An oil change is a preventative maintenance item that usually takes place several times throughout the year, depending on how often you drive, whether you change the oil or it's a professional technician. Sometimes errors may occur that lead to pumping an excessive amount of oil into the car. You may wonder what happens if you increase the amount of oil in the car? In the following, you may find the answer to your question.
What happens if you increase the amount of oil in the car?
Car oil tanks are designed to hold a little extra oil, to compensate for oil expansion in warm conditions, and to help prevent damage to the engine if excess oil is added to it, as a result of which too much oil can damage the engine.
When a lot of oil is poured into the tank, more of it can be pulled towards the crankshaft as it rotates, which leads to the mixing of the oil with the air, so that the foam appears, causing a drop in oil pressure because the oil pump is unable to continue pumping the oil effectively.
Can an excess of oil cause engine damage?
Yes, there are many things that may happen if a large amount of oil is added to the engine of the car.
It is well known that the engine depends on constant oil pressure to keep its parts moving smoothly, so changes in the oil pressure and the overall lubrication of the engine can lead to:
- Damage to engine parts such as bending of its rods and collapse of valve tubes.
- Catastrophic engine failure where the engine sustains irreparable damage.
- The excessive engine wears due to inconsistent oil pressure over time.
- The need to replace spark plugs frequently because the oil prevents the spark from coming out.
- Excess oil deposits.
That is why you must be careful not to add too much oil to your car's engine, as this can cause a variety of problems, but if there is already an excessive amount of oil in the tank, what should you do?
What should you do if there is already an excessive amount of oil?
The most important thing to do when your car is filling up with oil is to get the excess oil out of the tank before driving the car again.
You may not immediately realize that your car is too full of oil, so it is best to check the oil dipstick after changing the oil at the mechanic.
- Symptoms of excess engine oil
- Oil leakage from your car.
- The smell of burning engine oil.
- Smoke coming out of the engine compartment.
- Smoke or black exhaust.
- Unusual noises coming from the engine.
These symptoms can overlap with other engine problems, so it's a good idea to visit a mechanic if you notice any of these symptoms.
If the oil level on the dipstick is an inch or more above the recommended level, your vehicle has been filled with an excessive amount of oil and should not be started again until the excess oil has drained from it, otherwise, you could cause serious damage to your engine.