Just checked my oil after an oil change yesterday. The oil level is about 2/3 of an inch above the full mark. Does anyone have any idea how much excess oil this represents? I put about 40km on it since the oil change and I am concerned about even driving it back to the dealership...

 

did u check it with engine hot or cold ??

wipe the dipstick and then insert it back before taking a reading, wheel sloshing around will give a false reading

 

I checked cold after letting it sit overnight. I also moved it to the street and let it sit again before checking, to eliminate the effect of my driveway's slope...

 

That's horrible...how could they make a mistake like that. You should call the dealer and tell them what happened and they need to come tow it to the dealer or something. Thank goodness I dont take my car to the dealer besides recalls. I mean how do you make a mistake with how much oil to put in. They have all the manuals with the specs at the dealer. Crazy!

 

slightly overfilled is no problem. UNDERfilled is what you need to worry about.

 

wouldn't it be better to have it slightly underfilled than overfilled?
overfilling can ruin the seals, done it in an old car and it smoked pretty badly

 

Resolution:

I fired up the fit this morning and drove it ~2km - stopped, checked the dipstick and looked for froth/bubbles in the oil - saw none so continued to the dealer. They claim there was about 0.3L oil above hte max. They performed an oil and filter change and I am back on the road. End of story...

 

I agree with this statement. I've done it before (not on purpose) in my previous cars and never had a problem. If you are that concerned, just drain a bit of the oil, or do a couple of WOT runs and the oil level will be just fine

 

i usually overfill on our cars b/c over time, oil generally burns off a bit. most i overfilled was 2cm over the "FULL" point. usually is 1cm. During hard cornering, you dont want to run dry of oil and throw a rod bearing or something.

you could stay in between the Low and Full points just fine, but i would suggest to constantly check on the levels every refuel period. Dealerships CAN deny warranty to damage caused by insufficient oil (even if filled by dealers) b/c it the owners manual, it clearly states that oil levels need to be checked every fill-up by the driver.

 

i'm pretty sure you wont run dry while cornering if you are just under the full mark, you'd have to be pretty low on oil for that
i've never heard of anyone overfilling because they corner hard
every search i've come across says to NEVER overfill the oil
i'd rather be a little bit under the mark instead of having the oil forced through gaskets and seals
not a big deal if it's just slightly overfilled though i guess
2 cm is a lot though haha

 

Actually, neither is ideal. If you overfill, you end up with over-pressurization which will lead to seal leaks - especially at the engine cover gasket.

If under-filled, you will end up with varnish. At times your oil will foam up. I am usually at 3/4 before I hit the Max line.

 

agree neither is ideal but id vote for slightly under the MAX line/dot rather than over the MAX line/dot.

 

read up on autoxing and road racing literature. if you had a baffled oil pan that prevents oil starvation, then you do not need to overfill.

yes, 2cm was way overkill, but i was just showing an example. Precision isnt always a given case to everyone who fills their oil. Oil can burn off and you not know. I'd rather slightly overfill for that extra safety net.

Worst case scenario with overfilling: seals go out and you get slight leaks. Cheaply replaced.

Worst case scenario with underfilling: scoring on cams, rod bearings tear, then chewing up your crank, and etc etc.


Pick your poison.

But like i said, its best to check at every fill up.

 

Disaster in the making. IMMEDIATELY DRAIN THE EXCESS OIL ! NOW !
I guess about a quart but even if you have to add some you are safer.
Overfilling with oil leaves little room for the pistons to travel up and down and can do severe damage to the pistons, connecting rods etc. from impacts at speed.
2/3rds of an inch is not 0.3 quart. Compare the distance between low and fill mark which is generally one quart.

 

Do you check oil level when engine is cold or after going for a run?

 

get a fluid extractor, I got one after the dealer overfilled twice.. was on sale for $50 at princess auto (canadian chain)

 

I have one of these and it's great. The Saab pro shop overtightens my oil pan drain plug and manual tranny plug when they work on my 1993 900S. I use this to drain when I can't get the plugs off. These can be had at the marine supply places more than the auto supply places. The good ones run around 50-60 bucks and are worth the extra money over the cheapies.

 

It is a bad idea to overfill your oil. If you had ever seen a high speed video, of a running engine, showing the crankshaft swinging around, you would see how overfilled oil pans cause the oil to get wrapped around the crankshaft like a bunch of soft taffies.

Then the oil gets beaten into a foam like state full off air bubbles (like your mom beating egg whites with a kitchen mixer) which is then sucked up by the oil pump circulating some oil filled foam not liquid oil BAD VERY BAD.

If you get REALLY over filled simply take off your oil filter and some oil will come out of the filter, or then dump the rest of the oil in the filter if it's really overfilled. Put the same filter back on or get another new one your choice.

 

+1 on the loosening the oil filter trick. should do it.


for those that dont know, just loosen it until oil pours out
from the side. if it stops. tighten it. fire up the motor for
a min or two. shut it down and repeat.

 

This problem happened to me also, but I failed to realize this until after driving on a 1400 mile road trip to visit family. Long story short; after getting to my destination and switching to synthetic, my dad tells me that my Fit was almost a quart over

Needless to say, been running Amsoil after we changed it, haven't even considered going back to the dealership I got the car. Also haven't had any problems. Last thing I need is a bunch of no-talent ass clowns at some dealership working on my clown car.