FMA08ISF

I just had a second oil change at 10k miles. I drove my F for about 50 miles and now after checking the oil dipstick I overfilled it by 1/2 inch.

The question is: Does it (1/2 inch overfilled oil) do any damage? Should I leave it alone or drain it a little?

thanks

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Put a clear plastic hose down the dipstick tube and suck out the excess. Too much is very bad.

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

It takes 10 exact quarts.... on a FULL drain and refill with new oil filter...

How did you over fill it??

How much over did you go?? (in oz or qts)

Joe Z

n0th1ng

iTrader: (9)

im not trying to be an *** or anything but did u wipe the dip stick first before measuring the height?

jkeifer3

It's not a good thing as a higher than normal oil level could put the liquid in contact with the engine's rotating parts and whip the oil into a froth. Remove some as best you can.

FMA08ISF

Louxracer, "Put a clear plastic hose down the dipstick tube and suck out the excess. Too much is very bad. "


Joe Z, "It takes 10 exact quarts.... on a FULL drain and refill with new oil filter...
How did you over fill it??
How much over did you go?? (in oz or qts)
Joe Z "

n0th1ng, "im not trying to be an *** or anything but did u wipe the dip stick first before measuring the height?"

jkeifer3, "It's not a good thing as a higher than normal oil level could put the liquid in contact with the engine's rotating parts and whip the oil into a froth. Remove some as best you can."

Here what happened: I took it a local shop and had the F lift, but the tech was in a hurry and didn't allow the oil to completely drain out. I forgot about it and added the 10 quarts of new syn. oil. When I got home and checked the dipstick it was overfilled by 1/2". The first free oil change at 5000 miles, the Lexus dealer overfilled it by 1/4". Lesson learned: DIY and drain it overnight. I'll just have to drain it a little. Thank you all for the comments. Here what I found:

Dear Tom and Ray:
Each time I had my car's oil changed at the dealership, the dipstick showed that the oil level was a quarter of an inch to almost an inch above the "full" level. According to the owner's manual, over-filling could damage the engine. I called this to the mechanic's attention several times, and each time he insisted that the amount he put in was correct. He also claimed the extra oil would cause no damage. Finally, he checked his oil-dispensing gauge and found that -- guess what? -- it was not accurate, after all. He then proceeded to correct it. I still want to know if that previous overfilling could have caused any damage. -- Will

Tom: It's unlikely, Will. It's true that overfilling the crankcase with oil can damage the engine. But in the vast majority of cars, you won't do any damage in the quantities we're talking about here.

Ray: A quarter of an inch on most dipsticks equals a quarter of a quart. And adding an extra quarter of a quart, or even half a quart, won't hurt anything.

Tom: When you overfill the crankcase by a quart or more, then you risk "foaming" the oil. If the oil level gets high enough, the spinning crankshaft can whip the oil up into a froth, like the stuff that sits on top of your cappuccino. And the problem with that is that the oil pump can't pump froth.

Ray: It's like trying to drink from a straw when there's not much left in the glass -- what you get is mostly air. And air can't lubricate your engine.

Tom: Now, there are some cars that are more sensitive to overfilling than others. Volkswagens with four-cylinder engines come to mind. And if you had one of those, and the mechanic overfilled it by half a quart, I'd tell you to have him drain the oil and refill it more precisely. But unless your owner's manual specifically warns you -- in dire language -- not to overfill the oil, I wouldn't worry about it unless it's approaching a quart over.

Ray: And by the way, your dealership should be giving you free oil changes for life. If you led it to discover that it was giving away an extra quarter of a quart of oil with every oil change, think of all the money you're now saving the dealership on oil!

________________________________________
In their pamphlet "Should I Buy, Lease, or Steal My Next Car?" Tom and Ray break down the strategies for buying a car, so you can make the most of your money. To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.
________________________________________
© 2001 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Back to the August 2001 index

http://www.cartalk.com/content/colum...August/03.html

UCrazyKid

The dipstick usually reads 1 quart to cover the low and high mark on the stick. 1/2 inch over on the stick is likely to be 1/2 quart or less. In the 10 quart system of the ISF I do not think that it will do damage. I am not saying that overfilling cannot do damage, I just think in your situation it is not a big problem. Take a little out though the dipstick tube if you like/can.

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

Ok will thats not too bad...

The drain overnight is over kill... All you have to do is drain till it stops streaming.. Once you get into the drip.. drip... drip... your done draining..

Also, you can check the oil dipstick after the engine has been off for a while..
That will show you the exact level on the stick.

Joe Z

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

So Click and Clack hit the nail on the head - the crank will whip up the oil into a mousse and it will not do what it is supposed to do. Lexus put auxiliary oil pumps in the head to get oil out of the heads and into the oil pan under hard cornering. If they weren't concerned about oil control, they would have left it alone.

So over full is bad. Maybe VERY bad if the oil pump pulls in air whipped oil and feeds it to the rod bearings. Take it down to normal full.