Engine Oil Overfill

[SPICER]

To make a long story short, my Duramax engine was delivered to me with the crankcase Overfilled by 5 quarts. Should have 10, drained 15. The oil is being tested for diesel contamination, but I'm sure this is not the case since there has been no signs of increased level in over 2000 miles(since first oil change). The dealer is trying to figure out who and where and why. Yes, I did check the dipstick when it was new, but I assumed the oil on the cable was from the dipstick tube, not from a gross overfill! As I recall, the dipstick read abour 1 1/4 inches above the full mark.
The truck seems to run great, and I have spoken to a couple of highly respected contributors and experts(John Kennedy and George Morrison), and they feel that it is unlikely that any permanant damage was done. I trust their advice, but I was wondering if anyone has had any similar experiences. Please Share! SPICER

[a64pilot]

Never heard of it before, My truck was delievered slightly underfilled on the tranny and rear end.
I agree with JK, if it wasn't blowing oil out the breather tube it probably wasn't foaming up and therefore didn't hurt anything.

[KGS]

Spicer,

Just went through the same thing a few weeks ago. The dealer overfilled mine by three quarts. Couldn't beleive my 15 qt. oil catch was almost full, till I poured it into one gal. containers. Mine was a used truck and the dealer did the usual "inspections"(new oil and filter). I let the dealer(service dept.) know and they didn't see how this was possible, their guy "has been doing this for years and knows oil pan capacities". Let the salesman know also. So far no problems, I also let my regular repair dealer know of the incident, just "to cover my bases".
I only drove 3k miles on that oil change.
We'll see???

Kurt

[WillowCreekStable]

I was way over on my last oil change (by my standards anyway) and didn't have time to do it myself or get to a dealer. Had a quick lube place do it. Watched them fill the engine and check the level. So I didn't check it myself. I know, I can hear you all groaning. Anyway, drove about 1000 miles way overfilled. When I did check it it was at least an inch and a half over full on the dip stick. Dropped the oil immediately, no apparent damage.
:eek:
Live and learn.

[SPICER]

a64pilot,
Thanks for the reply. Ironically, the breather tube did relieve itself all over the dealers lot. When I took delivery I did the customary inspection. Everything looked great except a small puddle of oil(fresh) under the passengers side front steering linkage. I asked for the mechanic to check it out. They put it up on the lift and showed me that it came from a breather tube(crankcase breather). They said the breather was supposed to do that! First Diesel, dumb and green! The dipstick reading was so ambiguous that I took their word for it. I am sure the deealership overfilled it for a couple of reasons...(1) they have only sold a couple of Duramax's and probably looked at the dipstick and thought it was dry. (2) This was a dealer trade from 80 miles away. That drive would have purged any factory overfill. I was furious when I changed my oil. I deliberately began with an empty pan so that I would be sure of the original fill volume. I wrote a letter insisting on an explanation and a guarantee that they would cover any future problems that could be linked to an overfill in the past.
Their reply was "We can't be responsible, we didn't change your oil!" But I then got them to admit that had they changed the oil, 20 qts. could have drained into their 55 gal. drum and nobody would have known! They are testing the oil for diesel/coolant contamination but I'm sure it was overfilled given the puddle, etc...
Will post their solution when it happens.
SPICER

[a64pilot]

Spicer,
To my knowledge the damage potential from overfilling comes from the oil level being high enough for the crankshaft to be spinning in oil. The crank can beat the oil into a foam thereby raising the level even higher. Of course oil foam does not lubricate as well as liquid oil. In a PCV equipped eng. this excess level may be routed into the intake and cause the eng. to smoke. Our engines have a breather tube not PCV so the excess oil would be routed to the ground out the breather tube. How we passed emissons without PCV I don't know.
IMHO the eng. is probably not hurt, the DMAX has plenty of excess oil pressure, but I would keep documentation of this in case you have an oil lubrication type failure in the future.
Be pleased that your dealer is checking on fuel contamination in the oil, it sounds like they may have a knowledgeable and concientious service Dept.

[Raptorrider2001]

Over filled with oil on a gas engine one time and it blew out the crank seals. Made a big mess. :(

[AlanL]

I once had my race car more than double filled...
it takes 7 quarts, but I put in one extra because of sloshing that takes place in high speed sweeping turns.

The mechanic had changed the filter (which is a top of the engine cartridge type) before lunch. WHen he came back from lunch, he poured in the fresh oil...all 8 quarts of it. When I picked it up, it felt low on power and the oil temp went up very quickly.

I drove to work, back home that night and to work again the next day. I then called the place and talked to the owner about the strange symptoms. The owner figured it out and said "Don't drive it any more!". He actually came to where I work and changed it again right there in the parking lot. He was very embarrased and it wasn't even him who screwed it up...it was one of his employees (who is actually a very good tech).

I've beat the snot out of it since then and had no problems at all.

-Al

[SPICER]

Here is the conclusion to my experience....I talked to the dealer yesterday and the paperwork will be complete today. They found no diesel fuel in my oil sample. The only conclusion is that the engine was overfilled by 5 qts. with engine oil. The vehicle was delivered to me overfilled.

My original letter to the dealer demanded that I have written documentation from the engine manufacturer stating that 5 qts. overfill for 2700 miles will not cause problems, or, written documentation from the dealer stating that they will be fully responsible for any future repairs that could be attributed to an overfill of oil in the past.

The dealer won't say that it was their fault. They claim that they did not change the oil and therefore must take my word for it that the oil I show them ALL came from my crankcase. As we all know this is a CATCH22 since they NEVER measure the quantity of drained oil when doing oil changes. The compromise is this..... our warranty includes a $100 deductible after 3yr/36,000. They have agreed in writing to waive the deductible if the repair can be attributed to a previous overfill issue.

I guess I didn't expect the world. I have learned a TON from this experience though. For one, our dipsticks suck. I found thedieselpage BECAUSE of the overfill issue. Had it not been for the overfill I never would have found this www wealth of information. I guess I am an optimist and am thankful that some moron overfilled my engine so that I could find thedieselpage! Peace! SPICER smile.gif

[woundedbear]

SPICER,

Glad to hear that there was no diesel in your crankcase. Did you have a complete spectrochemical analysis done in addition to fuel and coolant in oil test? It would be interesting to know if levels of other contaminants/metals/additives were within normal ranges.

BTW, did you purchase your vehicle in the Milwaukee area? If so, where?

[SWLA]

Several years ago, a local quick-lube type place put 20 quarts of Mobil 1 in my 97 Z71 with a 5 quart crankcase. They claimed the oil gun that meters how much they put in malfunctioned. Only drove the truck about 2 miles, straight to the dealership. Sounded like it was going to fall apart, had thick black smoke coming out the back. This happened at ~18,000 miles. Traded the truck in for my Dmax at ~100,000 miles with absolutely no engine problems at all. I would think the truck should be just fine.

[SPICER]

woundedbear, now there is a Wisconsin name! I bought my truck at Newman Chevrolet in Cedarburg. I think mine was the 2nd Duramax they sold and it is a 2003! Small dealership but personable service staff.

They did not do a full spectro-analysis of the oil. They were only concerned with contaminants that could cause the overfill. I did call George Morrison and asked him if it would be worth my while to do a full analysis to look for high levels of wear metals. He said that because this was the original oil it would be very high in all the wear metals no matter what, and the results would be inconclusive. I guess there is no "standard level of contaminants" for initial drain oil.

SWLA, that is a lot of overfill! I've been told that overfill in a gasser is worse. It was smoking because all that extra oil was being routed via pcv to your intake. You were burning it off in the engine! Thanks for your stories! SPICER