Over-filled engine with Motor Oil

[Burgess]

Hello fellow CPF'ers --


Have a 1995 Ford Explorer, with 4.0 Litre V-6 gasoline engine. Low Mileage.


Due to a mis-communication ( :hairpull: ),

this crankcase was accidently over-filled with 1 Quart too much motor oil.


Is this a Serious Problem ? ? ?


Should i take it somewhere, and get it pumped out ?


Or can i just " Live with it " ?


Drove it 25 miles already, and i've detected " No Noticeable Problems ".



Thank you to everyone, for any answers & assistance you can provide.

lovecpf
_

 

[Carbon]

Not a serious problem, but if it were me, I would pull the drain plug and drain approximately one quart out. Kind of hard to guess a how much a quart is, but keep checking the dipstick.

 

[gswitter]

How many quarts does it normally take?

My car has an engine that is spec'ed to consume up to a quart of oil every 1K miles. It takes 4.25 quarts but I generally add a half to three quarters of a quart extra at oil changes to account for the consumption. It's never caused any problems. The engine has 185K on it now.

 

[Dude Dudeson]

My understanding is the biggest hazard from overfilling oil is the crankshaft slapping against oil where there normally shouldn't be oil.

With 25 miles down you may be okay, unless a hill shifts enough oil to one side to get that "slap" - then bye bye crankshaft.

There could be other hazards I'm unaware of.

 

[combinatorix]

You could very easily take it to any service station where they should be able to just take off the drain plug and let it drain to the correct level.

If you haven't noticed any problems, there's probably been no damage to the engine. Soaking the crankshaft a little bit won't make the engine happy, but it won't immediately damage anything either. If your oil pressure is looking too high, or you see any black smoke in the exhaust, then I would get it looked at immediately before driving again.

 

[lctorana]

About 25 years ago, I overfilled the sump my sister's Ford Escort. I have never seen that much smoke in my life.

Check the dipstick. It shouldn't read much more than the "full" mark, if it does, drain some out.

 

[EngrPaul]

It would be bad if you drove the car hard with this condition. The crankshaft could slap the top of the oil and create lots of bubbles, and then the oil pump woudn't be as effective as it should be because it's meant to pump liquid, not air. Chances are an extra quart didn't cause any damage.

You should drain the excess oil through the drain plug... which can be tricky to stop without being messy. You can also drain it all and refil with the proper amount of oil. You would be filling with less oil than usual without the filter change, usually the owner's manual tells you both capacities (with and without an oil filter change).

 

[matrixshaman]

You could probably drain about a quart out through the drain plug without too much problem - just use rubber gloves and have an oil change drain pan or container. OR you could just change the oil filter which usually holds almost a quart of oil in it. Just put a new one on with out adding any oil and then run the engine for a minute and recheck your oil level. Should be close to right then.

 

[QtrHorse]

That motor should take 5 quarts of oil.

Have you checked the dipstick level to be sure it is overfilled?

If it were me and one extra quart of oil was actually added, I would get it drained. As already stated, the real problem is going to be possible aeriation of the oil which can cause problems.

You could do as Matrixshaman advised and just remove the oil filter if it is on the side of the motor. They do normally hold .5-1 quart of oil.

Just take it down to your local Walmart and have them do another oil change for $30. If you take it to a mechanic, they are going to charge you at least that much just to drain one quart.

 

[Search]

1) Drain all oil.

2) Buy more oil (The correct amount).

3) Mulligan.

4) Learn from mistake.



I have a better one.

Was getting ready to take my Mustang to the beach. I changed the oil and was going to weld a small exhaust leak on one of the manifolds. Well, I had it jacked up in the driveway and was fixing to go underneath to try and pinpoint the small hole.

Well, it slid off of the frame and went into the oil pan, destroying the oil pan, and releasing all of my oil onto the driveway.

A tow, a pulled engine, a new oil pan, new oil, and a new manifold later I learned to not trust a faulty transmission and a hill.

 

[mossyoak]

1) Drain all oil.

2) Buy more oil (The correct amount).

3) Mulligan.

4) Learn from mistake.



I have a better one.

Was getting ready to take my Mustang to the beach. I changed the oil and was going to weld a small exhaust leak on one of the manifolds. Well, I had it jacked up in the driveway and was fixing to go underneath to try and pinpoint the small hole.

Well, it slid off of the frame and went into the oil pan, destroying the oil pan, and releasing all of my oil onto the driveway.

A tow, a pulled engine, a new oil pan, new oil, and a new manifold later I learned to not trust a faulty transmission and a hill.

there is sooo much bad info in the thread its a wonder some even have cars that run. the above idea is the best idea.

 

[Burgess]

Thank you, everyone ! :twothumbs


Yes, i get the picture.


Ford probably had a Pretty Good Reason

for putting those markings on the Oil Dipstick.


I will get this issue resolved.


:thanks:

_

 

[turbodog]

Everyone says a filter holds 1/2 to 1 qt oil. There's no way that's even close to true except on some of the really old filters that were HUGE.

Look at the outside size... Most modern filters will wholly fit inside a 1 cup measuring cup.

But, to specifically answer the initial post:

Drain it back down to the proper level. Bubbles can be introduced into the oil, which will hamper pumping efficiency and oil pressure.

Furthermore, more oil will be aerosolized (turned into an oil mist) and will have bad effects on your pcv system. To be safe, I'd change my pcv valve when this is fixed.

Try not to rev too high till you get this fixed.

rechanging oil = cheap
shortened engine life = not cheap

 

[QtrHorse]

Everyone says a filter holds 1/2 to 1 qt oil. There's no way that's even close to true except on some of the really old filters that were HUGE.

Look at the outside size... Most modern filters will wholly fit inside a 1 cup measuring cup.

Not trying to start a arguement over how much a oil filter holds but take a walk down most any autoparts oil filter isle and look at the size of most oil filters.

There are many that will hold less than .5 quarts but there are many that will hold closer to one quart.

I don't believe I have ever seen a oil filter that fits inside a 1 cup measuring device. Maybe a Smart car or a three cylinder but a 1 cup measuing device is tiny.

 

[will]

Just a couple of comments

Unless the engine is a dry sump system, ( it's not ) the crankshaft is already dipping into the oil in the oil pan.

If it is grossly overfilled with oil, there is the possibility of getting oil into the combustion chamber resulting in a lot of smoke.

One extra quart of oil will probably result in a oil level increase of maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch

Once an engine is running, there is a lot of oil running through the upper part of the engine, in the heads and in other areas.

The PCV valve is designed to work with oil vapor, it is supposed to recycle the air in the engine and burn off any vapors by introducing it back into the fuel intake system.

It's possible that the throttle body might have to be cleaned due to an excess of oil vapor.

to be safe - consider this a rinse out, get an oil change and refill with the correct amount of oil.

ANY time you work on a car in the drive way - put blocks by one of the wheels that is still on the ground.

Don't rely on the emergency brake to prevent the car from rolling

NEVER go under a car supported only by a jack. add a jack stand, or a cinder block ( not the best choice )

 

[lctorana]

NEVER go under a car supported only by a jack. add a jack stand, or a cinder block ( not the best choice )

Never. Not ever. Jacks are for lifting the car, not supporting it.

We were notified of a fatality last year; a man was killed when under his car supported by jacks.

 

[Search]

there is sooo much bad info in the thread its a wonder some even have cars that run. the above idea is the best idea.

I hope that isn't sarcasm

I've learned many times over that sometimes the best solution to a problem is to take everything back to square one and start over.

 

[RA40]

There are different ways to achieve the end result. For accuracy sake, I would completely drain and refill to the manufacturers spec. What oil is in the filter is of minor significance as it is usually a small amount. Even if they change the filter, a typical oil service outside the dealer is ~$25. Money well spent.

 

[InTheDark]

It's a Ford, it's probably burned up that extra quart in the first 10 miles.

Seriously though, how do you know it's overfilled? Have you checked the dipstick? If it's not showing above full, i wouldn't worry about it. Even if it was one quart over, an SUV like that probably hold 6 quarts or so, one extra quart won't kill it. If it makes you feel better you can drain a quart, but personally I wouldn't lose much sleep over it.

 

[Flashlight Aficionado]

Re: Things I've learned the hard way . . .(Part 2)