Overfilled Oil By Shop. Problems?

ebouwman · 08-16-2009, 03:24 PM

I'm sad to admit, that i brought my car in for an oil change last week, but only because i was out of town and needed one.

But wouldn't you know it, the one thing i bring my car into the shop for, they f*** up!

Basically after i had that done i drove the car home the next day and put about a 1000 kilometers on it, (long trip) and i've driven it too and from work this week and i got thinking that i should check the oil because i know it leaks oil and i thought i'd be getting low. I was kinda pissed off though so i punched it and revved it right to 7 grand but when i shifted i noticed black smoke out the back end, so i slowed down and repeated it to make sure it was me, and same thing.

Got back and checked the oil, and the damned thing was overfilled! After a 1000 km! When i know it leaks!

What am i looking at for potential damage from this? Because i don't think i've ever gotten black smoke out the pipe from my MR2 ever.

What do you guys think the shop will say when i call them to bitch?

Ben · 08-16-2009, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebouwman

What am i looking at for potential damage from this? Because i don't think i've ever gotten black smoke out the pipe from my MR2 ever.

What do you guys think the shop will say when i call them to bitch?

Potential damage: blown seals/gaskets/piston rings

The shop: What can they do - you are out of town.... Don't expect a refund on something you can't prove to them, unless you want to drive all the way back there with over filled oil..... Drain the oil and fill it to the proper level and consider this a lesson to always check the oil after an oil change before you drive off.

David · 08-16-2009, 05:29 PM

Take this as a lesson to change your own oil. If I can change oil propperly, I would hate to see the idiot who got an oil change wrong.

canadam · 08-16-2009, 05:49 PM

PM me who did the work.

thx1138 · 08-16-2009, 06:25 PM

Recently while having my oil changed at the local Toyota dealer a customer remarked he had his done previously at the same dealer. Apparently he was slighted at the dealer, ie not full.
Years ago someone I worked with took his wife's VW diesel in for a oil change.
He picked the car up and while driving away noticed it warmed very quickly and ran HOT. He checked the oil and found NO oil replaced, ie empty.
The dealer said this would not do any harm. He planned on selling the car!
BEWARE.

thx1138

mr3 · 08-16-2009, 07:16 PM

Another oil horror story, Pepboys mechanics are not sent out for training anymore. They are "trained" on the spot. One of the Pep Boys was supposed to do an oil change and replace the transmission fluid on one car. He drained both engine and transmission and filled the engine with trans fluid and trans with motor oil. The owner of the car got a new engine and transmission courtesy of Pepboys. This wasnt an old cheap car, it was a newer Lexus like an 07 or an 08.

This isn't a made up story, it was a local Pepboys that my store delivers to.

ebouwman · 08-16-2009, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben

Potential damage: blown seals/gaskets/piston rings

The shop: What can they do - you are out of town.... Don't expect a refund on something you can't prove to them, unless you want to drive all the way back there with over filled oil..... Drain the oil and fill it to the proper level and consider this a lesson to always check the oil after an oil change before you drive off.

I'm thinking let them know what they did wrong, and possibly send them a bill if they've wrecked anything. I don't really expect much from them though.

My real worry is that i've wrecked some of my rings. Oh and what gets me is that its STILL overfilled after 1000 km's! It should have used a quarter of a litre or probably more since the oil change and it's still overfilled!

Quote:

Originally Posted by David48

Take this as a lesson to change your own oil. If I can change oil propperly, I would hate to see the idiot who got an oil change wrong.

I know it's ridiculous, but i was due for an oil change it was 1000 km's back home.

Quote:

Originally Posted by canadam

PM me who did the work.

PM sent.

I think i'm going to get it compression tested to see where i'm at. Any chance that it's just extra oil getting sucked into the intake from the pcv valve?

Even then though, the smoke was black, not blue, so...

toyotaspeed90 · 08-17-2009, 04:08 PM

ok.... being that overfull wont' cause a problem unless it's so full that you're getting excessive oil through the crankcase breather.... on these engines, that's a LOT of extra oil....

black smoke denotes that you're running rich, not burning oil. When oil burns, the smoke will have a blueish sometimes light greyish color.

someone would have had to make a HUGE mistake to have put in more than one extra quart.... as on average most cars take 4-5 quarts and trucks tend to take a bit more.... the 4age takes between 3.5 and 3.75 to "full"... but even I have had more than that and no problems. It's actually also somewhat common to use a little more oil to help when cornering (for those that don't have sump setups).

ebouwman · 08-17-2009, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toyotaspeed90

ok.... being that overfull wont' cause a problem unless it's so full that you're getting excessive oil through the crankcase breather.... on these engines, that's a LOT of extra oil....

black smoke denotes that you're running rich, not burning oil. When oil burns, the smoke will have a blueish sometimes light greyish color.

someone would have had to make a HUGE mistake to have put in more than one extra quart.... as on average most cars take 4-5 quarts and trucks tend to take a bit more.... the 4age takes between 3.5 and 3.75 to "full"... but even I have had more than that and no problems. It's actually also somewhat common to use a little more oil to help when cornering (for those that don't have sump setups).

Ok thats exactly what i wanted to know. As i mentioned i got the black smoke when it downshifted (auto) from 7000 rpm, so any chance it was just the efi system lagging or something like that?

I wasn't sure if burnt oil could cause black smoke, i've had an engine that burned lots of oil after going down hills, something to do with the vacuum line going to the tranny sucking oil... and even that never burned black. But i thought i'd ask anyways.

I'm still going to give that shop a call to ask wtf they were doing putting that much oil in it.

dirocyn · 08-20-2009, 10:53 AM

I'm having a niggling thought, something I've read about on other cars--where a gasoline seal ruptured and poured gas into the crankcase. Made it look like the oil was overfull, and very thin and runny. If your crankcase was full of gas, that could sneak past the rings or suck through the pcv very easily and cause an over-rich situation. I'd give it the sniff test--your nose should be able to tell if there's a significant amount of gasoline in there. If there is, that's not the oil change people's fault.

If your crankcase is filled up to higher than the cranshaft seal, it will leak and make a mess--and probably drip whether the engine's running or not. Not sure it will really cause any permanent damage unless it's full enough to contact the rings.

08-16-2009, 03:24 PM	#1 (permalink)
ebouwman Curve Hugger Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: BC Posts: 1,600 Thanks: 19 Thanked 51 Times in 51 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Overfilled Oil By Shop. Problems? I'm sad to admit, that i brought my car in for an oil change last week, but only because i was out of town and needed one. But wouldn't you know it, the one thing i bring my car into the shop for, they f*** up! Basically after i had that done i drove the car home the next day and put about a 1000 kilometers on it, (long trip) and i've driven it too and from work this week and i got thinking that i should check the oil because i know it leaks oil and i thought i'd be getting low. I was kinda pissed off though so i punched it and revved it right to 7 grand but when i shifted i noticed black smoke out the back end, so i slowed down and repeated it to make sure it was me, and same thing. Got back and checked the oil, and the damned thing was overfilled! After a 1000 km! When i know it leaks! What am i looking at for potential damage from this? Because i don't think i've ever gotten black smoke out the pipe from my MR2 ever. What do you guys think the shop will say when i call them to bitch?

08-16-2009, 05:49 PM	#4 (permalink)
canadam MidshipExpress Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Beautiful British Columbia Posts: 10,399 Thanks: 120 Thanked 142 Times in 121 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (34/100% )	PM me who did the work. __________________

08-16-2009, 06:25 PM	#5 (permalink)
thx1138 Some Skills Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Tulsa OK Posts: 95 Thanks: 2 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts iTrader Rating: (3/100% )	OIL Recently while having my oil changed at the local Toyota dealer a customer remarked he had his done previously at the same dealer. Apparently he was slighted at the dealer, ie not full. Years ago someone I worked with took his wife's VW diesel in for a oil change. He picked the car up and while driving away noticed it warmed very quickly and ran HOT. He checked the oil and found NO oil replaced, ie empty. The dealer said this would not do any harm. He planned on selling the car! BEWARE. thx1138

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

08-16-2009, 05:29 PM	#3 (permalink)
David Banned Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Tampa, Fl Posts: 2,621 Thanks: 120 Thanked 55 Times in 54 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (4/100% )	Take this as a lesson to change your own oil. If I can change oil propperly, I would hate to see the idiot who got an oil change wrong.

08-16-2009, 07:16 PM	#6 (permalink)
mr3 unskilled Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Plymouth Mtg, Pa Posts: 2,406 Thanks: 24 Thanked 98 Times in 93 Posts iTrader Rating: (7/100% )	Another oil horror story, Pepboys mechanics are not sent out for training anymore. They are "trained" on the spot. One of the Pep Boys was supposed to do an oil change and replace the transmission fluid on one car. He drained both engine and transmission and filled the engine with trans fluid and trans with motor oil. The owner of the car got a new engine and transmission courtesy of Pepboys. This wasnt an old cheap car, it was a newer Lexus like an 07 or an 08. This isn't a made up story, it was a local Pepboys that my store delivers to.

08-17-2009, 04:08 PM	#8 (permalink)
toyotaspeed90 No Skills Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Bellingham, WA Posts: 2,401 Thanks: 0 Thanked 148 Times in 143 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	ok.... being that overfull wont' cause a problem unless it's so full that you're getting excessive oil through the crankcase breather.... on these engines, that's a LOT of extra oil.... black smoke denotes that you're running rich, not burning oil. When oil burns, the smoke will have a blueish sometimes light greyish color. someone would have had to make a HUGE mistake to have put in more than one extra quart.... as on average most cars take 4-5 quarts and trucks tend to take a bit more.... the 4age takes between 3.5 and 3.75 to "full"... but even I have had more than that and no problems. It's actually also somewhat common to use a little more oil to help when cornering (for those that don't have sump setups).

08-20-2009, 10:53 AM	#10 (permalink)
dirocyn Cage Fighter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Murfreesboro, TN Posts: 1,177 Thanks: 14 Thanked 110 Times in 108 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	I'm having a niggling thought, something I've read about on other cars--where a gasoline seal ruptured and poured gas into the crankcase. Made it look like the oil was overfull, and very thin and runny. If your crankcase was full of gas, that could sneak past the rings or suck through the pcv very easily and cause an over-rich situation. I'd give it the sniff test--your nose should be able to tell if there's a significant amount of gasoline in there. If there is, that's not the oil change people's fault. If your crankcase is filled up to higher than the cranshaft seal, it will leak and make a mess--and probably drip whether the engine's running or not. Not sure it will really cause any permanent damage unless it's full enough to contact the rings.