Too much oil in my engine

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Originally Posted by oldhp
Originally Posted by 4WD
Here is one for you guys:
Guy takes 3.6L Pentastar to shop for oil change. They dumped in 6 fresh quarts and never drained it.
They started the engine … What happened to that engine ?


The engine got twice as clean???

I'll bite......what happened?


Oh, I know.. I've seen this before. It sprouted legs and ran out the back of the shop, just like that creature did in that movie The Thing! 👽
 
I'd drain some out. I would also check the coolant level, and pressure test the cooling system, if the coolant level was off, to rule out a possible bad head gasket.
 
Originally Posted by demarpaint
I'd drain some out. I would also check the coolant level, and pressure test the cooling system, if the coolant level was off, to rule out a possible bad head gasket.

If the oil has a normal appearance, it is not mixing with coolant enough to raise the level that much.
 
Originally Posted by oldhp
Originally Posted by 4WD
Here is one for you guys:
Guy takes 3.6L Pentastar to shop for oil change. They dumped in 6 fresh quarts and never drained it.
They started the engine … What happened to that engine ?


The engine got twice as clean???

I'll bite......what happened?

Would the engine accept all-6, without over-flowing?.
 
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How many BITOGers does it take to drain off 1.8 qts oil?
grin2.gif
Couple observations follows

OP: You didn't wait long enough between shut down and checking the oil level. Oil was still draining into the pan. Don't care what Fiat says about a Jeep I gave up topping oil off when the level is between the top 2 marks. The electric oil pressure gauge on most cars is a joke. I could tell on my AMC jeeps when they were a qt low by the gauge.
 
I know a mechanic who says he regularly overfills a little on purpose when they bring cars into the shop for an oil change.

A lot of people if not most don't check their oil often, so he adds maybe an extra quarter or even half a liter of oil depending on the engine size for extra safety in case the engine burns or leaks some of the oil.

He hasn't had a single engine blow up because of that yet!
 
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Thanks for all your answers.

So today, I checked again (the engine was turned off since 2 days since I use my sportscar those sunny days).

The floor of my garage is level, so no problem with that.

So, I checked and of course, the level was still like on my picture, way more than max. So I decided to try again like stated in the owner manual (5 minutes after turning engine off, on warm engine).

I started my engine and did let it run idle for 30 minutes. Then I stopped, and did wait 5-10 minutes. I checked and: exactly on max, no more overfill… I cleaned the dipstick and checked again and again and again: no more overfill, exactly on max "hole"

So I don't really understand but it seems that the oil level must be checked only with engine warm and then it's good… I guess, I won't do anything and let my oil like this, because they say in owners manual to check 5 minutes after turning engine off, I did it and level was good…

But it's strange, really...
 
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Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
5 minutes is not enough. Rule-of-thumb is 20 minutes, or better-yet, wait until next day.

Rule of thumb is to follow your owner's manual, which he states he did.
 
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted by oldhp
Originally Posted by 4WD
Here is one for you guys:
Guy takes 3.6L Pentastar to shop for oil change. They dumped in 6 fresh quarts and never drained it.
They started the engine … What happened to that engine ?


The engine got twice as clean???

I'll bite......what happened?

Would the engine accept all-6, without over-flowing?.


Seems to me it would raise crankcase pressure due to reduced volume to accommodate blow by gasses???
 
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Rule of thumb is sometimes the owners manual doesn't give you the correct information.

Oh. Then maybe you should have said that.

smirk2.gif
 
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
roofie
Rule of thumb is sometimes the owners manual doesn't give you the correct information.


[Citation needed]
 
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
roofie
Rule of thumb is sometimes the owners manual doesn't give you the correct information.


Can you imagine the dealership telling you that?
 
Why don't you just change oil and put in correct amount then check overnight. Once you get a level then start it, run until it gets to temperature, shut off then wait for 5 minutes recheck level. Now you would be able to see correctly how to check the oil.
 
When running, oil is pumped to the top of the engine and fills all of the galleries. It does take a couple of minutes for the majority of it to drain back down, but the bulk of what's going to drain will be done in 20-30 seconds- which would be whatever is pooled on the heads. If the bearings are worn or it has piston squirters, more will drain over the next 5 minutes or so. BUT - I have a hard time seeing a full quart pooling up somewhere - 1/4 quart is more reasonable, unless there are clogged journals, OR if the pressure relief valve on the oil pump is partly open, allowing galleries drain as well.

Does the manual give a specific technique? The 2.7L fords are stated to specifically sit for 15 minutes before checking the oil. It's a known nuisance, especially if you aren't tracking what you pour in during an oil change.

For your jeep? Whatever the stick shows 30 seconds after shutting if off warm is what the sump is seeing.

-m
 
Originally Posted by dave1251
Why change the filter? You may put on a defective one on. This is about as likely to happen as removing and replacing the same filter.


Pretty sure it's not about the same possible failure rate. I've been changing my own oil for about 27 years now, and have never seen a failed filter. Yet, in the past two years, I experienced my first, second, and third "stuck gasket" where the gasket stayed on the block and the filter came off. Yes, I saw it and removed before sticking a new filter on. For the record, all three "stuck gasket" failures were Fram Ultras- never personally seen it on any other filter. And I actually like the XGs, so it's not bashing them. I just don't understand how theirs are the only ones doing it- across multiple cars, all with pre-oiled o-rings.
 
I would not trust the dipstick. On my Ram the oil level when I put in the amount the manual calls for is a good bit higher than the max level. It is similar to what your picture shows. I mark that level with a scribe (center punch) and use it as my reference.
 
Quote
I would not trust the dipstick.

Too bad they don't have a sight gauge like some motorcycles do. I'm not sure I trust the measurement of the fill quantity as much as the dipstick. How do you know there aren't certain cavities on the engine that don't drain all the way down to the pan, especially if you have the car tilted on ramps? With my motorcycle I found that if I use the exact specified amount of oil, even when using a slightly oversized filter, I have overfilled it based on the sight gauge on the side of the engine. Of course the little engine only holds about 3.4 quarts of oil, so you have to be a bit more precise. I have found the same thing with most cars--use the exact amount listed in the owner's manual and it is an overfill.
 
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Thanks for all your answers and precious informations!

Ye, my car is running good with this amount of oil, no smoke, no foam in oil, and if I check the dipstick with engine turned off since 5 minutes as advised, the amount is exactly on max... With cold engine (2h since turn off or more), it shows overfill…

So I guess I'll keep that oil level until next oil change in about 4'000 miles.
 
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