Too Much Oil???

[Porscheologist]

My owners manual says that my oil level is correct if the gage is horizontal. Since my oil change the gage is at the top in the white box area. Also since my oil change my car now drips 1-3 drops of oil overnight. Can it be that they used too much oil? Would this cause a drip? I have yet to pull the dipstick and compare it with the gage reading. Has anyone else seen this problem?

[kang]

It’s common to have too much oil. I’ve done it. In fact, I think I have too much oil right now (just did a change a couple weeks ago and added a bit too much). If your gauge is pegged at the top, that’s exactly what is going on.

It’s difficult to correlate the gauge and the dipstick. It’s often said that the dipstick is more accurate, but I sure can’t get an accurate reading from it. Oil is smeared all over the place and it’s impossible to say if it is ½ way between the marks or ¾ between the marks. The gauge is equally inaccurate, as it depends highly on the temperature of the car. The good thing is that accuracy is not required. These cars can be a quart or two low with no problems. As long as you are in the right range, say half way on the gauge with the engine hot, and/or the dipstick is reading somewhere in the twisted section, you’re fine.

I don’t know how too much oil could cause drips, unless you have way, way too much. Perhaps some got spilled when it was being added, and it’s slowly making its way to the floor. Yes, I’ve done that too many times myself. Each time I do it I think “next time I add oil, I’m going to put a rag below the fill tube to catch any spills.” Problem is, next time I add oil I forget the rag. It can drip for a couple days. It also burns off and smells bad when it gets on the headers or heat exchangers.

There are a couple concerns with too much oil. One, when it gets hot and expands, it can bubble out of the fill tube and make a big mess. Two, excess oil can get sucked into the intake. Intake vacuum is applied to the oil tank to suck fumes into the intake. This is for emissions, so the fumes don’t vent to the atmosphere. If you have too much oil, liquid oil can get sucked into the intake.

A simple solution is to siphon some off. I’ve done it before, and it’s really easy. Stick a hose down the fill tube and siphon. It helps to use a clear hose, so you can see where the oil is as it comes up the tube.

In your case, I’d recommend siphoning some off. If the drips stop, there you go. If not, start searching for the leak.

You didn’t mention where the drips are coming from. Do you still have your engine tray in place? If so, remove it. Locating the drips will be impossible otherwise. It’s quite possible that they didn’t tighten an oil filter enough, and the drips are coming from there. That’s an easy fix.

[Porscheologist]

Thanks Kang for the input. Yes I removed the engine undercover some time ago. The drip comes from the front of the case and drips onto the rear sway bar then onto the floor. I need to get under there and see if I can find the source of the leak. I was hoping if it was just too much oil it would just stop. But so far a few drops every night if I drive the car. If I don't drive then no leaks. Maybe now that the car is 10 years old it's just time for it to start leaking. I hope not. I'll siphon some oil and check the filters and keep my fingers crossed.

[AFJuvat]

sounds like a oil filter or one the the oil lines that run through that area.

AFJ

[MMBRAZIL]

I keep my oil level at horizontal position or half way between low/hi on the dipstick at normal operating temp. Witch I assume is a little bellow half mark on the temp. gauge. So when the car gets warmer and the oil expands, it will not overfill.

[MMBRAZIL]

See, if you drive your car harder to take the temp higher, if it drips more oil then normal. If so, I think you have too much oil.

[stevepaa]

When I first ran my rebuilt engine to build oil pressure, I had a leak because the hose clamp on the return tube on the forward right side was not tight enough. But the oil dripped onto the right side hot air risers. Yours sounds even more forward. Is it in the middle of the car or off to one side?

[Porscheologist]

The oil leak is in the very middle of the front forward engine case. I checked the dipstick and its at the very top of the swirled section. This agrees with the oil level gauge. I haven't had time to get under there with a flash light yet (maybe later today?) I was hoping the oil change was the cause as this car has no record (including previous PPIs) of any oil leak and mechanics have even commented on how dry the car is underneath. I was hoping someone could tell me if there is any connection to an overfilled condition and a leak or if its just coincidenc.

[kang]

Originally posted by Porscheologist
The oil leak is in the very middle of the front forward engine case. I checked the dipstick and its at the very top of the swirled section. This agrees with the oil level gauge. I haven't had time to get under there with a flash light yet (maybe later today?) I was hoping the oil change was the cause as this car has no record (including previous PPIs) of any oil leak and mechanics have even commented on how dry the car is underneath. I was hoping someone could tell me if there is any connection to an overfilled condition and a leak or if its just coincidenc.

If it were leaking somewhere near the oil tank or the oil fill tube, I’d say the overfill could have been the cause of the leak. From your description of where the leak is, it’s entirely possible that the engine oil filter is not tight and it’s dripping a bit. Also, there is an oil line near that filter that is sometimes removed to provide access to the filter (it’s not necessary to remove this line if you have the right filter wrench). If this were removed and not replaced correctly or tight enough, it could be leaking too.