Too much oil?

[neilh70]

Hey I have a just purchased 2003 Boxster; the dealership I bought it from (a VW shop) did an oil change but the dash meter has ALL the bars lit and the dipstick shows oil about half way up the bit of red plastic above the upper line (but not as far as the metal). I've read conflicting stories on a number of forums: do I get some drained off because running it with too much oil will be bad, or am I better just letting it burn off over time? I don't have the ability to drain it at home so it's a pay for job sadly but will gladly do it if i'm endangering my engine.

Any help for this Boxster newbie gratefuly received

[ike84]

Originally Posted by neilh70

Hey I have a just purchased 2003 Boxster; the dealership I bought it from (a VW shop) did an oil change but the dash meter has ALL the bars lit and the dipstick shows oil about half way up the bit of red plastic above the upper line (but not as far as the metal). I've read conflicting stories on a number of forums: do I get some drained off because running it with too much oil will be bad, or am I better just letting it burn off over time? I don't have the ability to drain it at home so it's a pay for job sadly but will gladly do it if i'm endangering my engine.



Any help for this Boxster newbie gratefuly received

Some guys intentionally run over on track, most run low though. The reason for that is overfilling will predispose to AOS failure (excess oil will get sucked into the separator, overwhelm it, and then cause it to fail and release oil into your intake - a mess to clean up and a PITA piece to replace). If you cant drain it at home I would suggest taking it back to the dealer you purchased it from and ask for them to correct the issue. They should understand that overfilling oil on any vehicle is a significant error and own up to it. An alternative would be to get a hand fill pump and snake it down through the fill pipe and suck off a quart at a time until youre near or just below the full bar. Don't expect for it to just burn off though, not many people report this phenomenon for the m96 engine (so long as the correct oil is in there to start with).

Sent from my POCOPHONE F1 using Tapatalk

[Steelepuls]

Overfilling the oil could cause oil to get into the catalytic converters, where they can do damage. My 01S had an oil leak from the RMS when I bought it, the previous owner kept it overfilled to prevent the oil from getting too low. Ever since I fixed the RMS and changed the oil, and put it the correct level, the engine will occasionally get a CEL with DTC code P0420 that routinely keeps coming up. If you have changed the oil before, the oil filter holds about a 1/2 quart, you can pull it and dump out the oil and then screw it back in. It could put you in the right oil level range without pulling the oil drain plug.

[Gilles]

+1
Removing the oil filter canister is the easiest (and cleanest) way to remove the excess oil from your engine, if you need to remove more than one canister at the time, just run the engine for a few seconds and repeat the procedure.

[neilh70]

Thanks all; selling dealership is draining off "as much oil as i want" so will ask them to do the oil filter trick as many times as needed to get the level between the arrows on the dash guage and the notches on the dipstick.

[jaykay]

I was playing with oil levels and got caught with level over the top limit. With the 1042 Nappa filter full before installation, and a as advertised deep sump of 1.2L, I was somewhere in the middle with 8.5 L of fill. This did not add up to me and I was impatient.

I have never pulled the filter without draining as yet. So one can correct for a half litre by pulling the filter. leaving it full and then put it back up there....it does sound like a mess but will give it a go.

I am just over the top notch on the dip stick so oil definitely has to come out to the best of my knowledege

[Htci]

If you have an assistant and a shop vac, one person applies partial vacuum to the oil fill side while other removes drain plug, then decrease/remove vacuum/suction until the desired amount of oil has drained into container. I got this idea from this site with respect to obtaining samples for analysis. I’ve done it and it works.

[jaykay]

I never would have thought of this! How did you properly regulate vacuum up top?

No assistant at present though

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by jaykay

No assistant at present though

Jaykay, the filter is the less messy way to remove excess oil, you may have to do it a couple of times starting the engine for a few seconds between removals..

[Frodo]

If you do ZERO other maintenance, you should learn to change your oil. It's really easy, saves a lot of $$, and it makes you feel a bit more "connected" to your car. And, by doing so, I avoid some issues that I've had to deal with previously.

Example: I was getting some work done someplace, something I either didn't want to do myself or just didn't feel like doing. When I dropped it off, as an afterthought I asked them to do an oil/filter change. It was due, and they were going to have it on a lift anyway. I took the car home and all was fine until 2,500-3000 miles later I went to do an oil change of my own. I've got one of the spin-on oil filter adapters (which I recommend), and when I went to spin off the oil filter (Wix 51042), the adapter came off with it. In probably 8 or 10 oil changes since getting the SPOFA, this had NEVER happened to me before. I worked and worked and worked to get them apart; finally, utterly exasperated, I took it to AZ and one of the guys working there had me come in back and he stuck it in a vice. We worked on it for another 10-15 min, using every tool and technique you can imagine. FINALLY the damn thing came off. The filter looked like it had been through a war. It's absolutely insane how hard they must have cranked on that filter to get it stuck that badly. Doing all oil changes since, I've never had another problem.

[jaykay]

The adapter has a torque and the filter is hand tight plus a half turn to a full turn .....by hand...this is what I do anyway. You can check the torque of the adapter during an oil change.

For removal I again use my hand to undo the fliter.

These days it is much easier to do things yourself and avoid problems

[Burg Boxster]

All great advice... and definitely amazing what you sometimes find when wrenching after having work done.

Just did O&F on my 1/2T yesterday afternoon... few months ago I received a "free" change from dealer as part of a recall. Holy you know what w how tight filter was on. Plus had serious dents - dang near punctured from where they squeezed the filter pliers getting ahem "snug". However, that paled in comparison to drain plug... for a split-second got concerned I was gonna have to grab my breaker bar!.

Something to keep in mind when you're handing over your keys to a non-specialized servicer or for a generic "service"... shops routinely are not known to put their best technician in the oil pit... (likewise a tire mounting machine).

Good luck

[jaykay]

Originally Posted by Gilles

Jaykay, the filter is the less messy way to remove excess oil, you may have to do it a couple of times starting the engine for a few seconds between removals..

Thanks Gilles! I would hate to start the engine with an empty filter housing Maybe in this case it does not matter. I wonder if cranking on the starter will fill it.....l will have to thing about this one

[Frodo]

Originally Posted by jaykay

The adapter has a torque and the filter is hand tight plus a half turn to a full turn .....by hand...this is what I do anyway.

Yeah, I've always split the difference: rub a little oil on the o-ring on the filter, thread it on, gently turn until the ring just touches the mounting surface, then 3/4 turn by hand after that.

I've had the same piece of cardboard under the car for probably 15 years—have never seen as much as a drop of oil on it. (Other than when I've clumsily dripped some there myself by accident )

[jaykay]

same here.....I have an unused filter housing grabber with a 3/8 drive that has remained unused to this day. I would offer it up for free but these days Amazon will cheaper than me shipping.

[10/10ths]

….trust the dip stick over the display.

And these engines trap a lot of oil that takes a few days to drain into the sump.

To get an accurate oil level reading, use the dip stick AFTER she has sat for three days without being started.

And like the others have posted, best to run the oil level halfway between the lines, and even having the oil on the bottom line is actually fine.

These engines tolerate the oil level on the bottom of the dip stick better than they tolerate the oil level being full.

That air/oil separator will die an early death if you keep her over filled.

Welcome to the Porsche world!

[Seal1968]

+1 on hand tightening filters...a little fresh oil on the seal, hand tighten. Its never let me down in all my years of car ownership.

I never use a torque wrench on oil drain plugs either...fresh crush washer, snug...watch for leaks, move on.