Sudden oil level jump?

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glum

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Feb 3, 2011
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Charlotte, NC
2008 Hyundai Sonata, 2.4L

I'm obsessed with checking my oil level, which I'm guessing lots of people here can identify with. I'm about 1,600 miles into my last OC, and my level has been at the "max" line that whole time.

Until a few days ago.

I checked it recently, and it was about 1/2 quart over the max line. I know what some people will say, faulty ADBV, but my filter is vertical, open end up. I always check the oil the same way (as Hyundai advises): Get to OT, shut the engine off (duh), wait 5 minutes, then check.

I didn't add oil to it. No one else has access to my car except for my wife, and she wouldn't be able to pop the hood if I held a gun to her head.

I evacuated the excess oil, and so far it has stayed exactly where it was right after I did the evacuation.

I'm clueless on this one, and suddenly feel an urge to change the oil again...
 
Sounds strange. ADBV would be my thought.....or worse, coolant/water/gas leaking into the oil....and causing it to rise above full...?

Either way, I'd get it checked out....

Perhaps take it for a good 20-30 minute highway run, drain a decent sample out, mail it in to Blackstone or Oil Analyzers, and see what they have to say....

Though, the coolant/water/gasoline may burn off during the 20-30 minute drive...so maybe just take a "cold" sample....?
 
I've noticed this with my Fords once in a while, in my case it is the filter. More than once I've changed the oil and found the filter filled to the top, and other times it had very little oil in it. IMO a few things can cause the oil level to rise, the amount of oil in the filter, excess fuel in the oil, or coolant in the oil. In any event it would take a lot of fuel or coolant and you'd know, the coolant level would be down or the oil would stink of gas. A UOA would be a good idea if you can't tell by sight or smell. Since you drained the excess oil have you checked the filter to see if it is now full?
 
I evacuated some oil but haven't changed it, so taking a sample would be easy. I will probably change it soon and send some out. Bad timing as I have a 1,500-mile road trip a week from today.

The oil I evac'd looked dark but not unusual.

When I change the oil/filter later this week I'll check the level of oil in the filter. Is it even possible for a faulty ADBV to matter in a filter mounted vertically?
 
I think I'd change the filter before the trip, see what's going on and if it is full or empty.
 
If there IS more fluid in the crankcase, what could it be?
oil, coolant, or fuel.

Does it smell like gas? It would be a strong smell.

After a long rest, draining some out of the normal oil drain plug would reveal any coolant [it settles]. And note any milky discoloration to the oil.

The oil filer is still suspect.

Keep an eye on it and see what pattern there is.
 
Just requested a test kit from Blackstone. Probably won't be able to get the kit and send it off before the trip. But I will save some of the oil I drain off for when I can send the sample back.

I always check in the same place--my garage, which is close enough to level that I can't tell the difference.

Coolant, I get: Bad head gasket.

Oil, I get: Someone overfilled without realizing, or bad ADBV.

But... fuel? How would fuel get in there?
 
Originally Posted By: glum


But... fuel? How would fuel get in there?


Leaky/stuck injector spraying into a cylinder continuously.... washes down the cylinder walls, past the rings, and into the oil.
 
Originally Posted By: Craig in Canada
Originally Posted By: glum


But... fuel? How would fuel get in there?


Leaky/stuck injector spraying into a cylinder continuously.... washes down the cylinder walls, past the rings, and into the oil.


One would assume this could be discounted. If this were the case, the driver (as someone obsessed with the condition of his car) probably would have noticed the engine running poorly. Also, 1/2 a quart of fuel in the oil is A LOT of fuel. If the coolant level is normal, than it's probably just the ADBV. The vertical mounted filter not needing an ADBV is a myth (this topic has been discussed to death in the oil filter section). The ADBV is not just there to keep oil from emptying out of the filter, it's there to keep the oil from draining from the engine back into the filter and back into the pan. It makes more sense that the valve is just leaky. Change your filter and see what happens.
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
I forgot the obvious!
If it is coolant, you will notice a drop in the coolant level!


Which is what I was referring to by sight. He could get the cooling system pressure tested and hopefully rule that out. With the oil level rising as much as it did there would be a drop in the cooling system, if it was a bad head gasket.

I'd smell the oil. It would be stinking of gas, to rise the oil level from a bad injector. If it doesn't smell and the coolant level hasn't dropped replace the filter before the trip.
 
I think the OP needs to make sure it's not the coolant first. If it is coolant, he is asking for big trouble if he continues to drive the car.
 
I'm going to put the car on ramps right now and first thing in the morning, I'll take a bit of oil out (I have a Fumoto quick drain valve) and see if water/coolant comes out. If 1/2 quart of coolant got in there, I would think it would be obvious after sitting ~14 hours and testing from the bottom of the oil pan.

The car runs perfectly. Given that it's a 2.4L (normally aspirated), with something like 145 HP, I think I'd really notice if something horrible went wrong with the fuel injectors. Unless something has always been wrong and I'm just used to it!

Given that I've been checking the oil just a few minutes after shutting the engine down, if it's a leaky ADBV, it must be the leakiest ADBV in history!
 
Originally Posted By: tinmanSC
The vertical mounted filter not needing an ADBV is a myth (this topic has been discussed to death in the oil filter section). The ADBV is not just there to keep oil from emptying out of the filter, it's there to keep the oil from draining from the engine back into the filter and back into the pan.

I wasn't in on the myth... I was just posting my thoughts on it, as they occurred to me independently. It had not occurred to me that the ADBV might stop the oil from the engine from draining down.

But if the ADBV was there to stop the oil from draining from the engine into the pan, wouldn't oil continually drip once I removed the oil filter? (No oil filter to stop the draining.) But that doesn't happen, AFAIK.
 
Originally Posted By: glum
Originally Posted By: tinmanSC
The vertical mounted filter not needing an ADBV is a myth (this topic has been discussed to death in the oil filter section). The ADBV is not just there to keep oil from emptying out of the filter, it's there to keep the oil from draining from the engine back into the filter and back into the pan.

I wasn't in on the myth... I was just posting my thoughts on it, as they occurred to me independently. It had not occurred to me that the ADBV might stop the oil from the engine from draining down.

But if the ADBV was there to stop the oil from draining from the engine into the pan, wouldn't oil continually drip once I removed the oil filter? (No oil filter to stop the draining.) But that doesn't happen, AFAIK.


Really? This is exactly what happens to me when i change the oil in my 2JZ-powered GS300 or SC300. Breaking the gasket seal by turning the oil filter and slowly separating it from the engine block results in a torrent of oil flowing down my arm. The oil filter is filled to the very top when I inspect it, but oil is still coming out of the block. I have used filters without an ADBV and this doesn't happen. I take off the filter and very little oil spills.
 
take a sample a.s.a.p. and change the oil after that a.s.a.p. it could be coolant and that can destroy the bearings...keep an eye on the coolant..is it possible you drove through deep water?
if it was gasoline related you would smell it in the oil
 
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