Short story - The oil was overfilled in my Crossfire by my local Chrysler dealer by a quart +. Should I be worried?

Long version - About a week after taking my XF to the local dealership for an oil change I was driving along and a "HI" notification on the dash popped on. I studied the owner's manual and found this means the oil level is hi. Not wanting to drive any more in this condition I stopped at a Jiffy Lube where they very kindly drained about a quart or more of oil from the car. Should I be worried this overfilling of oil damaged something?

 

I doubt it. And for future reference, I only put in 8 quarts.

I had the "HI" indicator quite often in my Red Roadster, then someone on here suggested only putting in 8 quarts (it was Danimal). Since then, I never saw it come on again in the Red one. I continued this practice with my Graphite Roadster for the past 51,000 miles.

 

Its oil, nothing more. I run over full ( +1 QT OR SO ) all the time for the hard corners , so the pickup has a safety margin. High oil causes greater tendency of seal leaks, some small power loss, and possible foaming, though I have never seen that in any car.

My 73 challenger has 10 quarts in the pan and two get pumped into the oil accumulator for the next engine start up cycle, leaving 8 in the pan which has a big baffle tray. That motor always cranks with about 20 psi before the first revolution - thanks to stored oil pressure.

Its oil, less is worse. Your fine. Wdy Enjoy

 

Thanks Folks! My mind can rest a little easier on this issue. That said, I will be changing my own oil from now on... Any recommendations on how-to resources for this?

 

1. Use Mann fleece filter. ( HU718/5x )
2. buy Mobil1 0-40 from Walmart/Autozone/Advance/NAPA/CarQuest/O'Reillys in 5 qt jugs when on sale.
3. you can use either one of the vac pumps or do it manually. If you do it manually, replace the copper washer each time.
4. Jack the car up on the drivers side to promote better drainage at the right side drain hole. ( remove the bottom plastic belly pan if doing it manually )
5. when done draining, replace drain plug with new washer, then pour the new oil ( 8 - 8.5 qts ) in thru the oil filter housing, then replace the filter using the new O rings that have just a bit of fresh oil applied. ( HAND TIGHTEN THE PLASTIC FILTER CAP - THE O RINGS DO THE SEALING )
6. start 'er up and check for leaks at oil filter and drain plug.
7. replace belly pan ( after cleaning ).

( You can get the filters and copper washers from Rob at NeedsWings. )

 

Regular price at Walmart now is about $22.50 for a 5.1 quart jug of 0w-40 M1 Euro. That's $4.50 / quart!

 

Thanks for the helpful tips Ala and Chris. I may have to stock up on the oil for the future change.

 

Careful, many have lost the belt when oil seeped out the top of the filter housing. It is better to torque to specs to keep from leaking oil all over the front of your engine!

 

GG:

I have never gone past hand-tight on the filter spout-assembly. I think proper placement of that top o-ring is where many get into trouble - that, and not starting the engine and watching for oil seeping out before closing the hood.

 

bingo !!!!!

 

Yep, the O ring on the cap does the sealing, NOT torque.

 

XFire takes 8 liters during an oil change. That's just under 8.5 quarts. Too much of a PITA to do that so, like others, I always just put 8 quarts in during an oil change. Having served as a Maintenance & Reliability consultant for 20+ years, I can state with confidence that over-lubrication is worse than under-lubrication.

I had that silly little warning light come one when I installed 9 quarts back awhile. Then during a Dragon weekend GTG, HI oil level light kept coming on during the "twisties". Ended up siphoning out 1/2 quart or so when I got back home.

Sometimes these cars provide way too much feedback!!

 

I have overfilled engines a few times and never experienced damage.

But, on the other hand, I can assure you that a 2.3L Ford Ranger engine with NO lubrication (that is, no oil) will go .9 miles before the cam seizes up.

I think I will take the side of Woody in post 3: Its oil, less is worse.

 

Overfilling ( after a certain point) can also cause loss of oil pressure if the oil level in the pan reaches the level of the crankshaft as it rotates.
This can cause extreme frothing, the oil pump is not a happy camper trying to pump froth.
Beer - froth good.
Engine - froth bad.

 

I agree proper groove/o-ring placement is necessary but stick to proper torque on that filter cap. Only oil leaking on my motor is that damn oil cap housing sealant the factory used. Its not a distraction I need to address as it is minor.