How harmful is extra Engine Oil?

Rovergen · 22nd February 2010, 13:48

I remeber having filled extra Engine oil on my Rover montego , and the turbo went Kaput and series of other failures , the engine went well for 20 mins after a breif stop , it never started and just threw loads and loads of black smoke .
final bill was aroung 40K , somewhere in 2002..

tj123 · 22nd February 2010, 15:52

Too much oil in the sump would make the Crankshaft churn the oil and make froth, leading to oil starvation to some of the critical parts. Damage to the engine oil seals is inevitable.

Refer to this link - [FONT=&quot]Car Bibles : The Engine Oil Bible[/FONT]

R2D2 · 22nd February 2010, 16:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by sauravc

I have an Indigo Petrol version, so is it advisable to go for some draining of extra oil?

Saurav, a little less oil is always better than a little more oil. Never, ever overfill.

I would suggest you drain the extra oil from the sump. Make sure you remove just enough to get the level back the the max line on the dipstick. You will need a new crush washer for the sump drain plug.

Very important - With a cold engine, and the car parked on level ground, the oil level should be at the max mark. With a warm engine it should be between the min and max marks.

Regards,

ImmortalZ · 22nd February 2010, 17:03

Extra oil will blow your oil seals, damage your turbo, create extreme pressures in the engine leading to gasket failure and similar bad bad things will happen.

Half a liter of extra oil is a LOT.

Bomi · 22nd February 2010, 19:23

As you have to remove about 400 ml oil its easier to do it by inserting a thin plastic tube down the dip stick chute and sucking out the excess oil through a veterinary syringe. You may have to do it more than once to get out 400ml. The other way is to suck the tube taking care oil does not get in your mouth.
Opening the drain bolt may require a change of washer and if not replaced may cause leaks.

maglev · 23rd February 2010, 00:08

As far as I know it doesn't make much of a difference for naturally aspirated petrols but for diesel engines (Turbo / non turbo) & turbo petrols it can cause harm.

sauravc · 23rd February 2010, 12:07

Dear All,
Thanks for your suggestions!
I went to a local garage and removed the excess oil (around 250 ml). I am just worried whether the Pune-Mumbai drive with the extra oil would have already done any damage to the gasket/valve/seals :-( Though till now there are no symptoms like white fumes or oil in the exhaust, I am worried because I just got the engine oil consumption issue resolved and do not want another one:-(

Saurav

gharika · 23rd February 2010, 19:46

If you need to have extra oil to cover for consumption/leaks better keep it in a bottle in your car (1 L packing is perfect for that) rather than the sump. A check every 1000km will give you a good idea on the oil consumption.

R2D2 · 23rd February 2010, 20:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by maglev

As far as I know it doesn't make much of a difference for naturally aspirated petrols but for diesel engines (Turbo / non turbo) & turbo petrols it can cause harm.

That's not true. Extra oil is bad for any engine regardless of fuel or state of tune (turbo/NA).

Cheers!

prankey · 25th March 2010, 04:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gansan

Sorry for the typo. That should be "SC" grade.

@sgiitk
So this oil suits diesel engines more. But Maruti has a tie-up with IOC for supply of lubes, and their workshops use only this oil. I saw huge barrels of this stock at ABT Maruti yesterday. All the barrels labelled just "Maruti Genuine OIL", no specs mentioned.
IOC, Maruti ink deal for lubricants marketing - Corporate News - livemint.com

Now, a rehash of the specs from the respective websites of the oil co's. All except SERVO clearly state it is API SF grade.
Indian Oil Corporation :: Automotive Lubricating Oils
MGO 20W - 40 (MARUTI GENUINE OIL)
JIT SINGH CHANDOK ,Automobile Lubricants Goa - India
Castrol India - MGO

You just seem to be running round the bush for no apparent reason! As per IOC site, MGO from IOC is also SF:
http://www.iocl.com/downloads/lubes/...e_Oil_0210.doc

sonic_boom · 2nd February 2013, 14:59

Hi. The current level of oil in my Baleno is the red mark as shown in the image with dipstick reading taken first thing in the morning on a cold engine.
The blue mark is the max mark and the green is is the min mark. How much oil do you reckon should be drained ?

vikram_d · 2nd February 2013, 15:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonic_boom

Hi. The current level of oil in my Baleno is the red mark as shown in the image with dipstick reading taken first thing in the morning on a cold engine.
The blue mark is the max mark and the green is is the min mark. How much oil do you reckon should be drained ?

Between half to one liter.

R2D2 · 2nd February 2013, 16:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonic_boom

Hi. The current level of oil in my Baleno is the red mark as shown in the image with dipstick reading taken first thing in the morning on a cold engine.
The blue mark is the max mark and the green is is the min mark. How much oil do you reckon should be drained ?

Gosh! That's serious overfilling.

You'll need to hoist the car on a ramp. Drain 500ml at first and check the level. If it still shows above the max mark, drain another 250 and repeat the process in smaller increments of 250ml till you are down to the max mark.

If you drain too much, top off with fresh oil from a can. Do NOT pour the drained/used oil back in. It has impurities like sludge, metallic particles that are found at the bottom of the sump.

Some technicians/mechanics are morons. So whoever you give your car to needs to be firmly told never to overfill. It may be good practice to take the precise amount of oil required in a can and give it to the technician. Better still get the oil and filter changed in front of you.

lugnut · 15th April 2013, 18:05

Looks like I've overfilled and so far the clutch is the first victim

- it is slipping like crazy [MM550 Jeep] - the miss happened when the oil was being filled in the vehicle on an incline - we thought it's a false reading on the dip stick, and carried on - ugh!

amit_purohit20 · 15th April 2013, 18:45

Yes the clutch is going to be the first victim. The crankcase oil seals can not stand the extra oil and they will give way for the clutch to travel to the dry clutch and spoil it. Its a common case with tractors also if the engine oil seal gives way.

Extra oil will cause lot of heating up due to churning and if the crankcaseventilation plug is blocked then we can expect oil seals to give way.

Extra oil can also cause oil to reach the combustion chamber and thus burning giving black carbon deposits.

22nd February 2010, 13:48	#106
Rovergen BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 122 Thanked: 37 Times	I remeber having filled extra Engine oil on my Rover montego , and the turbo went Kaput and series of other failures , the engine went well for 20 mins after a breif stop , it never started and just threw loads and loads of black smoke . final bill was aroung 40K , somewhere in 2002..
	() Thanks

22nd February 2010, 15:52	#107
tj123 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: BLR Posts: 1,148 Thanked: 680 Times	Too much oil in the sump would make the Crankshaft churn the oil and make froth, leading to oil starvation to some of the critical parts. Damage to the engine oil seals is inevitable. Refer to this link - [FONT=&quot]Car Bibles : The Engine Oil Bible[/FONT]
	() Thanks

22nd February 2010, 17:03	#109
ImmortalZ Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 2,179 Thanked: 488 Times View My Garage	Extra oil will blow your oil seals, damage your turbo, create extreme pressures in the engine leading to gasket failure and similar bad bad things will happen. Half a liter of extra oil is a LOT.
	() Thanks

22nd February 2010, 19:23	#110
Bomi BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 284 Thanked: 77 Times	As you have to remove about 400 ml oil its easier to do it by inserting a thin plastic tube down the dip stick chute and sucking out the excess oil through a veterinary syringe. You may have to do it more than once to get out 400ml. The other way is to suck the tube taking care oil does not get in your mouth. Opening the drain bolt may require a change of washer and if not replaced may cause leaks.
	() Thanks

23rd February 2010, 00:08	#111
maglev BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Delhi Posts: 840 Thanked: 153 Times View My Garage	As far as I know it doesn't make much of a difference for naturally aspirated petrols but for diesel engines (Turbo / non turbo) & turbo petrols it can cause harm.
	() Thanks

23rd February 2010, 12:07	#112
sauravc Newbie Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai & Kolkata Posts: 15 Thanked: 0 Times	Dear All, Thanks for your suggestions! I went to a local garage and removed the excess oil (around 250 ml). I am just worried whether the Pune-Mumbai drive with the extra oil would have already done any damage to the gasket/valve/seals :-( Though till now there are no symptoms like white fumes or oil in the exhaust, I am worried because I just got the engine oil consumption issue resolved and do not want another one:-( Saurav
	() Thanks

23rd February 2010, 19:46	#113
gharika BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 235 Thanked: 107 Times	If you need to have extra oil to cover for consumption/leaks better keep it in a bottle in your car (1 L packing is perfect for that) rather than the sump. A check every 1000km will give you a good idea on the oil consumption.
	() Thanks

2nd February 2013, 14:59	#116
sonic_boom BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: USA Posts: 138 Thanked: 16 Times	Re: How harmful is extra Engine Oil? Hi. The current level of oil in my Baleno is the red mark as shown in the image with dipstick reading taken first thing in the morning on a cold engine. The blue mark is the max mark and the green is is the min mark. How much oil do you reckon should be drained ? Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

15th April 2013, 18:05	#119
lugnut BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Mumbai Posts: 138 Thanked: 58 Times	Re: How harmful is extra Engine Oil? Looks like I've overfilled and so far the clutch is the first victim - it is slipping like crazy [MM550 Jeep] - the miss happened when the oil was being filled in the vehicle on an incline - we thought it's a false reading on the dip stick, and carried on - ugh!
	(1) Thanks

15th April 2013, 18:45	#120
amit_purohit20 BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 676 Thanked: 902 Times	Re: How harmful is extra Engine Oil? Yes the clutch is going to be the first victim. The crankcase oil seals can not stand the extra oil and they will give way for the clutch to travel to the dry clutch and spoil it. Its a common case with tractors also if the engine oil seal gives way. Extra oil will cause lot of heating up due to churning and if the crankcaseventilation plug is blocked then we can expect oil seals to give way. Extra oil can also cause oil to reach the combustion chamber and thus burning giving black carbon deposits.
	() Thanks