STUPID MISTAKE. Added TOO MUCH OIL !!!

[mvmcali]

UGH. I was not paying attention when I changed my oil yesterday on my 2001 QX4
I drained out through the drain plug (only 4 Qts came out!) and refilled with 5 Quarts!

the level now shows on the dipstick to be another 50% over (compared to the length of L to H marks).
should i try to suck some out thru the dipstick filler tube? is it dangerous to drive it like this?

also, why did only 4 come out. the level was right in the middle between L and H when i started

also when i put the 5 Q in , i obviously wasnt running the engine yet and the dipstick has barely registered an oil mark. then later after running engine im way over the mark. i didnt think that much oil stayed in the engnine (1 to 1.5 Q?) when draining

[MisterH]

The capacity with filter is 5.1 qts so you're not that far overfilled. If you feel unsure, you could always unscrew the filler plug at the pan and let some drain out and then check again. Bear in mind that getting an accurate reading of the dipstick can be tricky on old engines with a lot of miles because oftentimes the oil galley ways get partially clogged with sludge, etc and with a stationary engine it may take a while for a lot of oil to make its way down into the pan. This of course applies to both draining and filling.

[mvmcali]

thanks. I did keep the drain plug out for quite a while and let the flow go down to just slow drops. as mentioned i only drained about 4 quarts but im not accounting for the oil that was in the old filter too. so i suppose i drained maybe 4.5 Q total. it sounds like you are not surprised that a 1/2 quart may still stay in this old engine?

turns out i have a cheapo fluid hand pump from Harbor freight. it comes with a slender tube that i think i can get down the oil filler tube. i was going to pump out the excess that way. does that make sense? also - any idea on the dipstick how much oil makes from the L mark to the H mark? I think I read that that represents 1 Q ?

[VStar650CL]

One quart on the stick is pretty standard for USDM cars from any manufacturer. If there is trapped oil in the engine then it will be in the top end from clogged gallery ways, as @MisterH mentioned. Once oil makes it to the pan, it'll come out the drain. So you may not get any results from your sucker pump.

That said, are you sure it isn't just using a half quart between changes?

[mvmcali]

I was able to suck a quart out with the transfer pump but it wasn't easy. Probably the cheap connections are not air tight.

You raise a good point about oil leak. I have developed a very slow leak over the last year. A couple drops a day on driveway max. It's not clear where it's coming from. It's wet around the oil pan gasket but it's also wet above the oil pan too. May be coming from above but highway driving blows it all around? Any ideas how to try to pinpoint it ? Thanks

[VStar650CL]

The rear corners of the rocker covers on axial VQ's are fairly infamous for developing leaks that drip down the bellhousing and look like they're coming from the pan or rear main. Because they do most of their dripping while underway, they can be hard to pin down with traditional methods like baby powder. My personal preferred method is a teaspoon of UV dye in the crankcase.

[mvmcali]

Thanks. Can I tighten down the rocker covers as a possible quick fix?

[VStar650CL]

Depends if your rockers use shoulder screws or not, I can't recall on the early VQ's. The later ones all use shoulders, and once the shoulder bottoms you're done. If they're plain screws then tightening may help.

[VStar650CL]

PS - You can get extra compression out of a shoulder screw by putting a washer under it, but be very careful not to crack the cover.

[Fosty]

I'm not mechanic, but I'm going to assume these guys know what they're talking about:



Probably not a big deal.

[Mike W.]

Oil leaks are funny, often you can often leave a huge ugly spot under the car/truck, yet never seem low on the dipstick. And sometimes they seal up once they get hot while you're driving so they don't leak until you shut it off. However other times it's check the gas, fill the oil.

[VStar650CL]

I'm not mechanic, but I'm going to assume these guys know what they're talking about:



Probably not a big deal.

Very cool. Couple things they couldn't really demonstrate, though. One is that many Nissans (including the ubiquitous QR and the new VC KR) have rotating hardware below the centerline of the crank, and those will be a bit less tolerant of overfilling than a conventional powerplant like the one they tested. The more critical aspect is "slosh" on braking, accel, and hills. All engines have either jet or spithole lubrication of the wrist pins and inner piston crowns, and it doesn't take long with the holes covered for those parts to suffer. That sort of problem is basically invisible and highly dependent on the design and geometry of the specific engine. So while a small amount over is unlikely to ever hurt anything, you're entirely better off keeping the level correct.