Vifa

Drove my car a 100 km trip last month, and the Oil Level Gauge showed 3/4 full most of the way.

Car has been sitting in the garage since.

Normally I don't get any sign of life from neither the Oil Level Gauge or the Oil Thermometer before after 10-15 mins of driving. Is this normal?

So when I drove the car 8 km today I didn't expect to get anything at all from the Gauges. Just to be sure, I decided to pull out the Oil Dipstick to check the oil level - it looked fine to me. It was between the two marks, but closest to the top mark.

This evening, the car sat idling for 25 mins. The Oil Level Gauge slowly moved up as the engine got warmed up. I once again checked the Oil Dipstick. The car had at this point been idling for 15 mins, the Dipstick read someplace between the two marks again closest to the top mark. Then after 10 mins more, now at 25 mins of idling, I pulled out the dipstick again and the oil had then passed up above the top mark. The Oil Level Guage had now also moved all its way to the top.

Can anyone tell me if the car is overfilled? And is it normal for the car to smoke a lot the first min when I start it up.

Keep in mind the car is not a daily driver, and there can sometimes go several months between I take it out.

tbennett017

Are you sure you're looking at the oil level gauge? When the car is running in gear, the oil level (which is the tank volume) goes to the bottom, as the oil is busy flowing around the engine and cooling system. It only comes up to level when fully warm at idle...

The oil dipstick level is the same. The engine wants to be warm (warmer than the 8 PM position on the temp gauge, more like 9:30)

From your readings, it sounds to me like your oil is a bit too full. Smoke is an overfill symptom too.

Take a look at this video. It explains the oil gauges pretty well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xdi9k...layer_embedded

Vifa

I took a pic when the car was idling. It shows the oil level gauge and the oil thermometer gauge. I took the picture after 25 min of idling right before I pulled out the dipstick and saw the oil was above the top mark.

Bought the car last summer, and I know they filled oil on it right before I bought it (saw it). The oil level gauge in the car has since then shown to be 3/4 full while driving, maybe a little more in the beginning. And as mentioned, it also showed 3/4 full on my 100 km trip last month.

But ever since I have bought the car, it has smoked on start-ups, mostly after a long time in the garage, not so much (or not at all!) during the time when it has been in use for a couple of days.

Any thoughts on the situation?

tbennett017

The gauge on the extreme left is the oil level gauge. At any temp, that's way too high as it is reading now. (the oil in the tank expands as it gets warm, so the readings are higher at a higher temp)

The middle is oil temperature, and at this reading, it is just below normal operating temp. Mine is about here a lot of the time. The right gauge is the oil pressure, which looks about normal for idle.

With these three readings concurrently, I'd say your car is WAY over filled. The left gauge at HOT should be about the middle of the gauge (3:00)

One more question, after the car is fully warm (at or above the reading you show above) take your hand and feel the front left(passenger) fender top. It should feel warm, which indicates that your oil is flowing to the front oil cooler. The thermostat should open at about the reading you show in this picture, or a little warmer... and at that point the fender will begin to heat up. I just worry that your oil thermostat might not be opening at the right time.

Marc Shaw

Agreed. Quite overfilled.

The oil level (left gauge) should be level (at 3:00) or even a bit below level (3:30) once the oil is up to temp.

Once the thermostat opens (as explained above) the oil temp (right gauge) should drop a little as the oil cools.

Either way, I'd suck 1/2 to 1 liter out of the tank and recheck the level once the oil is hot.

As for smoking on startup, a bit of smoke if it has sat for a while is normal (oil leaks past the rings into the pistons
due to the horizontal design) but it should clear quickly and then not smoke if restarted again soon after.

Marc

Vifa

Thanks for the responses. The fact that the car might be overfilled leaves me with one question: Can any damage have been done to the car?

dfinnegan

Typically you will find that the Idle Stability Valve (ISV) gets fouled resulting in poor idling and possibly difficult starting. It's an easy DIY to clean the ISV.

Indycam has indicated in a past thread:

Yes, it can do real damage
If that oil gets into a cylinder and locks it, something will have to give
If that oil gets into a cylinder and ups the compression ratio too high, something will have to give
You do not want a slug of raw oil getting into a cylinder
The vent for the oil tank goes into the intake system
An overfill can get out via the vent hose

Vifa

It doesn't seem like I have any problem with idling, and haven't had any problems with starting either. When I start the car it will idle at 1200 rpm, soon drop to 1000, and after a while drop once again to around 800 rpm.

I will get a mechanic to check up on the oil level and then, if so, get him to drain it.

Can I by now be sure no damage has been done?

Indycam

If the motor idles well and runs strong on all cylinders ,
no damage has been done .

MONBUTEST

You can easily DIY and save some bucks.
Drain your car unbolting the drain plug like that : (yes you can!!)
http://p-car.com/diy/changeoil/

Just let drop 1 liter, tight the plug and then check the level (hot engine running at idle).
Push the gas pedal on road and Have fun some miles,then engine at idle for 2 minutes check the level again on dipstick and on dashboard.

Don't worry for smoke at start, but you can reduce it using oil with a higher grade
10Wx instead of 5Wx for exemple