Oil overfill

[adam.smith]

Hi all,

I got told by my dealership that my engine oil was low on my MK2 Leon FR 2.0 TDI, so I bought some engine oil from them (a SEAT dealership) and I have just poured it all into my engine (I know now that I should have done it bit by bit but...). I havent done a engine refil before and I am a bit confused.

The oil is now over the max mark and is halfway up the ball that is over the max mark (the ball is about 4 mm and the oil is about half way over the ball). Im confused because the dip stick is not the same as the one in the manual so I am not sure if I have overfilled it or not...

Any guidence on this would be great... Have I overfilled? Will it be ok? Should I drive it? Or should I drain it? Or something else!

I love my FR and I don't want to damage it.

Thanks everyone,

Adam

 

[UncleFester]

Way overfilled - don't drive it until you have either syphoned some out with a PELA oil extractor pump or drained some out of the sump via the plug but that's going to be a messy messy job. Oil should be at the maximum level at the very very most!

 

[Street]

Quick question.. I've always wondered what over filling the oil would actually do. Anyone want to enlighten me?

 

[UncleFester]

Quick question.. I've always wondered what over filling the oil would actually do. Anyone want to enlighten me?

You're not meant to have so much oil in your sump that it tries to fill your cylinders ... at a rough guess too much oil would eventually destroy the engine internal seals due to too much pressure.

 

[rudgey]

You're not meant to have so much oil in your sump that it tries to fill your cylinders ... at a rough guess too much oil would eventually destroy the engine internal seals due to too much pressure.

Think it knackers your cat too!

 

[Nath.]

Quick question.. I've always wondered what over filling the oil would actually do. Anyone want to enlighten me?

The engine has a breather system that sucks away oil vapor and oil smoke into the inlet manifold and then burns it along with the fuel. This is why tour oli level gradually goes down even though you don't have an oil leak.

if you over fill the oil level you could well suck up actual oil and this then would get sucked through the inlet manifold and into the cylinders. this could cause blue smoke, poor running coat the inside of the catalyst, turbo manifold and intercooler. Amung other things it could damage the piston rings by introducing a non compressible liquid into the cylinders.

Too much oil could also send the oil pressure too high and blow a gasket or oil seal.

 

[andycupra]

adam, out of interest, how much oil did you buy / put in? was it a 1 litre bottle or more than that?

 

[adam.smith]

Hi Andy,

I bought one litre and put it in. The dealership told me it was low so I bought the size they gave me and unfortunately put it all in...

It is over the max mark by 2mm.

So definately a no driver?

Thank for your time and replies,

Adam

 

[/dev/null]

I'd imagine pushing oil fumes through the DPF wouldn't do it too much good either, lol!

 

[andycupra]

do you know how low it was prior? ie was it below 'minimum' - if it was below minimum and you put in 1 litre, then it wont be overfilled by a significant amount. - many dealers overfil when servicing!

In this case i would drain a bit off, but id say if you dont want to do this, then you could drive to a nearby garage.
However if it is way over maximum then id say dont drive it.

2mm over the max mark does not sound like the end of the world though, and not untypical of a dealer.

 

[ross27]

Syphon it out yourself it you really dont want to drive it anywhere.
Use a clear hose if you have one and try not to get oil in your mouth

 

[adam.smith]

It was in the minimum area before I filled it up with the oil. The dip stick is totally different to any I have seen before with a point at the end, a min section, a thin middle part, the max section, a ball that is about 4mm in height and then a long stick all the way upto the rung on the end. The ball above the max mark is half covered, so it is definately just 2mm over the max mark...

I guess I will call the dealership in the morning and if they say I can drive it, I will get it upto them to have a look. Then ask them why they told me to put oil in when I have a service in 600 miles (2 and a half weeks of driving for me)! But I seem to lack common sense in these situations!

Thanks again,

Adam

 

[Street]

Ah ta for answering that!

Sorry for hijacking your thread..

 

[Chris Bartram]

could damage the piston rings by introducing a non compressible liquid into the cylinders.

Too much oil could also send the oil pressure too high and blow a gasket or oil seal.

Worse than that: if you REALLY overfill a turbodiesel, the oild can make it's way past the turbo seals. If enough does that the engine can start to run on it's own oil- and blow itself to bits, even if you turn the ignition off. The only way to stop it is to stall it.

 

[jcp]

All the potential problems are possible but unlikely- the 2mm you describe is unlikely to be a problem in real life- did you start up after topping up- if there were no problems you will likely get away without probs.

 

[adam.smith]

Hi jcp,

I had the AA come out and check it. He said it was fine so I have driven it today about 80 miles and it sounds and moves the same so I think it is ok. When I got near my dealership I took it in and they had a look too. They said it was fine so I am happy.

Thanks for all your replies people. I am going to be alot more careful when topping up in the future!

Adam

 

[mhill]

Do you not feel a bit of a dipstick?

 

[jcp]

Good move to check- overfilling is a problem but not usually when it is minor you can see as much variation on a not so level surface.

 

[sherbehs]

i just changed the engine oil and this time the mechanic put 4.5 liters instead of 4.1 as it says in the manual as an app. engine oil capacity... is this harmful? should i extract some?

 

[UncleFester]

4.1 is the sump capacity, 4.5 will include the half litre that sits in the oil filter. As long as the level on the dipstick is correct it will be fine