You could damage your engine, crankshaft, and spark plugs when you put too much oil in your car. That’s why it’s important to know when your engine has too much oil and how to remove the excess.

Adding too much oil to your vehicle can lead to serious and expensive engine damage.
To keep your engine oil at the right level, check your owner’s manual for your engine oil capacity and use your dipstick to check its level in real time.

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Can you put too much oil in your car?

You can certainly overfill your car with oil. The amount of oil a vehicle needs will vary depending on the manufacturer and engine size—larger engines require more oil than smaller engines.

You can check your owner’s manual to find out how much oil your car needs and avoid putting too much oil in your car.

Look for the engine oil capacity—that’s the number of quarts of oil it takes to fill your engine. Don’t confuse the oil capacity with your engine’s displacement or the size of the cylinders.

Key Takeaway Make sure you adhere to the manufacturer's recommended amount of oil or you’ll risk engine damage.

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Dangers of putting too much oil in your engine

Your car engine is comprised of hundreds of intricate moving parts that require just the right amount of oil to run smoothly. When you put too much oil in your engine, several problems can occur, including:

Foamy oil: If overfilled, the oil pan levels will rise and the crankshaft will aerate the oil creating a foamy froth that does not properly lubricate the engine.

High oil pressure: Extra oil causes pressure to build up inside your engine and if it can’t escape through the gaskets, you risk springing an oil leak.

Too much pressure on crankshaft: Your crankshaft head and tails prevent leaking, but when there’s too much engine oil, pressure is applied to this important engine part, which can cause leaks. If this leak occurs close to the flywheel, the oil leak can even damage the clutch.

Crankshaft friction: The crankshaft can become coated in oil which actually causes more friction and resistance. This will damage your crankshaft.

Spark plug fouling: If excess oil is not burned in the combustion chamber, it will find its way into the spark plugs and they’ll need to be replaced.

Clogged catalytic converter: The catalytic converter is responsible for filtering contaminants from the exhaust and burning extra oil can cause it to clog.

Engine wear and tear: An oil overfill can result in improper oil pressure in your engine, which means that your engine parts won’t be lubricated properly, causing wear and tear on your engine parts.

Excess oil can result in poor lubrication, causing damage to your engine parts and necessitating costly repairs if left unchecked.

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How to know if your engine has too much oil

Recognizing the signs when your engine has too much oil can help you catch the problem before it can cause any serious damage.

The easiest way to know if you overfilled your engine is by checking the oil levels with the dipstick. If the excess oil is sitting 1-2 millimeters above the fill line, there is no cause for concern. However, if there is more than a quart of excess oil, your vehicle has too much.

Your owner’s manual can clarify the markings on your dipstick so you can get a proper reading.

Here are some other common indicators of an overfilled engine:

Strong oil smell can be an indicator of leaks

Illuminated oil pressure light on your dashboard

Engine overheating

Pistons misfire often

Visible oil leaks

White smoke coming from the exhaust

Gray or blue smoke coming from hood

If you notice any of the above signs, you may have added too much oil to your engine and you’ll need to remove the excess oil sooner to prevent damage.

How to get rid of excess oil in your engine

The good news is that you just need to remove the excess oil to fix an overfilling issue! There are two ways you can get rid of the excess oil in your engine: draining or siphoning it.

Here’s how to drain the excess oil from your engine:

Raise your vehicle on car jacks

Locate and remove oil cap

Get under your car to remove the oil drain bolt and washer

Drain the oil into the drain pan

Insert the drain plug

If you don’t have car jacks, you can follow these steps to siphon the excess oil through the dipstick tube:

Remove the dipstick and set aside

Feed 1/4” vinyl tubing down the dipstick tube hole

Suck out the air from the tubing

Let the excess oil flow out of the engine into a bucket

Both methods will get rid of the excess oil in your engine effectively. Whichever route you choose, you’ll need to check your oil levels with the dipstick afterward. If the oil levels are still too high, continue to drain the excess oil. If you drained too much, refill your engine to maximum levels.

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FAQs

What happens if I put too much oil in my engine?

Putting too much oil in your engine can result in costly damages to your engine parts, including the crankshaft, crankcase, spark plugs, and catalytic converter.

How much oil is too much on a dipstick?

If the excess oil is sitting 1-2 millimeters above the fill line, there is no cause for concern. If there is half a quart or more, that’s too much oil on the dipstick. Your dipstick will likely have a marker indicating an overfill level. Check your owner’s manual to learn more about checking your oil level with your dipstick.

What happens if I put too much oil in my engine?

Putting too much oil in your engine can result in costly damages to your engine parts including the crankshaft, crankcase, spark plugs, and catalytic converter.

How much oil is too much on a dipstick?

If there is half a quart or more that’s too much oil on the dipstick.

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