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

[jawn101]

Forgive me if it's a silly question, but what's the benefit to draining all of it and putting 6 quarts back in? Why not just let out a little at a time from the drain plug until the level is more 'normal'? Is it just faster to drain it all? Cause my drain pan is full of nasty crap I'd rather not pour back into the motor :)

[Ron]

Forgive me if it's a silly question, but what's the benefit to draining all of it and putting 6 quarts back in? Why not just let out a little at a time from the drain plug until the level is more 'normal'? Is it just faster to drain it all? Cause my drain pan is full of nasty crap I'd rather not pour back into the motor :)
I believe he was just reminding/pointing out that you should allow for oil pooling and coating in the heads'/block's nooks and crannies, on/in all of the internal parts, and the passages feeding them, etc.
Add it to the 1/2Qt+ you are already over and you are probably pushing 10%...Not a big deal if ya get it on out. I'd just drain a Quart plus a little more to be sure I got enough the first time, top it off, and forget about it, but not the leaks, which it already had ;-)

[DMC3165]

One thing I didn't notice in the thread here is have you checked your water level recently? Not trying to make you loose anymore sleep but I recently had a similar problem on a truck.

We had recently done a routine service, Oil change, grease, fuel filters, etc. We check the trucks every night and fuel them up before going home. For a week after this in the evening we noticed the oil level was slightly higher then what it should be and each night was gradually higher. Finally the water level droped below the sight glass in the coolant tank and then we knew we had a problem. In this case because we were checking the trucks at night the engine was still hot and the oil/water had not seperated yet. Plus it only lost about a gallon of coolant in a weeks time. Keep in mind this vehicle has 10 gallons of oil and 12 gallons of coolant. But the next morning after sitting we had a nice greenish white puddle at the bottom of the stick.

[David T]

I was referring to when you do your next oil change but it is very hard to measure how much you let loose when you remove the drain plug so it will be difficult to get "just" 1 quart out unless you suck it out. Drain into a clean pan and if you let too much out just put some of it back in. Make sure the frame is all nice and clean so you don't get any dirt into your clean oil.
David Teitelbaum

[jawn101]

Ah, OK - I understand 100% re: draining for the next change. Makes perfect sense in that context. I did let some oil out last night via the drain plug - not real sure how much as it was quite hard to tell as it went into my drain pan. Ended up being just the right amount as the dipstick now reads just a hair below the upper notch.

I don't see any coolant anywhere under the car or detect any in the oil that I took out, but I will go check the level in the header bottle now (no sight glass but worth a look anyway)

After draining the excess oil, sprayed down the timing cover, drip pan, and drain plug area (as well as the frame near those areas, for David) with brake cleaner and went for a brisk drive (about 5 miles on the highway at 75). Parked in the garage with some clean newsprint under the pan so I could easily check for any drips, and the next morning, nothing down there.

Thanks all for the input on this one, I was quite concerned I'd done a simple and fatally stupid thing.