What happens if you put too much oil in your car?
In most vehicles, the engine holds about 5-8 liters of engine oil. Small 4-cylinder engines are lower, while large V8 engines require more oil because they have additional passages and oil return paths.
We all know that too little oil is harmful to an engine. But what happens if there is too much oil in the engine? And what can you do in this case? What happens if there is too much oil in the engine?
Oil changes are typically done every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, with some newer vehicles having oil change intervals as high as 7,500 or even 10,000 miles. Some people mistakenly believe that they are pumping more oil into the engine than necessary to better lubricate the components.
However, this is not the case, as having too much oil in the engine can be counterproductive. Instead of fully lubricating the components, the oil may not lubricate the components at all.
Too much oil allows air to come into contact with the oil through the rotating crankshaft. When this happens, the oil circulating through a running engine becomes very foamy and frothy.
As the oil thickens, many small air pockets form in the oil, which slows its flow and reduces its ability to circulate through engine components at the rate needed to keep the engine cool.
To make matters worse, air can contain tiny particles and dirt that can get into the oil. This means the oil is contaminated and less effective at lubricating the engine. As you can imagine, if the components aren’t properly lubricated, your engine will overheat. When that happens, you’ll have to worry about all kinds of engine problems and damage.
Check your oil level
The best way to tell if you have too much oil is to check the oil level with a dipstick. Most people use this to make sure they have enough oil, but you can also use it to make sure you don’t have too much oil.
There should be markings on your dipstick that indicate a “MIN” and a “MAX” (or a similar variation). Typically, the oil level should be between these two marks on the dipstick. However, if the oil level is above “MAX”, it means there is too much oil.
Some newer cars, such as Audis, do not have a physical dipstick to check the oil level. Instead, a sensor tells you through a message in the instrument cluster if there is too little or too much oil.
What can I do if the oil level on the dipstick is too high?
Unless you have an oil extractor (I love my Mityvac!), all you can do is drain the oil from the engine. You can have this done at an auto repair shop or quick lube store, or you can do it yourself. If you already know how to change your oil, you’re probably familiar with draining.
First, you’ll need to find the drain plug, which is located under the oil pan under the engine. To do this, you’ll need to put the front tires up a ramp or jack up the vehicle. Place a container under the drain plug, loosen the drain plug and allow the oil to drain into the container, then retighten the drain plug.
It is difficult to get the oil level back to normal by draining only a small amount of oil, so it is better to drain the entire oil during an oil change. You can find your vehicle’s exact engine oil capacity in your vehicle’s manual.
