Oil question (V8)...did I overfill?

[Eerlumni]

First time changing the oil in my V8...I had been letting the dealer do it.

I put it on ramps drained till just a few drips and then poured in 6 quarts as well as a few ounces in the filter before I put it on.

Took it off the ramps onto level ground, started up for a few minutes and then let it sit for an hour or so. I came back to check thinking I could possibly need to add a little but to my surprise the level is about 3/4” above the full dot on the dipstick.

Would leaving it on the ramps when draining have left that much additional oil in the pan to where I’m now over full? Is that much above the fill dot enough to worry about?

 

[AuSeeker]

First time changing the oil in my V8...I had been letting the dealer do it.

I put it on ramps drained till just a few drips and then poured in 6 quarts as well as a few ounces in the filter before I put it on.

Took it off the ramps onto level ground, started up for a few minutes and then let it sit for an hour or so. I came back to check thinking I could possibly need to add a little but to my surprise the level is about 3/4” above the full dot on the dipstick.

Would leaving it on the ramps when draining have left that much additional oil in the pan to where I’m now over full? Is that much above the fill dot enough to worry about?

Did you wipe the dipstick and reinsert it to check the level, if not try checking it again and clean the dipstick and reinsert it to check the level, it could be showing a higher level from when the engine was running?

Yes it could be that you didn't drain all the oil because it was on the ramps, a T4R is high enough that most anyone can crawl under it to change the oil, unless you are an extremely large person.

Also you should be able to judge the volume of oil that came out to make a good guess if you got close to 6 quarts out.

I would drain some of the oil out, 3/4" on the stick is overfilled by 1 1/2 to 2 quarts I would guess, a little over filled will not hurt to much but a quart or more is not good IMHO.

 

[importman]

Assuming the drain plug is at the back of the pan like the v6, I can't see how that much oil could be left in there. My source says it should take 6.6 qts. I don't see how it can be overfull if you put 6 qts in it. The only explanation I can come up with is a very unpleasant one. I've seen engines, yes some Toyota engines, that missed a few too many oil changes and the oil turned into sludge in the pan. I don't know how long you've owned it or if you know anything about the maintenance history. But, if this has happened to it, it would mean you have sludge taking up space in the crankcase thereby causing the correct amount of oil to overfill it. I have seen this happen. And as much as I love Toyota, (I own 4 myself), they have a history of sludging if they're not serviced regularly. I hope that's not what you've got going on but I can't offer another idea. Good luck and let us know what you find.

 

[importman]

I had one other thought. There's no way you had a 5 qt jug and mistakenly thought it was a gallon and added 2 qts beyond that, is there?

 

[Eerlumni]

..... I don't know how long you've owned it or if you know anything about the maintenance history. But, if this has happened to it, it would mean you have sludge taking up space in the crankcase thereby causing the correct amount of oil to overfill it... I hope that's not what you've got going on but I can't offer another idea. Good luck and let us know what you find.

I’m the second owner and have all records, it’s been maintained by the book its entire life at a Toyota dealer.

I haven’t driven it since the oil change, just started and let it run a few minutes in the driveway. Would that change the oil level after being driven ?

 

[Eerlumni]

I had one other thought. There's no way you had a 5 qt jug and mistakenly thought it was a gallon and added 2 qts beyond that, is there?

No...I had two 5 qt jugs. I emptied one and used the empty jug to measure the additional 1 qt

 

[Eerlumni]

Did you wipe the dipstick and reinsert it to check the level, if not try checking it again and clean the dipstick and reinsert it to check the level, it could be showing a higher level from when the engine was running?

Yes it could be that you didn't drain all the oil because it was on the ramps, a T4R is high enough that most anyone can crawl under it to change the oil, unless you are an extremely large person.

Also you should be able to judge the volume of oil that came out to make a good guess if you got close to 6 quarts out.

I would drain some of the oil out, 3/4" on the stick is overfilled by 1 1/2 to 2 quarts I would guess, a little over filled will not hurt to much but a quart or more is not good IMHO.

I did wipe the stick. After noticing it being above the full dot I even left it to sit for a while with the dipstick out then reinserted to get the measurement.

I haven’t driven it yet though, just let it idle in the driveway for a few minutes after the oil change.

 

[importman]

I’m the second owner and have all records, it’s been maintained by the book its entire life at a Toyota dealer.

I haven’t driven it since the oil change, just started and let it run a few minutes in the driveway. Would that change the oil level after being driven ?

If it ran a few minutes that would be enough to fill the filter so driving it won't likely change the level. Undoubtedly, the ramps must have kept it from draining completely out. Like Auseeker said, 3/4" is probably more than I would be comfortable with leaving in it. I would drain enough out to get it down to the full mark and next time just change it without the ramps. I would also let it warm up some first and then let it drain till nothing comes out. Then see what happens when you refill it. Good luck.

 

[rdruss]

You could take your filter off and drain/reinstall a couple of times to get your level down if you don't want to drain the sump.

 

[Zero0575]

First time changing the oil in my V8...I had been letting the dealer do it.

I put it on ramps drained till just a few drips and then poured in 6 quarts as well as a few ounces in the filter before I put it on.

Took it off the ramps onto level ground, started up for a few minutes and then let it sit for an hour or so. I came back to check thinking I could possibly need to add a little but to my surprise the level is about 3/4” above the full dot on the dipstick.

Would leaving it on the ramps when draining have left that much additional oil in the pan to where I’m now over full? Is that much above the fill dot enough to worry about?

I change my oil on ramps and don't have any issues. 7 quarts exactly to get me right at the "full" mark on the dipstick after oil and filter change.

 

[Caldizzle]

Fumoto Valve – RCI Off Road

Never worry about potentially overfilling again.