Is too much oil in the crankcase a problem?
30

Asked by Deet11 Dec 25, 2022 at 04:42 PM about the 2004 Mazda MX-5 Miata LS

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

5 quarts of oil were put into my 2004 Miata.  On the dipstick, it comes up  a
bigger distance than the distance from "low" to "full."   The old oil was
drained thoroughly.

1.  Will this overfill hurt my engine?   I'm not driving it again until I find out.
2.  Is the oil pan or dipstick or something an odd shape that causes the
high dipstick reading, or does the dipstick reading mean I'm over a quart
full?
3.  How much oil is missing at the "low" dipstick mark?   Thanks!

2 Answers
311,505

Gene answered 2 years ago

If the oil is above the max full mark then it is too much oil, this can cause oil foaming and the reduces the effectiveness of the oil itself by mixing it with air. So yes it can damage the engine, it needs drained back to the full mark.

1 people found this helpful.
Mark helpful
158,635

James answered 2 years ago

Absolutely, when the oil foams the oil pump is sucking air bubbles instead of liquid oil. So the oil pressure drops to a dangerous level and will cause engine damage! Hope that helps! Jim

Mark helpful

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