Engine Oil Overfilling

Read T · 11-21-2014, 09:45 AM

Posting this to get some peace of mind and because I'm too lazy to drain out a bit extra. I change the oil a few days ago, then topped it up a bit too much yesterday. When the engine is cold, the oil reads just past the "H" on the dipstick. I am going to the track this weekend and taking that damned undershroud off is just a huge PITA - guess I could siphon some.

I know overfilling can cause hot spots, foaming, and can kill the engine, or at least sacrifice some power to drive the oil pump. I'm sure if I put in an extra 83 gallons of oil the engine would not like me. I have heard that some people who their car actually put in a bit more oil so the oil pump doesn't run out of oil at high RPM when the oil is distributed around the head more and so they don't get starve. I also know that "hypermilers" generally run less oil for efficiency of the engine. FWIW I do have a 25 row setrab cooler.

Basically, someone just needs to tell me a little extra oil isn't going to kill my car so I have peace of mind. I'm probably the most pessimistic, fretful (and therefore safe

) driver out there

.

DEpointfive0 · 11-21-2014, 10:21 AM

You... Are going to die

Your engine... Probably not

SouthArk370Z · 11-21-2014, 10:29 AM

Probably not a big deal but it depends on your definition of "just past." If you don't want to remove the tray, just get some small (~1/4") tubing, run it down the dip stick tube, and suck some oil out.

Read T · 11-21-2014, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEpointfive0

You... Are going to die

Skyscraper · 11-21-2014, 10:37 AM

You know you don't have to take the whole under shroud off to drain a little oil right?

It has a crease in it and only 3 or 4 screws holding it in so you can access the oil pan.

nis350 · 11-21-2014, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Read T

When the engine is cold, the oil reads just past the "H" on the dipstick.

I am sure you are fine. That's probably less than .25 of a quart. Nissan or any other manufactures would have alot of blown engines if that cause engine damages.

GaleForce · 11-21-2014, 11:44 AM

The VQ will probably burn off the extra oil in a couple of weeks.

TKomodo · 11-21-2014, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaleForce

The VQ will probably burn off the extra oil in a couple of weeks.

^^^

DEpointfive0 · 11-21-2014, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Read T

LOL, in all honesty, if you're saying your engine is COLD, like overnight cold, I bet the 'extra' is from the oil in the lines flowing back to the sump.
You should be more than ok anyways.
IF you're going to do anything about it
Syphoning off oil is a BITCH (trust me I've done it)... It's way easier to undo the rear 4 bolts holding on the undertray then opening the drain plug to let some oil out

Read T · 11-21-2014, 01:28 PM

True. On a similar note, I'm taking spare coolant to the track and all I have in my house is 50/50 ethylene-glycol (the green stuff). I assume if need be I can mix that with nissan's special blue LLC, it will just reduce the life of the coolant right? Not like mixing orange/green coolant or something

GaleForce · 11-21-2014, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Read T

True. On a similar note, I'm taking spare coolant to the track and all I have in my house is 50/50 ethylene-glycol (the green stuff). I assume if need be I can mix that with nissan's special blue LLC, it will just reduce the life of the coolant right? Not like mixing orange/green coolant or something

I was told by my local Nissan dealer that the blue is already diluted, ready to use, the green needs to be mixed. I can't see why there would be an issue mixing the two.

Dreadnaught · 11-22-2014, 12:45 AM

The tad bit of extra oil won't cause any issues. Only if you had put in an extra 1-2 courts would you have issues like the engine running rough.

Jordo! · 11-22-2014, 05:12 AM

an extra 1/2 qt should be fine.

Optimiser · 11-22-2014, 06:51 AM

I believe that 1/8 of an inch above the max fill line on the dipstick is fine.

axmea? · 11-22-2014, 08:56 AM

Look at your rear view mirrors and if you see smoke coming out of your exhaust then you know you have too much. You did not say how much you used to top it off.

11-21-2014, 09:45 AM	#1 (permalink)
Read T A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2012 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 1,046 Drives: 11 Nissan 370z BC 6M Rep Power: 18	Engine Oil Overfilling Posting this to get some peace of mind and because I'm too lazy to drain out a bit extra. I change the oil a few days ago, then topped it up a bit too much yesterday. When the engine is cold, the oil reads just past the "H" on the dipstick. I am going to the track this weekend and taking that damned undershroud off is just a huge PITA - guess I could siphon some. I know overfilling can cause hot spots, foaming, and can kill the engine, or at least sacrifice some power to drive the oil pump. I'm sure if I put in an extra 83 gallons of oil the engine would not like me. I have heard that some people who their car actually put in a bit more oil so the oil pump doesn't run out of oil at high RPM when the oil is distributed around the head more and so they don't get starve. I also know that "hypermilers" generally run less oil for efficiency of the engine. FWIW I do have a 25 row setrab cooler. Basically, someone just needs to tell me a little extra oil isn't going to kill my car so I have peace of mind. I'm probably the most pessimistic, fretful (and therefore safe ) driver out there . carlitos_370z likes this. __________________ 2011 Nissan 370z Black Cherry Sport Pkg - Daily Driver, , 1960 Morgan +4 fun car, 1986 BMW 325ES, 1998 M3 and 1996 Spec Miata - Race Cars SUPPORT TEAM WINSOME RACING - WRL, CHUMP, LEMONS

11-21-2014, 10:21 AM	#2 (permalink)
DEpointfive0 Premium Member Bitches Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: SoCal Posts: 14,824 Drives: a lot Rep Power: 17151	You... Are going to die Your engine... Probably not Trips, SouthArk370Z, JARblue and 5 others like this. __________________ Do YOU want to know what/where I got my username from? ( Click to show/hide ) NSFW due to language:

11-21-2014, 10:29 AM	#3 (permalink)
SouthArk370Z Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 8,435 Drives: 2014 Challenger Rep Power: 324198	Probably not a big deal but it depends on your definition of "just past." If you don't want to remove the tray, just get some small (~1/4") tubing, run it down the dip stick tube, and suck some oil out. __________________ Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma

11-21-2014, 10:37 AM	#5 (permalink)
Skyscraper Base Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: The skies above NorCal Posts: 72 Drives: 09 Touring Sport 6mt Rep Power: 11	You know you don't have to take the whole under shroud off to drain a little oil right? It has a crease in it and only 3 or 4 screws holding it in so you can access the oil pan. DEpointfive0 likes this.

11-21-2014, 11:44 AM	#7 (permalink)
GaleForce A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 21,749 Drives: Varis Arising II Rep Power: 51865	The VQ will probably burn off the extra oil in a couple of weeks. SouthArk370Z, JARblue, DEpointfive0 and 3 others like this. __________________ >>>GaleForce's Build<<< >>>FaceBook @3GsCustoms<<<>>>Instagram @GaleForce370z<<< Varis Kamikaze-Z

11-21-2014, 01:28 PM	#10 (permalink)
Read T A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2012 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 1,046 Drives: 11 Nissan 370z BC 6M Rep Power: 18	True. On a similar note, I'm taking spare coolant to the track and all I have in my house is 50/50 ethylene-glycol (the green stuff). I assume if need be I can mix that with nissan's special blue LLC, it will just reduce the life of the coolant right? Not like mixing orange/green coolant or something __________________ 2011 Nissan 370z Black Cherry Sport Pkg - Daily Driver, , 1960 Morgan +4 fun car, 1986 BMW 325ES, 1998 M3 and 1996 Spec Miata - Race Cars SUPPORT TEAM WINSOME RACING - WRL, CHUMP, LEMONS

11-22-2014, 12:45 AM	#12 (permalink)
Dreadnaught Track Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Farmington, Utah Posts: 582 Drives: 14 SR 370z 6MT Rep Power: 10140	The tad bit of extra oil won't cause any issues. Only if you had put in an extra 1-2 courts would you have issues like the engine running rough. __________________ Ford Diesel and Heavy Line Technician at your service.

11-22-2014, 05:12 AM	#13 (permalink)
Jordo! A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2010 Location: nirvana Posts: 6,394 Drives: 2023 NATM Rep Power: 418	an extra 1/2 qt should be fine. __________________ Enjoy it. Destroy it.

11-22-2014, 06:51 AM	#14 (permalink)
Optimiser Enthusiast Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Australia Posts: 455 Drives: 2012 Nissan 370Z MT Rep Power: 20144	I believe that 1/8 of an inch above the max fill line on the dipstick is fine. Last edited by Optimiser; 11-22-2014 at 06:53 AM.

11-22-2014, 08:56 AM	#15 (permalink)
axmea? A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,236 Drives: WELL ZED PW 6MT Rep Power: 53241	Look at your rear view mirrors and if you see smoke coming out of your exhaust then you know you have too much. You did not say how much you used to top it off. __________________ >MyZ's Album< NISMO Convert/ECUTEK/Takeda CAI/F.I. HFC NR CB Carbon/F.I. 34 Row Oil Cooler/4.08 Final Drive /Powertrix+Swifts/Hotchkis/SPL/Whiteline/TWM/Zoom Engineering/EVO-R/AeroJacket Vented CF Fenders + CF Spoiler/Avant Garde-WORK/NST/Morimoto Halo/STi Clear Lenses/Carbon Signal Automotive/RJM Performance/ZSpeed Clutch Flywheel CSC delete

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