Overfill engine oil..is that bad..?

If too much overfilled, the oil c ould get foamed up and as a foam won’t be pumped through the engine as it should.

It’s easy enough to drain the excess out, why not just do it?

No. What happens is the oil is foamed up by the crank shaft (if it is high enough to reach it) and you get no pressure. Other than that it shouldn’t affect pressure at all.

Some people may disagree on this, but 1/2″ above dip stick sounds OK to me. We have a shop in the area that would over fill all engine by 1/2 qt just just as a counter measure for oil leaks/and burns. And most old car manuals tell you that burning 1 Qt every 1000 miles (although sounds excessive) is normal (I am not sure if this is still true)

Also there are cars that were shipped with two different dipsticks – JDM version of oil dip stick would require owner to fill the engine with additional 1 qt of engine (I think this was late 2000 model Civic Si)

I agree excessive over filling is bad, but 1/2 – 1 qt over filling should be OK in my opinion.

Yes it is a bad thing and the reasons are pretty much covered above. You should drain the oil a little at a time till you reach the proper level.

With an oil level that high it can come into contact with the spinning crank shaft which would cause it to foam and aerate in the same way you would to make a baked Alaska. This aerated oil is full of air which is compressible meaning that it won’t properly lubricate the engine and will allow the metal parts of the engine to come into contact thus causing increased wear. In short, it’s the same as running low or no oil in the engine because the end result is the same.

you could loosen the plug and let it weep out.
this will give you time to check the level while
it weeps.then tighten the plug.

[quote=”RayRam76″ post=32593]Hello Eric, I got a 1997 honda city 1.3L civic engine (I think this honda model is only available here in asia and I am here in the philippines) and last sept 28, 2012 I went for an oil change and I just noticed that it was an overfill for about almost 1/2 inch above the max level in the dip stick.. is that bad..do I need to be worried..?

hope to hear from you soon..thanks![/quote]

This sounds really simple but did you make sure the car was level when you checked it? If the ground is not level then you won’t get an accurate reading. I was just reminded of this recently when I though I had 1/2 qt overfilled but in reality it was just right amount of oil. So get a level out and see if the car is level, then check the oil level. I have a honda accord so what I am saying should apply to your civic.

I am sure the oil change you got from the shop put the correct amount of oil in.

Make sure the ground is level.

This should give you the proper reading and end all your concerns.

🙂

I hope we see you around here more because I think there it no better place to learn than right here.