May have overfilled engine oil

[jawn101]

I did a oil change a week or two ago, and since then have noticed a larger than normal amount of seepage from my timing cover. I did a little reading and checked the dipstick, and it seems I may have somehow overfilled the oil. I don't really know how I managed that. The level is about 1/4" above the upper notch on the dipstick. I have driven maybe 150 miles since I did the change. Never saw low pressure or anything and haven't seen any smoking.

So obviously I need to open the drain plug and let some oil out. The question is what else, if anything, should I do? Could anything have been damaged? Have I destroyed my seals? Will the seepage taper off once the levels get back to normal? Is there any other preventative stuff I should do to make sure I didn't/don't cause damage?

[sean]

Do you recall how many quarts you put in? You changed the filter at the same time I hope.

[jawn101]

Do you recall how many quarts you put in? You changed the filter at the same time I hope.

Yep, new Bosch filter. I put in roughly 6.5 quarts (didn't fill the filter first), ran the engine a bit, then another half quart or so. I had two partially full quart bottles that I used up, so that is probably where the overage came from - they may have both been 3/4 rather than 1/2 full.

Followed the info on this link here http://www.midstatedmc.com/tech/oil_change.html

[DMCMW Dave]

I doubt you hurt anything. This will not make seals worse, they just leak more because there is more oil flinging around in there.

[jawn101]

I doubt you hurt anything. This will not make seals worse, they just leak more because there is more oil flinging around in there.

Thanks Dave. I read some really horrifying stories last night about what can happen if you overfill (frothed oil, piston damage, seized motors, low pressure, destroyed cats) and lost some sleep over it. I would hope that a half quart-ish wouldn't make that big a difference but I'm no expert.

I'll probably loosen the plug and let some out then top up to the right level while the oil's still fresh and clean, just for my own peace of mind.

How hard is a timing cover seal? Rear fascia, muffler.... intake?

[DMCMW Dave]

How hard is a timing cover seal? Rear fascia, muffler.... intake?

Muffler, crank nut and pulley, seal.

Potential issues:
You may need a very strong impact/bar to get the crank nut off. Some are tighter than others.
Make sure the keyway is up before you remove the pulley or you'll get to learn how to get the key out of the oil pan.

[jawn101]

Muffler, crank nut and pulley, seal.

Potential issues:
You may need a very strong impact/bar to get the crank nut off. Some are tighter than others.
Make sure the keyway is up before you remove the pulley or you'll get to learn how to get the key out of the oil pan.

Crap, the crank pulley. We did that when we painted and rebuilt the VOD. That would have been the time to do one more seal, wouldn't it. $(@$^*(!@%

Thanks again Dave. We need a DMC NorCal so I can offload these jobs... lol

[stevedmc]

Potential issues:
You may need a very strong impact/bar to get the crank nut off. Some are tighter than others.

Don't make me start cussing again.

[jawn101]

Also, forgot to mention this - hose #4 on this picture (from the breather cap to the CSV) has a thin film of oil on it, but nothing else does. I wiped it off and can't see where it might have come from. It's not on the valve covers or the CSV itself.

[David T]

You have to let the motor drain for a while to get as much as possible out. Best to do when the motor is hot, the oil flows a little better. Only put 6 quarts back in. That way the dipstick will read midway between full and empty. The best way to "read" a dipstick is when the car is parked on level ground and first thing in the morning before you start the motor. You probably did not cause any damage overfilling (you didn't overfill enough). You have 2 options, try to let enough out the drain valve or suck it out with an extractor. The PRV holds a LOT of oil. Most cars with 6 cyl engines only hold 4 quarts. 6.5 will put you right at the full mark. You only need to put 7 quarts in if the motor was just rebuilt and never had any inside yet (on a motor that has been used you can never drain ALL of the oil out).
David Teitelbaum