Miami951S

Hey Guys,
I was getting low pressure oil reading coming home last week and I figured I burned off some oil or was simply low, so I stopped at a gas station picked up a few quarts of synthetic and dropped 2 quarts into the car figuring I'd send it to the shop when I got home.

I got a few blocks from the gas station when huge white smoke was coming out the exhaust!

I immediately pulled over and had the car flat bedded to the shop.

Maybe the car had some type of oil leak and thats why I got the low pressure leak, and I obviously put in way too much oil.

Has anyone experience in this situation? Is the motor toast?

Miami951S

Yes I should have checked the dipstick! I was not thinking, I just thought the oil was low, I didnt think a small leak would make the pressure wacky.

V2Rocket

Drain oil until it's at the right level...does it still smoke?

Adonay

My guess is that you have not done much harm by overfilling and driving a couple of miles. But what gave you low oil pressure might. If its a cracked oilpickup tube and you filled above the crack may have saved the engine if done right away

Miami951S

the car is at the shop since friday afternoon, I hope it will be checked out tomorrow.

raleighBahn

Low oil pressure and low oil level are two separate things. You can have oil filled to the max and have no pressure. You can be low on oil and have good pressure. There are some circumstances where both could occur (like no oil therefore no oil pressure), but they are both bad.

No/low oil pressure a big concern as a pan full of oil is of no use if it's not being pumped through the engine.

neunfünfeins

^^This. You beat me to it.

I don't think overfilling oil would cause this, my guess it's an outcome of what caused the low pressure in the first place.
White smoke is typically from ingesting coolant (e.g., blown head gasket). Are you sure it was white and not blue?
If anything, overfilling oil should cause blue smoke because the increased crankcase pressure pumps more of it into the intake. Which can also ruin your cat.

Miami951S

Well she has no cat, so we're ok on that front.

I blew the headgasket a few years back, so I remember there was alot of smoke then too,

This time the low pressure was there, then I filled it and got smoke.

I'm waiting to hear back, they are looking at her right now

Chris Prack

Overfilling the engine with oil will most definitely make it smoke out the exhaust like a freight train. I've had people bring me their cars several times over the years after doing this.

Correct the oil level and then drive it hard until it stops smoking. No harm no foul.

Now the low pressure is a different issue. Could just be a sending unit. Hopefully.

Auto_Werks 3.6

best rule of thumb here: If the gauge shows the oil pressure is way too high, its probably a gauge problem. If it shows pressure is too low, its usually an engine problem.

These cars have several issues that can cause low oil pressure. The big ones are sticking oil pressure relieve valves, cracked pickups, and loose crank pulley bolt. Hopefully there isn't too much collateral damage, if any.