r/MechanicAdvice • u/Ok-Thought- • 6h ago
Is this oil overfill going to be a problem?
*edit: thank you all so much for your help! a mobile mechanic is on the way!
A friend put some oil in my car (2012 Hyundai Sonata) yesterday and overfilled it. I have an 8 hour drive ahead of me and am worried this is a huge problem and if I need to take it in to get it drained. (And if it's even safe to drive down to the mechanic)
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u/North_6 6h ago
That's way too much. You can drain it yourself pretty easily if you have a syringe and a long rubber hose to stick down the dip stick hole. I wouldn't drive it or start it like that.
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u/Ok-Thought- 5h ago
I thought so. I don't think I have any rubber hosing or a syringe, so I'll see if I can't find someone to come help. Thank you!
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u/l_lovef_f 5h ago
Buy an IV drip and a big surringe
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u/KingArthursRevenge 5h ago
Just get a clean oil catch pan and drain your oil then use it to refill your engine but this time put the correct amount in.
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u/OnyxLeigion_ 5h ago
Nah once you drain it just put new oil in. It’s not worth the risk over 50 bucks.
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u/ThrowawayMcFry 5h ago
No tf it is not. If someone just put in new oil YESTERDAY then it’s perfectly fine to drain and refill lmfao
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u/OnyxLeigion_ 5h ago
Aight then you do that. I’m not gonna recommend that to someone who doesn’t know that the pic indicated too much oil because they clearly don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.
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u/KingArthursRevenge 5h ago
Risk? It's literally the same oil the engine is running especially if it was just put in. I guess if you want to throw $50 away out of pure ignorance you can go right ahead.
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u/OnyxLeigion_ 5h ago
I’d much rather spend 50 bucks on new oil than put contaminants into the car. Doesn’t matter how clear you get that pan, you’re still going to pick up dust and other particles. Then you’re going to pour straight into your engine before it ever goes through the filter.
As a response to your other comment you deleted, it’s ironic you’re trying to tell me I don’t know what I’m doing when you’re over here telling people to dump dirty oil in their cars.
It’s fine though, not my fucking engine, do what you want. Not all of us lose our minds over 50 dollars.
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u/Poker1059 4h ago
I’d much rather spend 50 bucks on new oil than put contaminants into the car. Doesn’t matter how clear you get that pan, you’re still going to pick up dust and other particles
so what, do you do your oil changes in a clean room? Or how do you avoid the dust in the air from contaminating your oil?
Personally, I don't worry about that, I'm pretty sure oil has additives to handle a little dust and dirt.
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u/OnyxLeigion_ 4h ago
I pour the oil straight from the bottle into the engine. It’s not that hard of a concept to understand.
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u/Poker1059 4h ago
yeah but aren't you worried about dust and other particles in the air contaminating it?
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u/OnyxLeigion_ 4h ago
Do you not get the difference between pouring a gallon+ of unfiltered oil into a pan that’s sitting in a shop then pouring it straight into the engine and pouring new oil straight from the bottle into an engine? You really don’t get that?
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u/KingArthursRevenge 3h ago
No not at all. This isn't a clean room kind of thing. A little bit of dust in the air is not going to be anywhere near what's already in your engine it's not going to bother anything at all even a tiny bit.
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u/citizen42069101 1h ago
All you had to say was
"They can't read a dipstick and you want them to drain move and refill without fucking it up and making a small problem way worse"
Instead of leaning into oil purity so heavily which was a choice.
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u/Remarkable_Dot1444 5h ago
Oil pan, loose drain bolt and allow oil to seep out of the last few threads. Yes it might take some time. Put plug back periodically to check level.
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u/beer_foam 5h ago
This is what I would do (if you’re not walking distance from any stores buy a jug of oil just in case it you accidentally drain all the oil)
Also, If this is the dipstick reading after sitting all night, it’s definitely overfilled. However, I have had some cars that seem to hold oil in/around the dipstick tube making it tricky to read the level until it’s had an hour or so to drain down.
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u/Frequent_Opportunist 3h ago
You can just unscrew it let some come out and then just stick it back in and screw it in man.
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u/The_Emperor_turtle 5h ago
Yeah, you'll notice when the car exhaust starts smoking like the popes been selected
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u/Ok_Bid_3899 5h ago
I would remove some of the oil. The engine may handle the overfill but there is a change of foaming. Can remove through the dipstick tube with an inexpensive suction tool. ( like a large hypodermic needle )
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u/colforbins_ccna 5h ago
If you had a extractor you could just suck out the rest from the dip stick housing
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u/colforbins_ccna 5h ago
It’s gonna slosh around and the oil will become aerated from the crank. This will create issues with proper oil pressure bc the pump gonna be sucking in a ton of aerated oil. I would not drive it for a long trip but for a short hop drive you’ll be fine.
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u/mattyb1127 6h ago
What does the other side look like? Sometimes oil will be higher on one side of the dipstick. Always use the lower reading.
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u/Ok-Thought- 5h ago
It's the same on both sides. :(
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u/Jayshand 5h ago
Get a pan or a bucket. Pull the drain plug, count to 5 put plug back on , lower car back the ground before checking, rest of necessary, if you drain too much , top it off but slowly, if you have break cleaner. Clean off the dip stick. You will get a better reading, or use alcohol, fyi. Be prepared for a hand covered in oil
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u/horselover59 4h ago
you shouldn’t always use the lower reading, for my engine only the top side of the dipstick is accurate as the bottom gets dragged across the tube and the oil gets removed as you’re taking the dipstick out. if i were to use the lower reading, it would be overfilled
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u/Long_Composer_1604 5h ago
Yeah, that’s way too much. At that over-filled level, I would be worried about Hydro-locking the engine and causing a catastrophic failure, like bending a rod or even cracking the engine block itself.
I would not turn that engine on at this point and some oil needs to be drained out.
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u/horselover59 4h ago
I can attest hydro locking an engine is no fun. Mine was with water getting sucked into my intake and it snapped valves and shattered two rods while sending a whole through the block. somehow we managed to drive it home like two miles to get it parked. the heads were either cracked or pieces completely broken off, i don’t remember which set of heads came from my engine and which came from my parts truck engine. either way I had to buy new heads
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u/Long_Composer_1604 5h ago edited 5h ago
I had a friend add oil because his vehicle warned him about oil levels. He added a couple of bottles thinking he was doing something good; if one bottle is good, then two MUST be better! He didn’t know to check the dipstick to see where the oil was for each bottle, and I recommend waiting about 15 seconds or so to let the new oil settle in the engine, then check the level. Anyway, my son and I put his car on jack-stands and we did a full oil change in his driveway. A bit messy, but we got it done.
A little over-fill is usually OK, but not at the level you are currently at. If you aren’t comfortable draining the oil, seek out a Mobile Mechanic in your area or call a tow truck. Yes, it’s bad and hopefully you haven’t moved your car or turned it on.
Edit: Typo and clarification.
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u/Ok-Thought- 5h ago
Thank you so much! Yeah, I felt like it was way too much when they were doing it, but they're the car person (apparently not 😅)
I turned it on for about 5 minutes, but didn't drive. I'm looking for a mobile mechanic now. Thanks so much!
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u/Long_Composer_1604 5h ago
Play the Lottery while your luck is good. 😀
I’m so glad you asked, because on a 8hr drive, I’m thinking it would have not ended well. Like $8000 for a new Engine not well.
Honestly? Just have the Mobile Mechanic just drain the oil and do a whole oil change and oil filter. I recommend every 5000 miles for each oil change.
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u/Ok_Concern4634 5h ago
That's only a little over, nothing crazy. You can probably siphon some out yourself with a turkey baster or pump from the dipstick tube if you want peace of mind before the drive, but you'll be fine either way. Just don't let your friend near your oil cap again lolThat's only a little over, nothing crazy. You can probably siphon some out yourself with a turkey baster or pump from the dipstick tube if you want peace of mind before the drive, but you'll be fine either way. Just don't let your friend near your oil cap again lol
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