measure.

I know the 2.5L Duratec, as installed in Contours/Mystique and the new Cougars would suffer from oil starvation in long RH sweepers if a quart low at high RPMs.

So if someone was charging a cloverleaf on-ramp in 3rd gear at 70 MPH say 4K or higher RPMs. The oil would pump to the heads and drop the level in the pan. The forces in the turn drove the oil to the left side of the pan, away from the pickup, and bang, oil starvation, spun bearings, etc.

So folks who liked to carve corners in these cars would regularly run 1/2quart to a quart over full, to avoid oil starvation.

It didn't seem to harm the car, as oil pooled in the heads.

The 3.0L duratec added more drainage. so oil didn't get trapped in the heads.

 

[slipperysam]

IMHO, round up but don't go more than that.
Why tempt fate. You paid a lot of money for that vehicle, why try to kill it prematurely.I never try to second guess the design engineers at Honda.

SS

2000 Honda Accord 3.0
2004 Honda Pilot 3.5

 

[bmwtechguy]

"What about oil frothing up as the cam splashes into it wildly?"
Did you mean the crankshaft splashing down into the oil? I would think that the cam would never be near the crankcase unless you are talking about an old air-cooled VW or Porsche engine where the cam is below the crankshaft.

 

[BuickGN]

I run the TL at least 1/2 quart over. It gives me a little more peace of mind going on these super long Amsoil 4,500 mile OCIs lol.

When I had the stock oil pan off of the GN during a rebuild I filled it with the recommended 5 quarts (of water) with the pan sitting on the ground. It took an extra two quarts to get close to the level to the baffle. Since the baffle has to be under the lowest part of the crank for clearance and the front and rear main seals are at least 1.5" higher than that, I figured 6 quarts would be completely safe so that's what I run.

 

[Ignatz]

I'm the odd one out again....My Volvo holds 6 quarts and I put in 5 quarts. Volvo's crankcase ventilation system can clog up and blow out a rear main seal, so I figure by running a quart low I'm giving the crankcase more room to breath. Its a 98 S70 T5 and I'm on a 4 month oil change schedule with Mobil-1 5-30 or 10-30 depending on the season. The oil level just stays at the bottom of the stick and plenty comes out when it gets changed.

 

[fendertweed]

i suspect the silence from the OP reflects the suspect reasoning of this loopy logic ... glad he doesn't get anywhere near my engines.

round up... OK, so 5.6 qts. = 6; or 6.6 = 7, or 4.5 =5 but some of his math & logic are frightening.

 

[BuickGN]

I should add that even though my TL is overfilled, I've checked the dipstick and valvecover numerous times in the beginning to make sure there was no frothing or foaming of the oil. Not about to take that kind of chance on nearly $40K.

 

[MGregoir]

Would HDEO with an anti-foaming agent make a difference versus running PCMO without?

Generally from what I have seen they contain something to help with that so this might be an application for it if you are going to overfill.

I'd run the longer filter as well because it gives you an extra third of a quart filter capacity for buffer so you're not totally running over.

I think it's do-able, but I would watch your PCV valve and run an oil with additives that could prevent potential problems, as well as the bigger filter so you're not quite so high in the pan.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Yary
Merkava, Still running the 6 quarts? Hows the engine?


Wow! This is sure is an old thread.

Yes I'm still running 6 quarts in both the Buick and the truck; the Buick has the oversize filter though. No problems to report and it's nice not having to check the oil level every day.

 

[bigbull2984]

I run the TL .3qt over for a total of 5qt.

 

[BuickGN]

Originally Posted By: bigbull2984
I run the TL .3qt over for a total of 5qt.


Where about does that put you on the dipstick? Mine reads past the hatch marks, almost to the bend in the dipstick.

 

[bigbull2984]

You have a different dip stick I have a 2g TL. On the 2G its 2 holes and I am past that.

 

[SuperEd73]

I'm trying to figure out what Subaru's logic was on my 2.0 liter turbo engine in my WRX. Owner's manual calls for 4.8 quarts of oil with the filter change. Did they really think an extra 6 oz. oil would be a problem? My dipstick has a full mark and an overfull mark. I decided to see where a full 5 quarts would be on the dipstick after I did my last oil change. If it was too full I could just crawl back under the car and let a little oil out. Anyway, I checked the dipstick level, it may be a bit past full but definitely not at the overfull mark. Putting in a full 5 quarts sure makes it easier than figuring out what to do with 6oz of oil.

Ed B.

2002 Subaru WRX - 86,300 miles - Castrol GTX 5W-30 - Rinse phase of Auto-Rx treatment
1968 Dodge Polara - 383-2bbl, 127,250 miles - Rotella 15W-40

 

[Oilgal]

groan

I have insomnia tonight. I read this entire thread and I am still not sleepy! I thought for sure it would knock me right out, but all it has done is get me thinking. Drat you Merkava!

PS

I find it hard to believe that the OEM would make those oil fill lines so critical, that you could trash all your seals or burn your motor down, by being just too close to either line when still between them. Then again this world is a total f'd up mess. So maybe it 'is' true. OH-NO! Who to believe? What to do what to do! eeeeeek!!!!

ps ps

I added on a small b&m oil cooler two summers ago just in case


I am going back to bed now. Thanks Merkava.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: SuperEd73
I'm trying to figure out what Subaru's logic was on my 2.0 liter turbo engine in my WRX. Owner's manual calls for 4.8 quarts of oil with the filter change. Did they really think an extra 6 oz. oil would be a problem?

Someone probably just did a straight conversion from liters when translating the owner's manual. 4.5 liters = 4.8 quarts.

For my car, the manual calls for 6.9 quarts (6.5 liters). I usually just pour in 7 quarts.

 

[Merkava_4]

I have to admit, when I started this thread, I never imagined it would go 10 pages.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: mpvue
I changed the oil on a friend's '00 saturn SW2, supposed to take 4 qts, but the saturn 1.9 is known to go through oil quick, so her father in law would add oil. well, my 7qt drain pan overflowed! I guess a bit less than a qt went down the driveway. I asked her how often she would put oil in; it had become a regular habit for them to just 'top it off'! now there is a joke about saturns, to check the gas when you fill the oil, but this is ridiculous! it HAD to have close to 8qts in that engine! this was last year, all seems to be well since then.
I switched her to amsoil (how I get myself into these things...) so now I've designated myself to be her 'oil guy', and to cover myself, I check her oil every week or so. she is still making payments on a windstar that overheated and died, she doesn't even have the van anymore. so if I can take car maintenance off her worry list,and keep this little saturn running, all the better.
a saturn will sneak up on you; all will seem well, then BAM! oil is gone. another lady I know ran her SL2 down to 1 qt or so- still running now, few yrs later.
sorry for rambling, but I just wanted to contribute my experiences, that WAY too much oil seemed to have no ill effects on this particular engine. not that I'll ever do that; messes up the driveway

Yeah, wolfman used to recommend an oil level check at every fill-up. FWIW, my 96 SL2 with 110k is about 1/5 qt low after 1700 miles of city/highway driving. Oil consumption stays pretty low for the first 3k miles, then it skyrockets.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I have to admit, when I started this thread, I never imagined it would go 10 pages.

It's only 4 pages on my screen.

 

[Oilgal]

Five on mine. It's a cool thread, because it is so, so, BITOGY.