Uh oh...Oil change overfull

[Mier]

Ok I took my usual setup of oil and filter to the local dealer (2-5 quart jugs of Edge 5w30 and a mobil 1 filter)

Well I got no extra back and I thought they threw it away...no it's in the engine. I decided to check today and I see the oil stick is on the top hole so I'm guessing it's totally full or maybe alittle over. Should I take it back and bite their heads off or just let it ride?

I also checked my catch can which had some oil in it, alittle more than I usually see, and even alittle oil that seemed to have leaked out on the incoming hose from the back of the engine. The fitting that mates the hose to catch can had alittle coating of oil on top of the hose and some had coated the hose itself.

[wyome]

a fumoto oil drain valve and you would be all fixed up in 5 min and with no mess.

Still doesn't change the fact the dealer techs shoulda checked to see what your needs and not just dump it all in

[Mier]

I'm not looking to spend money on an issue that shouldn't have happened. I just want to make sure if I'm at the top peg on oil that I don't screw something up.

[I12XLR8]

Top peg is exactly where it should be - I think they must have kept the rest of the oil. Greedy bastards!

[Mier]

I dunno about that. Last time I had it changed and they gave me back the a jug with 1 quart left I was on the middle hole.

[GRRRR8]

8.5 to 8.8 QTs is all it should take. Since these dipsticks are not the most acurate, I have found if it is drained until no oil comes out of the oil pan or filter adapter 8.5 - 8-8 puts it in the middle of the stick and that's all you need.

[todds87ss]

I don't think 1 extra quart will hurt anything, and should be unrelated to your oil on the catch can hoses. In the future, I would take 1 quart out of the new oil before giving it to them. That way, the most they could put in would be 9 qts.

[Mier]

I'll have to do that in the future. Sad that a tech wouldn't know to look that up but I guess they don't use their best techs to change oil. I'll have to get an empty the next time I go as well as write all over them with a marker "9 Quarts Only".

[Sephiroth]

I don't think 1 extra quart will hurt anything, and should be unrelated to your oil on the catch can hoses. In the future, I would take 1 quart out of the new oil before giving it to them. That way, the most they could put in would be 9 qts.

overfill will damage the cats. If he's going to do the 10K or w/e he manages on the GM OCI, I would drain it. If you're doing something like 3K OCI's, I'm not sure I would worry a lot.

[norm8332]

Mine has been filled to the top hole every time:)

[Mier]

I change it every 6k. I'll take it around tomorrow to show them and get some removed.

[I12XLR8]

Why is it that the dipsticks can't be trusted? Is it the same reason that toilets flow the wrong way where the car was made? ;-)

[Mier]

Calibrated for metric instead of standard

[todds87ss]

overfill will damage the cats. If he's going to do the 10K or w/e he manages on the GM OCI, I would drain it. If you're doing something like 3K OCI's, I'm not sure I would worry a lot.

Could you please explain how overfill damages the cats...first time I have heard this.

[GRRRR8]

Overfilling causes:
1. Rear main seal and front seal failures.
2. By being overfull the pcv starts to pull oil from the system and since it goes right back through the intake the oil vapors now are much heavier so this starts to coat the cats and causes premature failures.
3. Loss of HP due to the crank dragging through the oil.
4. O2 sensor failures/laziness

Over full is NEVER a good thing. No matter what fluid it is.

[Mier]

As Charlie will attest there are no cats to be damaged but as I said I'll take it by and have them remove half a quart which should move it reasonably back into the hash marks

[Mier]

Overfilling causes:
1. Rear main seal and front seal failures.
2. By being overfull the pcv starts to pull oil from the system and since it goes right back through the intake the oil vapors now are much heavier so this starts to coat the cats and causes premature failures.
3. Loss of HP due to the crank dragging through the oil.
4. O2 sensor failures/laziness

Over full is NEVER a good thing. No matter what fluid it is.

Rear and front main seal? As if we didn't have trouble with the rear seal already. These are the seals around the crank, correct? What's the best way to tell if they're leaking?

[GRRRR8]

Correct. See if there are any signs of seepage in those areas.

[norm8332]

So we are saying the top hole is overfilled? or is it anything past that?

[todds87ss]

Overfilling causes:
1. Rear main seal and front seal failures.
2. By being overfull the pcv starts to pull oil from the system and since it goes right back through the intake the oil vapors now are much heavier so this starts to coat the cats and causes premature failures.
3. Loss of HP due to the crank dragging through the oil.
4. O2 sensor failures/laziness

Over full is NEVER a good thing. No matter what fluid it is.

I get the seal leaks, I get the increased crank windage. I don't get the increase in top end oil. I would think it would be no different than using a high volume oil pump (I can see a little more carryover into PCV. I'm just having a hard time visualizing upper end oil "backing up", as it is still metered through the valve train) unless the issue is caused by return flow backing up.

[SRG963]

FWIW, my top hole indicates full :p, mine takes 9 quarts including filling the filter.

[I12XLR8]

So we are saying the top hole is overfilled? or is it anything past that?

Top hole, top of the cross hatch, is the full mark. Being at this mark is exactly where the manufacturer intended the oil level to be.


Overfilling causes:
1. Rear main seal and front seal failures.
2. By being overfull the pcv starts to pull oil from the system and since it goes right back through the intake the oil vapors now are much heavier so this starts to coat the cats and causes premature failures.
3. Loss of HP due to the crank dragging through the oil.
4. O2 sensor failures/laziness

Over full is NEVER a good thing. No matter what fluid it is.

This is all 100%. My biggest concern for overfilling is Cat damage and extra pressure on engine seals.


Calibrated for metric instead of standard

The full mark is the full mark, whether you measure in quarts, litres, pints, fl oz, whatever. The amount of oil required by the manufacturer is confirmed by the oil level indicator. Trust it!

[GRRRR8]

Oil fill spec is 8.8 QTs. My car stock took 9.4ish to say exactly full. WRONG! It gets 8.5 now and is always drained until empty.

Since I service so many G8s I have seen a lot of differences in oil stick readings.

I never have oil in my catch can and have no leaks. I use a Melling HV oil pump with the +10 psi spring for 10 more psi at idle.

I trust a dipstick ONLY when I have tested it on a empty engine. Most places don't even drain the engine until it is 100% empty and they sure don't put oil in the filter before they put it on.

[-Ray-]

Oil fill spec is 8.8 QTs.

I never have oil in my catch can and have no leaks.


Doesn't the engine need to be running to get oil in the can? :D

[GRRRR8]

Yup. When it shifts correctly it is even better! ;)

[-Ray-]

Yup. When it shifts correctly it is even better! ;)

Touche

[Eidolon]

...and they sure don't put oil in the filter before they put it on.
I don't believe I've ever done this with any of my cars. Is this a "must do" or a "good idea to do"?

[-Ray-]

I guess it's time for a GRRRR8 FAQ.

[Eidolon]

I guess it's time for a GRRRR8 FAQ.
Tips from the masters? It'd definitely be appreciated!

[johnbell2]

9 quarts even seems to work on mine just fine. I swapped to an LS6 oil pump as part of DOD delete. K&N HP-1017 filter and Mobil-1 5w30. I'm easily on track to get 15k miles out of this oil change.

[GRRRR8]

I don't believe I've ever done this with any of my cars. Is this a "must do" or a "good idea to do"?

Filling the oil filter on any car helps with the initial priming of the oil and is always a good idea. Now on some cars this is very hard to do due to filter location and angle.

On all my cars I always put some in regardless and if they are vertically mounted I fill them. It just saves that few seconds it takes to build oil pressure.

[Sephiroth]

it's also on the image directions on every box Ive seen fyi..

[I12XLR8]

Couldn't hurt. It's only 'necessary' on Turbo'd cars and mid to late 2000's Ford trucks (to avoid lifter damage on the Ford's). Considering the amount of effort involved I would suggest always doing it. It will obviously only affect the first start-up after the oil change so any negative effects of not doing it will be negligible.

[todds87ss]

The LS motor oil flow is from pump suction, through the pump, then to the filter, then to bearings. A dry will filter cause air/aerated oil to travel to bearing at startup, reducing engine life. Even a full filter will have some of this effect, but why not minimize it.

[Eidolon]

it's also on the image directions on every box Ive seen fyi..
Actually, I always assumed that little icon, of an oil dropper, was indicating you should lube up the O-ring on the filter with some oil to allow you to seat the filter. I learned oil changes from my dad, and while he never pre-filled the filter, he always lubed the O-ring with a bit of the used oil before installing it.


Filling the oil filter on any car helps with the initial priming of the oil and is always a good idea. Now on some cars this is very hard to do due to filter location and angle.

On all my cars I always put some in regardless and if they are vertically mounted I fill them. It just saves that few seconds it takes to build oil pressure.
It makes me glad I haven't been doing deadly damage to my cars, then. But it does seem like a simple enough thing to do. I have yet to do my first own first oil change on the Pontiac. I always had it done at the dealership, since I had a "free oil changes" coupon. I'll make sure to top up the filter, then, on my first change. Thanks for the tip!