Planter91C2

here is what happened. my oil level gauge was always at the bottom. i know it is supposed to be level. i ckecked the dipstick in the proper manner and discerned that the level was about 1/4 past the lower hash mark. very hard to tell, but i reread the dipstick about 5 times.

so, i have castrol 20-50 in the big 5qt. jugs. i added some oil (didn't seem like really that much, although i was partaking in an adult beverage).

now the gauge is pegged at the top, always. and i hear a constant gurgling from the engine compartment. dipstick is very hard to read, but i guess i overfilled.

now what should i do?

<img src="graemlins/c.gif" border="0" alt="[ouch]" />

Kevin

Was your car at operating temps while checking your oil level. The gurgling noise does appear on start up and when air is trapped in the tank. It will vent. Try to get a good read on the dipstick. You can take some scotchbrite to brighten up the dipstick so that there is some contrast.

Ade - C4 91

Hi,

Overfilling a 964 is a real pain, if you now run the car you risk overflowing oil into into the intake manifold via the tanks top overflow pipe.
This has the effect of contaminating the air flow sensor and once this happens your car may start to run quite badly (stalling, hunting, loss of power etc) until it clear (or until you get it cleared). Search the archive for more information on this.

I would suggest attempting to lower the oil level before you attempt to run the car again.

Ade.
91 C4

Planter91C2

[quote]Originally posted by Ade - C4 91:
<strong>Hi,


I would suggest attempting to lower the oil level before you attempt to run the car again.

Ade.
91 C4</strong><hr></blockquote>


the only way i think i can do that is loosen the drain plug and engage in a messy endeavor. has anyone ever done this? any insight?

<img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" />

Drew_K

I change my own oil, although I've never attempted to remove just a little. Seems like the easiest way to drain a quart would be through the drain plug located just in front of the passenger side rear wheel. It's just a few inches from the side of the car; you can't miss it.

I would place a drain pan below this and SLOWLY back the plug out. Also, place a tarp or similar underneath the pan just in case. Right before the plug completely comes out, you will see some oil flow. From here, I'm not sure how easy it would be to remove some oil because if you completely unscrew the plug, it may be difficult to reinsert b/c of the fluid pressure of the oil above it. If you've every changed your oil, the oil drains very quickly from this location and can make a mess. I think it can be done though.

The alternative drain locations are the engine, which isn't as easy to access, or the oil filter drain plug located in the passenger side rear wheel well, which requires removal of the rear wheel.

Anyone tried this?

anewbill

I did the same thing when I first got my C2. The easiest and least messy way to extract a small amount of oil is to use a suction gun. It's basically just a cylinder about the size of a couple beer cans with a plunger and a piece of clear plastic tubing attached to it. You feed the tube into the oil filler neck and suck out the overfill. I picked mine up a Pep Boys for about $10.00.

PhilW

I just went through this on Monday. My oil was at the top of the hash mark on the dip stick and I want it in the middle because of a DE this weekend. I was concerned that if the engine got really warm the oil would expanded and cause problems.

I drained oil from the plug under the engine. It is a 15mm bolt. I was able to drain a quart easily. I didn't want to drain from the sump in front of the right rear wheel because it holds a lot of oil and it just gushes out.

Good luck.

Phil W.

ecsjr

I'd go with the suction gun/tube idea.

If you do try to open the drain in front of the wheel...when you get the little tiny stream flowing....and you think, "If I just turn it a little more it will be done a little sooner".... DON'T!

Don't ask me how I know this (first oil change- took 16 quarts, counting what ended up on the garage floor)


Ed

'92 C2 Cab

DaveK

[quote] the only way i think i can do that is loosen the drain plug and engage in a messy endeavor. has anyone ever done this? any insight?
<hr></blockquote>

I have done this, not long after buying the car when I also overfilled it. I didn't find it that difficult to get the drain plug back in - although there's a lot of oil in there, the hole isn't big enough for it to come out too quickly. As long as you have a reasonable sized container underneath, it won't matter if you drain a bit more than you wanted - just means you get to practice topping the oil up again.

Only mistake I made was not letting the car cool down long enough before doing it - oil is very hot!

Dave
90 C4

tom964

I agree with Phil W, in that I would not recommend trying to use the oil tank plug (in front of the wheel) to drain just a little oil. Almost nothing comes out until it suddenly gushes with full force and empties 6 quarts of oil and, if you're at operating temperature, burns your hand trying to stop it! (do I sound like I speak from experience? )

The engine plug may be slightly harder to reach but it is much easier to drain slowly out of it.

Planter91C2

for the record.

i bought the hand pump from autozone. couldn't get it to work. threaded the tube into the oiltank, pumped and pumped...nothing.

packaged it up and took it back.


jacked up high from drivers rear. on a cold engine i loosened the crankase pulg. was able to open and hold the plug a milimeter away from the hole. oil flowed out in an orderly fashion into the pan. my hand didn't even get oil on it. the plug washer acted as a dam.

thanks for all the reply's.

rons964

Daryl, I too have overfilled mine on more than one occasion. The solution is simple, I merely insert a clear plastic tube in the filler tube and siphon some out. It's not really that messy. Ron