Oil (slightly) over max level.

Yakuza

Hi all - a quick question:
I was topping up my oil yesterday, but I ended up putting slightly too much in - the oil level is about 1-2mm above the "max" mark. Should I drain off the excess (i.e. get a mechanic to do it) or drive around on it as usual? If it makes any difference, it's a 320i e46(2001), or is driving with a level over the max A Thing You Should Never Do (tm!) in any car?

I've asked a few folks already and the general consensus was that a small overfill shouldn't make too much difference, but I thought I'd put it out to you knowledgeable folks here too


Thanks,

Kimbot

Once its only slightly over you should be fine!!

Wishbone Ash

Yea it will be fine. Most main dealers in my experience tend to overfill oil as they are too lazy to adjust the amount dispensed from one model to another. :rolleyes:

Anan1

I'd say it'll be fine. The danger with overfilling by a large amount is that the spinning crankshaft can froth the oil, thus depriving the engine of lubrication. A couple of mm over on the dipstick, however, would be nowhere near this amount.

Owen

Wishbone ... Overfilling an engine is as dangerous than underfilling it. That's a pretty remarkable claim, no 'main' dealer will even risk doing that to an engine, and having to pay recon costs later. A back yard dealer might, but again, any mechanic worth his salt would know better.

With an e46 I wouldn't worry too much. It it's a Litre, than yes, a few ml, well, all Beems burn a little oil.

crosstownk

Slightly over filling shouldn't pose a problem. A substantial amount over will cause problems as mentioned above and also runs the risk of damage to the catalytic convertor.

Lex Luthor

ned78 wrote:

all Beems burn a little oil.

mine doesn't....12,000 miles and the level the same as it was when filled

JohnCleary

Lex Luthor wrote:

mine doesn't....12,000 miles and the level the same as it was when filled

12k? Your engine must be CRYING for an oil change!

crosstownk

JohnCleary wrote:

12k? Your engine must be CRYING for an oil change!

I doubt it - the BMW service interval is 15,000 miles.

JohnCleary

crosstownk wrote:

I doubt it - the BMW service interval is 15,000 miles.

Never knew that - Seems like a lot. I'd always change my oil every 6 - 8k miles

maidhc

JohnCleary wrote:

Never knew that - Seems like a lot. I'd always change my oil every 6 - 8k miles

It is too much. It is still only a plain IC engine. I do my car every 6/8k as well.

crosstownk

I've any amount of BMWs on fleet and I always stick to the 15k interval and never have any problems - and a lot of these cars have done 150k+ miles. On the newer ones I stick to the intervals as indicated by the dash display.

JHMEG

I have seen several cars where oil has made its way via the PCV breather hose on the rocker cover into the throttle body, and has managed (among other things) to gunk up the throttle plate causing it to stick. Overfilling will make this more likely to happen, and some cars are more prone to it than others.

If you're unhappy about it, drain out half a litre. It'll take less than 2 mins.

Read an independent report about engine oils a while back which concluded that even the best oil was not lubricating after about 11,000 typical miles.

Also, some car manufacturers say the service interval is very long, which appears to be for marketing reasons. For example my wife's car the interval is every 12,500 miles, but if you look in the manual there is an oil (and filter) change due every 6,250 miles, which they don't classify as a "service".