While driving your car, you realize that it is low on oil. You immediately go to the nearest shop to purchase engine oil. Since you were in a hurry to get the oil filled, you didn’t realize overfilling the oil.
Seeing that you have gone well beyond the MAX sign on the dipstick, you panicked a bit. In this article, we’ll find out what happens if engine oil is overfilled and what can a person do to tackle the situation.
What Happens if the Engine Is Overfilled
People often ask if it is dangerous to have you car engine overfilled with oil. The answer is yes, but it does depend on the volume of the oil exceeding the limit. For example, if you have filled a couple of millimeters above the sign, you don’t really have to worry. However, if you have filled a centimeter above the sign, you are likely to encounter some serious damages to your engine.
When the engine oil exceeds the limit, it becomes aerated and is generally whipped into the foam – because of the crankshaft’s high rotation. Your car cannot be lubricated with foamy oil. Besides, foamy oil can also cause oil flow to halt, lead to the overheating of oil and a loss of oil pressure.
Symptoms of Too Much Oil In Car
In the above sections, we have primarily focused on what happens if your engine is overfilled with oil. But, what should you do if you have no idea about this problem? Are there any signs that can tell you that something is wrong?
For the times when you have no idea whether you or your mechanic has overfilled the engine with oil, look out for the following signs:
- Burning smell of engine oil
- Signs of smoke from the exhaust area
- Signs of smoke from the engine bay
- Oil leakage
- Engine making too much noise
How to Remove Overfilled Engine Oil
The problem of overfilled oil can be solved easily. There are two ways to do this. Let’s have a look at both of them.
Method 1:
Get an oil suction pump and pull the oil from the dipstick tube – or the cap access point. You don’t really have to raise your car to remove the excess oil. All you need is air supply for the vacuum.
Method 2:
This traditional and messier method requires you to have a plastic oil pan and drive socket wrench. You have to raise your car to some height and then crawl underneath – yes, it is messy. Locate the plug and place the plastic oil pan underneath it. Loosen the plug until the oil starts to drip. Check with the dipstick to see if you have removed the right amount.
The Final World
Overfilled oil can cause serious problems for your car. However, there are some easy ways through which you can remove the oil. To ensure that you don’t face such problem in the future, always double-check your car after you have taken it for a routine oil change.
