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Hey all,
This post is not about my car, but my wife’s car. She got her oil changed a few weeks ago and we just got back from a 900 mile round trip for thanksgiving. I noticed the engine was making some odd ticking type sounds (not a constant tick, tick, tick, more like a tickticktick … … ticktick … tickticktick. It sounded like it was coming from the head, but I’m not sure. I’ll try to get a video later. When I checked the oil, I found little bubbles on the end of the dipstick (not a ton, just one or two). She was parked on a decline, but the oil fill level was up past the high fill mark by around a quarter inch.
My question is: the car is certified pre-owned and has a powertrain warranty to 60k (it’s currently at 50,243). How do we go about documenting the issue to the dealer (in the event they overfilled the oil or there is a general problem with the engine)?
Thank you!
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I’d just make a cell phone video of you checking the level on the dipstick and give a verbal account of what happened and what you heard on your trip and that you’re concerned this may be damaging the engine and/or indicative of some other problem. If you wanted to you could have another mechanic look at it and get it in writing as to whether it was overfilled in their opinion. Then I would inform the dealer and see what they plan to do about it, I assume they’d just change the oil and poo-poo any concerns you have, but then you’d have the video and the mechanic’s write up to keep as leverage if anything comes up in the future.
Is there any discoloration to the oil? Coolant could be raising the oil level but usually it mixes into a tan-colored goo (just fixed this problem on my chevy).
Just over-filling the oil will produce bubbles like you mention so I wouldn’t worry too much about the head gasket yet, but it’s a possibility to check on.I seriously doubt a headgasket issue. The oil quality looks fine. I need to get it on a level surface to get a correct reading on the level, but I know the bubbles (literally 1 or 2 tiny ones) disappear off of the dipstick immediately after the car is turned off. I’m starting to think the ticking might be an exhaust leak or a loose/rattling heat shield. I was a really tired when I noticed the noise. We left WNY at 1:30AM on the Friday after thanksgiving to get back to Long Island by 8:30/9am, so I might have been thinking the worst of the little oil bubbles and ticking noise..
I’ll keep you guys updated as I find out more
Overfilled is just as bad as undefiled. The oil can come into contact with the spinning crank shaft and get whipped up like a meringue. If that happens, it looses it’s ability to lubricate.
If that happened on a long trip, it could have damaged the engine and that may be what you’re hearing. I’d take it to the dealer ASAP to have it checked out. If it’s found that engine damage has resulted from the oil change, be sure you have your recipes ready for the place where the oil was changed. I can’t say how this would go down, but they should replace the engine if they did in fact damage it.
Until you get this sorted out, do not touch anything. Don’t try and adjust the oil level or anything. If you do, you could wreck your chances of any recourse if you do indeed have an engine that was damaged from being overfilled with oil.
Good luck and please keep us updated on your progress.
Thank you for the reply Eric.
My wife works at a car dealership and had her oil changed in their own service department (where she purchased the car). I’ve made a video of the bubbles in the oil and the noise (with date and time, etc). We have all of our receipts, and she’s bringing it into the service dept. at work tomorrow for them to take a look. She’s had to keep driving it (it’s her only form of transportation), but it still seems to drive fine, it’s not throwing any codes, and the noise seems intermittent now. Not sure about the bubbles since I don’t have my hands on her car too often. I know that the oil doesn’t look frothy though (like a ton of air is being whipped up). Only one or two tiny bubbles on the end of the dipstick, and only when the car is running. Nothing but oil on the dipstick immediately after it’s turned off. I know my stratus doesn’t do that, but then again my stratus takes 5 quarts of oil (and the Versa 3 quarts). I’ll keep you guys posted of what we find out tomorrow.
Thank you!
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