Overfill engine oil..is that bad..?

[Raymond M. Ramy]

Hello Eric, I got a 1997 honda city 1.3L civic engine (I think this honda model is only available here in asia and I am here in the philippines) and last sept 28, 2012 I went for an oil change and I just noticed that it was an overfill for about almost 1/2 inch above the max level in the dip stick.. is that bad..do I need to be worried..?

hope to hear from you soon..thanks!

Topic

[twiggy]

If too much overfilled, the oil c ould get foamed up and as a foam won’t be pumped through the engine as it should.

It’s easy enough to drain the excess out, why not just do it?

[Steffen Nyegaard]

I’ve been told that too much oil could increase the oil pressure and thereby blow a gasket? Is that correct?

[twiggy]

No. What happens is the oil is foamed up by the crank shaft (if it is high enough to reach it) and you get no pressure. Other than that it shouldn’t affect pressure at all.

[Raymond M. Ramy]

thanks guys, so can you give me some estimate how much oil is that 1/2 inch above the max level in my car..? sorry I really dont have any idea how much oil is that 🙂

thanks!

[skim3544]

Some people may disagree on this, but 1/2″ above dip stick sounds OK to me. We have a shop in the area that would over fill all engine by 1/2 qt just just as a counter measure for oil leaks/and burns. And most old car manuals tell you that burning 1 Qt every 1000 miles (although sounds excessive) is normal (I am not sure if this is still true)

Also there are cars that were shipped with two different dipsticks – JDM version of oil dip stick would require owner to fill the engine with additional 1 qt of engine (I think this was late 2000 model Civic Si)

I agree excessive over filling is bad, but 1/2 – 1 qt over filling should be OK in my opinion.

[Raymond M. Ramy]

thanks everyone,
I’ve search around the internet about this and I found different opinions, I am new about cars so I dont have any idea which is right.

Just want to ask anybody here..what should I feel or see if my car is in trouble in regards to that overfill..? I already drove that since that day and I dont feel anything maybe there is but I dont know what it is..

thanks again.

[EricTheCarGuy]

Yes it is a bad thing and the reasons are pretty much covered above. You should drain the oil a little at a time till you reach the proper level.

With an oil level that high it can come into contact with the spinning crank shaft which would cause it to foam and aerate in the same way you would to make a baked Alaska. This aerated oil is full of air which is compressible meaning that it won’t properly lubricate the engine and will allow the metal parts of the engine to come into contact thus causing increased wear. In short, it’s the same as running low or no oil in the engine because the end result is the same.

[Raymond M. Ramy]

Thanks Eric,
what is the best way to do it, to totally drain it and pour it again the oil or just slightly loosen the oil plug and let it flow some of it until the excess went out? sorry I really dont have experience on this thing 🙂 actually its my first car and I only bought it a few months ago so I dont have any idea 🙂 I only watched some of your videos..:)

[college man]

you could loosen the plug and let it weep out.
this will give you time to check the level while
it weeps.then tighten the plug.

[twiggy]

The place that did your oil change, you should go back and ask them to correct it.

[Mikhail]

[quote=”RayRam76″ post=32593]Hello Eric, I got a 1997 honda city 1.3L civic engine (I think this honda model is only available here in asia and I am here in the philippines) and last sept 28, 2012 I went for an oil change and I just noticed that it was an overfill for about almost 1/2 inch above the max level in the dip stick.. is that bad..do I need to be worried..?

hope to hear from you soon..thanks![/quote]

This sounds really simple but did you make sure the car was level when you checked it? If the ground is not level then you won’t get an accurate reading. I was just reminded of this recently when I though I had 1/2 qt overfilled but in reality it was just right amount of oil. So get a level out and see if the car is level, then check the oil level. I have a honda accord so what I am saying should apply to your civic.

I am sure the oil change you got from the shop put the correct amount of oil in.

Make sure the ground is level.

This should give you the proper reading and end all your concerns.

🙂

[Mikhail]

[quote=”college man” post=32674]you could loosen the plug and let it weep out.
this will give you time to check the level while
it weeps.then tighten the plug.[/quote]

I thought I had 1/2 qt overfilled and let some out (about burned my hand in the process) only to realize that the reason the oil level seemed 1/2 qt too high was because of uneven ground level. It was only when I checked the oil at the gas station that I saw it was 1/2 qt low and that I had just uselessly drained good oil out.

Step #1: Park the car on a level surface.

Link for how to check oil

[Raymond M. Ramy]

Thanks for all the info guys, this forum is very useful not just for technicians but also for us have old cars and wanting it to be always good as new.. 🙂

[college man]

Your most welcome.you learned two things.check your oil on
a level surface. #2 Don’t drain the oil when engine is red hot.

[twiggy]

I hope we see you around here more because I think there it no better place to learn than right here.

[Author]

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