Being of not right mind I just added a full quart of Mobil 1 to a cold engine. When warmed (yesterday), and at idle on level ground, the level indicator was showing ~3.
I just had an oil change about 300 mi ago where they put 10 qt in (and the level indicator was at 5 and dropping gradually over the past 3 weeks more so in the past week).
I have never noticed any oil leaking-spots, nor smelled burning oil.
As I went to push the filler hose back in, the oil was all the way to the top. I was able to close the filler without leakage.
After reading the recent discussions with "too much oil is worse than too little" ringing in my head, I am now afraid to start my car.

Help!

Any suggestions other than get rid of the car because I'm too dumb to own such a wonderful vehicle.

 

I put in 11 quarts when I did an oil change last week. The oil indicator was at the top and the dipstick was at the top twist at the time when hot. According to Robin's DIY it's about 10.5 quarts, so you might have overfilled it by a half quart like me. I had no issues what so ever...and I didn't lose any sleep over it. I hope it helps.

 

Hi:

I must tell you two things that constitute "Cardinal Rules" about these cars:

1) Never, ever add any oil to the engine based on oil level gauge or dipstick readings unless its completely warmed up to normal operating temperature.

2) Never make a determination about oil level using the gauge: the dipstick is THE gospel on this,....

Indeed, too much oil is a bad thing,.........excess oil in the tank is drawn into the intake system and gets burned. That aggravates the propensity for the air injection passages to get clogged and contaminates the catalytic converters. Altogether, its a bad thing and it really pays dividends to make accurate assessments of proper oil levels with the dipstick.

Lastly, the car must be sitting pretty darned level and idling (hot) to get accurate dipstick readings.

If you think you have too much oil in the system, I recommend that you drain a quart or so and measure it again.

 

Steve, Thanks for the valuable information. Since the overfilled oil gets drawn into the intake system and gets burned, therefore if I don't see any 'blue' smoke or smell any oil burning , can I assume then it is ok? Thanks again.

 

Jason:

LOL,...Never assume anything; its good practice.

I would still drain a quart and recheck the oil level as I outlined above.

 

Now I am terrified. I have no way to drain the oil (I don't even know how) without turning the car on and driving it to somewhere to put it on a lift.
Am I f__'d?

Please don't flame me for stupidity. I really don't want to do the wrong thing.

 

Nobody ought to flame you for anything,...all you did was make an honest mistake and we are ALL human.

Go to http://www.p-car.com and look through all the DIY stuff about changing oil. Get a big pan, tools and you can do this very easily. You do not need a lift.

 

You can drain your overfill from the oil filler tube using a length of plastic hose & a turkey baster. If I were home today I'd invite you to come by & I'd do it for you. However, since I'm not, go to Target, buy a cheap baster & then go to Home Depot for the hose in a diameter to fit the baster.

 

Or a second option;

go to your friendly pharmacy and buy a 100cc syringe and attach some clear plastic hose to it. The syringe provides a more positive vacuum, as well you can accurately measure what you remove..... 100cc = ~3.5oz

 

Thanks! I'll pick up a syringe and tubing from work tomorrow and pull some out.
At what point should I stop pulling oil out to turn the car on, let it warm up and take a measurement with the dipstick?

 

Pull out that quart you added and then start 'er up. Check the oil on the dipstick after its up to normal temperature.

 

Am I missing something when you say "level" indicator was at "5" or "3" ...?
Those sound like the markings on the oil pressure gauge, not an indication of level.

Just checking....

 

Yes, that is what I meant. On top of everything was I looking at the wrong gauge?
Of the 3, starting from the left and working toward the right there is 1) oil level 2) oil temp 3) oil pressure. Correct?
I thought that if the oil level had dropped below the thick line at the top, and oil pressure was no longer at the 5 one needed to check the dipstick and add as needed.
What does it mean if oil pressure has fallen?

 

You should re-read a few of the recent topics about oil checking. Sounds like you know how to check it properly with the dipstick, so just base you decisions of adding (or removing oil) on the proper dipstick reading. You mention the oil level gauge being all the way to the top... ? Yup, you are most likely overfull. "If" you use the level gauge and it is working properly (although concesus is you should not really use it until you understand exactly what it means on your car), it should only point straight out i.e. 3 o'clock position if oil is full. If you are all the way to the top of gauge break out that tubing and turkey baster...

 

OK, I could see black between the thick portion of the left gauge and the indicator needle. In the past there has been very good correlation in my car between dipstick and gauge.
My new concern is what does it mean for the oil pressure gauge to fall over time? I mean day to day a gradual drop after the same distance trip with oil temp being close to the same when I looked at the pressure gauge. Is this something of concern? What is this gauge telling you exactly/ what is it's meaning?