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flyingCoyote
Samba Member
Joined: January 14, 2006
Posts: 514
Location: Burp Hollow, OR
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 Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 5:36 pm Post subject: Overfilled oil = leaking oil....worry or not? |
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I checked my oil the other night and it was a bit low, but in the dark I ended up putting in a lot more than I needed.
Now she's leaving a nice puddle...
could overfilling have harmed something, or is it just normal for the excess to find a way out?
is it worth trying to remove some of the overage through the filler tube?
85 GL with stock 1.9, 156k and no known rebuilds.
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1985 Vanagon GL / homebrew camper (daily driver)
1974 Super Beetle (Wife's daily driver) |
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pocvw
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Joined: November 08, 2004
Posts: 338
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| Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 5:40 pm Post subject: |
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I have heard that if you overfill it that the pressure could/will cause problems. Blowing gaskets maybe?
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1980 VW Westfalia |
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SlowLane
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Joined: July 11, 2005
Posts: 1044
Location: Livermore, CA
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| Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 5:53 pm Post subject: Re: Overfilled oil = leaking oil....worry or not? |
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| flyingCoyote wrote: |
| is it worth trying to remove some of the overage through the filler tube? |
Yes. Or the dipstick tube, if you have a suction device.
Mostly I've heard hearsay about the dangers of overfilling, but consider the effects of having the oil level so high that it blocks off the drains built into the case, or having the camshaft thrashing around in the oil (I'm guessing you'd end up with a lot of oily froth).
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Present:
'81 Westfalia: 2L, manual. Originally Canadian, now Californiated
Back in the day:
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Dogpilot
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Joined: October 03, 2005
Posts: 4205
Location: Flagstaff, AZ
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| Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 9:08 am Post subject: |
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If you really overfill it, the engine will suck it out via the crankcase breather into the throttle body valve. You end up producing a LOT of white smoke. If you mix in some DDT you can get work as a neighborhood fogger.
I did the same thing at night in Texas. I started up down the road out of LaGrange in the morning. Everybody was passing me and giving me that damm hippy look as they roared by in their pickups. Then I happend to notice that I was causing a major traffic and breathing hazzard. I pulled over and checked my oil, yeah high. If you do not seat the dipstick all the way, it is easy to do.
I cleared up after 10 miles or so.
Cheers,
James
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flyingCoyote
Samba Member
Joined: January 14, 2006
Posts: 514
Location: Burp Hollow, OR
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| Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 5:02 pm Post subject: |
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I ended up doing an oil change, even though the P.O. just had one at a quickie lube in Jan.
It's still dripping a bit. I'm afraid I might have damaged a gasket somewhere, but I didn't need to add anything on a 300 mile weekend trip so it's not that bad...yet.
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