The level of anxiety i go through when overfilling my engine just a little over the max level, thinking it's gonna explode any moment, this guy is a hero
Engine companys always have and extra space for this cases. The max level its below the real max till start to make foam at oil. Try to keep between those levels but it you fill it too much, doesnt matter. If its toooooo much, a syringe of the biggers ones and a flexible pipe that fits the tip of the syringe and you got it, without draining with the drain plug.
Alshimer Joe thanking for his support. The furthest leaning leftists I know won’t vote for him. The worst president the country has ever had. Asking for support, the balls, or just lack of cognitive function. Sad really, but he was always a piece of trash. When some magical event like death happens by October you know it was planned.
I've always ran 5 quarts in my 4.5 quart motor, at first it was because I didn't know. Now I just refuse to leave half a quart in a 5 quart bottle. My car at least does not care, hasn't cared for the last 40k miles. Because windage tray
Just remember this is a very simple , old school engine. Newer engines have more going on in them with smaller tolerances, so it would be still inadvisable to overfill any modern engine
😄 I was driving my Landrover home from Genova to Zurich once like driving on raw eggs because I overfilled it a fifth of an inch and could not release the drain screw on the road. Man man man - that video really makes that look rediculous.
For those who are looking for a problem and not seeing it, the problem is the foaming. As the oil level rises, the oil foams more violently, and this introduces air pockets to bearing surfaces inside the engine. On top of that, aerating the oil pump lowers functional oil pressure by introducing compressible air into otherwise non-compressible fluid, and makes it harder for the pump to maintain a prime while operating.
@karlwithak. the problem is the top end sizes. This is a well known way to "accidentally" blow someone's engine up. You over fill the fuck out of their motor.
decades of conversations with professional mechanics, smart backyard mechanics, and me, who regularly works on my cars and friends' cars, and i've never been given a straight or consistent answer. i've always enjoyed this channel, but that was fucking fantastic. cheers, from me in Alaska to you in Siberia!
I went to UAF in Fairbanks. A friend and I experimented by putting different grades and types of oil outside overnight in the winter. The synthetic oil was the only one that went totally frozen. However, it was still very viscous.
few points to keep in mind here. first of all that oil pan is molded from the outside making it bigger than the original. this is an old lada engine, nowhere near the tolerances of modern stuff. it is only running for a few minutes in these conditions. it is not moving around like a vehicle going up/downhill. and they are filling it up even after it is beyond critical levels for normal operation. in my career i have seen a few vehicles towed into the shop due to double filled oil. one because the lube tech drained the transmission on a subaru thinking it was the engine and didn't check the dipstick after filling the engine with more oil. that car made it about a mile before it started bucking like a horse and pouring smoke and oil out of the exhaust. another one was because a chevy trax owner thought the oil life % on the instrument cluster measured the oil level, and put 4 more quarts into the engine when it reached 5% and dinged at them. that one was just pouring a bunch of smoke and oil out of the exhaust. besides that i have seen some vehicles shoot the dipstick out, spray oil onto the exhaust manifold, and clogging the catalytic converters just from being a quart or two over.
I was in Atlanta 25 years ago at the Lenox Mall and a lady parked next to us couldn't get her car started. I offered to have a look and raised the hood to check around. It sounded weird when cranking. I removed the oil fill cap and oil started to run out from the engine. The lady said her son had filled it to the top like he does with his push lawn mower. Can't imagine how many quarts (or gallons) the son put in the engine. I hadn't thought about this in a long time until now watching your video. Thanks for creating this visual example. Cheers!
Back in the 80’s when me and my mates started driving I dropped round my mates house, he had the bonnet of his Vauxhall Chevette open and was staring into the engine bay. By his feet were 3 5 litre Duckhams oil tins, he had already poured 10 litres of oil and was starting on the 3rd tin!!! Seems he was waiting until it reached ‘the top’ and then he’d know it was full!!! He wasn’t the brightest of my mates! I drained it out for him and introduced him to the dipstick!
I almost did the same on my mom's car. Luckily her boyfriend stopped me before hand. Growing up without a father is horrible for the kids, and I unfortunately lived it.
Haha I forgot to put the oil plug back on when I did my first oil change - my gf saw it come out as she was sitting on some steps and watcheed a good third of it pour out.
@@sbfguy7793 Hey man, I grew up without a father and with the help if internet, I can do more on a car and other things than most people. And thanks to my grandpa as well.
@@sbfguy7793 I feel sorry for you mate. Luckily I had, and ofc still have my father, and taught me many things... He is still my best friend ❤ wish you the best. Also when you make kids, just be there for them, every fucking day. Be blessed brother.
Exactly my thought. When oil has a lot of air in it the pressure drops. I keep my diesel with a extra 2-3qts in it because it leaks rly bad. I check it every day, & like the buffer.
@@michaelbenoit248 So is your overfill exactly what was the first demonstration... the difference between the high and low oil marks on the dipstick added as the buffer? So no harm?
@@JohnSmith-pl2bk , on an engine that big an extra 2-3qts won’t do much because it’s a Diesel that holds a lot of oil and pre-emissions so it won’t mess up the CCF or other stuff. Truck runs like a top. Anything more than 4qts is bad for it. I’ve fed oil to smaller gas engines to where it’s smoking blue. Modern engines won’t tolerate it. Only to full mark because of exhaust treatment stuff. Old school stuff it’s less sensitive.
@@michaelbenoit248 Just because it is a diesel does not mean it is big by default. I own a car with 1.25liter diesel engine which needs only 3.2liter (3.4quarts) oil. Adding 3 more qts is 80% overfill! Normally mechanics put 3.5liter oil as 3.5l is a standard oil can size in market and engines do burn oil over time anyways. I add another 0.3liter additives after I bring it home! That would make it 20% overfill and I was always having a question on safe overfill limit
@@shrujanamsyama9940 My diesel's min fill line is 15 US quarts with a max capacity to full at 17.5 quarts, I put in 18 quarts. Also has a windage tray and still sits 2 inches below block from tray. It also has a lower end brace. I could add another 5 quarts before it hits the crank counter balances.
A clear oil pan and a cutaway in the block? Brilliant! I've never seen this in a functioning engine. Thank you. I was so concerned once when I added oil past the upper level limit on the dip stick that I siphoned the excess out. Now I realize that I need not have worried.
I didnt expect this in my recommendation feed as I'm nearly clueless as a mechanic, but as a scientist, as a car owner and just overall curious person, that was really great! I always enjoy looking at the "inside of things" and it's fantastic that we can now make transparent engines to make demonstrations like this one. Super job from you guys, although you made me anxious near the end with that crazy amount of oil LOL 😂
I am amazed that he still stood near that revved engine when it was filled with oil to well beyond the merely ridiculous point!! Con rods, their caps, or even pistons HURT, ALOT when thrown through the block!! 😉😱
2 things happen. 1. power is reduced due to the crank hitting the oil and picking it up. This is the reason race engines use dry sump systems or windage trays and scrapers. 2. The foaming action of the oil is increased not allowing air to dissipate out of the oil causing cavitation around the oil pump pick up tube, thus reducing oil pressure because of air in the system which reduces the film of oil on the bearings and causing extern wear. Garage 54 is what hot-rodding in the US use to be! Great and fun channel.
Wonder what would happen if engine totally drained again then refilled to normal level, would engine be fine again...? (after also replacing blown gaskets and such, of course). I wonder...
@@gregpohl412 If the engine doesn't get too badly-beaten and the main gaskets don't rupture something, and if the piston rings don't get damaged from playing oil-wall-pump or whatever...yeah, when you return it to normal oil levels, any excess should find its way out of the system over time and it should GENERALLY be okay. Turbos could suffer terribly from foamed oil, as could the motor if it gets pushed to high loads/high RPM with the overfilled oil, but by and large if you don't run it for too long and don't have it explode out of something, it SHOULD mostly be okay. It might sneak into the pistons though, maybe they might need cleaned out, or the spark plugs might want to be washed/replaced, dunno. Mostly it should be fine if it didn't get pushed TOO hard before it was corrected. Put in FIVE times the oil, or fill it to where the pistons can't keep oil out and you could 'hydro-lock' the engine with the excess oil, and THAT would be terri-bad for the motor. They don't like 'stopping when one piston runs into the wall called "Oil can't be compressed" and stops the motor mid-rotation. It's like stopping it by dropping a bolt into the piston. CLONK, just using oil as the bolt.
Hi, i just got my license last year and am completely new to cars. I owe a 2004 ram pickup truck and am trying to expand my knowledge in the universe of vehicle maintenance, but it can be hard to make sense of at times. Can you explain this in a way so a dummy could understand?
I was always afraid of the fact, when I pour in oil more than required at times and remained uneasy while driving ... But I must thank you for putting me at ease regarding pouring "bit" more than required ..... Thank you Man ..
HOw is it a hard question? You'll blow seals and gaskets due to the extra volume in the engine taken by excess oil and a smaller pressurization area. If you consider that a hard question, I sincerely hope you're in grade 5 :P (Edit - wow so many simps didn't get educated properly and cope by calling me a nerd and/or a smartass - Keep watching G54 and taking it seriously).
@@the_kombinatormechanic here. bro chill out, you will be surprised to know how many people don’t know a thing about cars let alone knowing about seals in an engine 😂 and I don’t blame them so it maybe a hard question to many
@@the_kombinatorAh yes, because everyone on this planet knows exactly how a engine works or is in grade 5. I totally forgot. Dudes like you are super suspect, do you know the anatomy of an Whale? No? Oh you gotta be in grade 3! What a senseless bs
Another 5L might make your engine run away if it's a diesel. What they haven't tested is getting that oil hot enough to produce oil vapour that goes into the intake (they stuck the breather into a bucket).
A buddy of mine had a Trailblazer with a 5.3 V8 engine. Those engines are notorious for the O-ring going bad at the top of the pick-up tube. It happens to be at the front of the engine, so during acceleration or on an incline, oil pressure would drop, since oil moves backward in those situations. We put a scanner on there that told us the realtime oil pressure in psi, then we jacked the front of the car up until pressure started to drop. We added an additional quart of oil to get the pressure back to normal, then we jacked it up some more until it dropped again. We added a second extra quart, then jacked it up again, and this time it was high enough that we didn't think the car would ever get on an incline that steep. We added the third extra quart to get the pressure back to normal. After that, we simply added the 3 additional quarts at every oil change. That was a long term test of about 70k miles for a total of 230k on the vehicle when he finally sold it. As long as that O-ring was submerged, it couldn't draw any air and the pressure stayed normal. That was only 3 quarts over full, and it was a bigger engine so I never expected any adverse effects. We could have dropped the front axle, pulled the pan and replaced that O-ring, but to add 3 quarts and get the exact same result just made sense. Apologies to all the OCD mechanics out there scoffing at the "rigged" fix, lol.
Thank you so much but, I had bought a new high flow oil point for my girl, 5.3 sierra, and I get 0 oil pressure on my mechanical reader garage I installed from napa haaha. If I Rev it wil go up and read a bit, but only read on idle when cold. The nw pump comes with that o ring, but seeing that I can do your trick, and how rotted my frame got from sitting I don't thing the pump jobs worth it now if I can just add a few quarts! Thanks a million!
A colleague of mine in University 20 years ago drove a trailblazer that died on lack of lubricant, guess this and the video content would have been exactly what could have saved his car…
@@lollipop84858 You'd really think a normal engine builder would actually go through with the crazy things this guy has done? He's doing it for RU-vid views, I did it to get paid by my customers. You think any customer would want their engine built with the crankshaft throws completely cut off, just to see what would happen? No sane machinist would endorse doing that.
@@canampilot9248 hey man. To me the Garage54 team is definitely not what I'd call "other people", as I know these people personally (I've met with them in person and continuously stay in touch with them), and I'm part of their team at this point, translating their shenanigans for a broader audience that doesn't speak Russian.
This is why some people are more visual learners than text n books. I learned so much even though I had a basic understanding of how oil works. Thank you sir.
Yup. Big visual learner. I can retain AND recall the information better if It is shown to me while you are describing it. I can manage without visual cues but it’s harder for me to pick up information once the topic becomes more and more complex. Watching this was like finally picking out that stubborn booger in my nose. Feels great 😆
There's only so much you can learn by witnessing it yourself. At some point you have to fast track your learning by learning through others experience and following their knowledge in print
Unbelievable how reliable these engines are. This is great to know, sometimes we go a little overboard in the dipstick and it's good to know it is not quite that big of a deal
I just got back from changing the oil in my sister- in- laws 3.3 Nissan and put in 4 quarts out of the 5 quart jug she bought. Then I found for the first time in history a crankcase that held less than 1 gallon of oil. Almost every V8 I ever dealt with held 4 quarts, my little Ford Ranger 4 cylinders hold 5 quarts, but this big Nissan V6 is only supposed to have 3.5 quarts. So is the extra half quart going to cause the oil whipping up a frenzy? According to this video probably not. I would have to go over a couple whole quarts to even get close.
@@michaelszczys8316 Nissans seem to usually hold less oil than many of the other brands of cars for some reason, I don't know the reason why as I am not an engineer, I just turn wrenches.
This is exactly why I love youtube, I wouldn't search for this kinda stuff but watched the whole thing when algorithm suggested it. Really enjoyed you pushing it to the limit and arguably, past it 😄👏. Great video, thank you sir.
My Dad was Marketing Manager of Petroleum Products for Gulf Oil before the merger that created Chevron. He always told me it is worse to overfill than underfill. Times have changed. This is a fascinating video. He started out there working in the grease pits at the Harmarville, Pennsylvania R&D facility in the late forties and worked his way up. He was with API and SAE and helped to create the ratings system for viscosity and acceptance by the automotive industry.
Mmmm, forbidden Mayo. It is the same process; hydrogenating the oil causing it to congeal, motor oil is designed to return to liquid but eventually... well you pull the dipstick out cold and it's covered in yellow mayonnaise and it's now time to dump the sump and flush all the old oil out.
There was french motorcycle in 1938, named Simca Sevitame. 2 cylinder upside down engine works literally in oil bath. Whole engine was mounted in aluminium box, filled with oil. Check out, who is intrested.
Mechanic of 30 years old neighbor. Said he puts one quart extra in his own vehicles. In an engine like acura 3.7 v6 that burns oil ive over added oil it whole life so far and this is confirmed that its not hurting a thing. Better over than under way better
Genuinely impressed by how much that custom made plastic sump was able to take! The pressure inside it must have been considerable! Oh and any worries I had about accidentally adding 1L too much oil on my next oil change are gone forever! Thanks 👌👍
@@khlua4590 Yes, thank you I know "Its not combustion chamber duh". But it still had the weight of 20+ L of oil on it with the centrifugal force of that being spun around at 5-6k rpm, so yeah I think there probably were some forces exerted on it. As was apparent by the way the oil sprayed out with force from the mating face when the gasket sealant eventually failed toward the end.
I had a 1972 Mazda 616 with 1600cc OHC engine. It held 4 imperial quarts (5 us quarts). I changed the oil every 2000 miles and the oil stayed clean. I went to a full service gas station, they used to check the oil at every fill up. The guy said it was low so I had him put in a quart. I only drove a few miles and the pressure build up in the engine blew the filler cap off and sprayed oil all over the engine. The filler cap was hard plastic with course threads that screwed solidly into the valve cover so the pressure build up had to be considerable.
I just got an oil change and was really worried because when i checked dip stick the oil was above the max line. This video puts my mind at ease. Thank you.
I got unlucky then. Brand new car engine seized due to overfill. I didn't find the need to check since I it was a brand new car. Damage was done after 9k when I saw smoke pouring out behind going up a hill and afterwards saw that it was massively overfilled. Thankfully warranty kicked in since it wasn't my fault. They said with the newer engines everything is tighter so it killed it.
@@assaulter99 We talking 9k miles? I know most new cars tell you to follow the recommended oil interval, but that's to pad their "cost of maintenance" numbers. I changed my oil on my brand new car at 2800. Dealership tried to tell me no. Told them to shove it, and do it.
Thank you so much for this. I just got done an oil change, and you just saved me a lot of anxiety, and you also saved me the pain of pulling my drain plug to remove 1/2 quart of oil. This video was suggested to me at the PERFECT time. THANK YOU 🙂🤘👌🤘
It truly depend on the engine design, oil pan capacity and the method of storing the oil (dry sump). Some engine have higher tolerance above the "max" mark while other engines may have a tolerance of less than 1L It is also good to note this engine was not moving like in a car. While braking or accelerating the oil get slushed around, at x2 the maximum the oil could have easily found it's way in the breather. It is best not to put in too much above the maximum.
A&P mechanic here. You’ll almost never find a dry sump land vehicle that doesn’t have the Ferrari Lamborghini Mercedes AMG ect logo on it. Most cars can’t even corner hard enough to starve the pump so most cars are wet sump. Now in aviation, for piston type aircraft, dry sump is the norm. So really you aren’t going to even need the wet sump dry sump variable because most people can’t afford a car that needs to have a dry sump in the first place.
Used to work at a rental company when I was younger, guy had a tfsi and oil light came on so he just added oil, 1L. Oil light stayed on so he added another 1L, oil light stayed on so he added another 1L (we assume, could have been more but English was bad so was translation so there was a barrier there but this is what he told us). By the time he got to us it went bang in the parking lot. Car had 1500 miles on it😅
@@AI-Records24 I worked at a jiffy lube years ago. This old womans husband had died, and she never pumped her own gas. Unsure of where the gas hole was, she opened the hood and filled then engine to the top with gas. As she was driving down the street the car began smoking and she came straight to us. She didnt tell us what happened, as she didnt know, just that it started smoking. The guy in the pit started yelling. It's full of gas! The fumes filled the building and we had to evac the customers, made sure nobody smoked and opened all the doors. There weren't any obvious signs of damage but who knows what happened after she left. Friggen gas hole.
My 7.3 leaks abt a quart every 200 miles, so within 5K miles I end up “changing” the oil by topping it off abt 2x. I still change the oil and filter at 4-5K just to get junk out of the motor, but I could probably just change the filter, & keep towing it off but that’s kinda wrong.
I have an 01 civic that burns and leaks enough oil that Ill go from full on the dipstick to a little below the fill line in the time it takes for a tank of gas. Havent done an oil change. 25,000km later it still looks brand new, clean enough its hard to see on the dipstick lol
You are a blessing sir. Came across this video randomly. Can't say I would have searched for this. But this is definitely how I learn. I subscribed forsure and watched the whole thing
14:55 this IS the crucial part when overfilling Diesel Engines with oil it just spills the oil into the crankshaft Ventilation Back into intake -> RUNAWAY
unless it is a modern diesel with an "anti shudder valve" As long as that valve seals properly and there are no intake leaks post valve it will shut off real quick when you key off
@@StarHunter28 There is no good reason to reroute PCV on a diesel if you have no EGR system in place/active especially on a modern diesel with an oil/air separator inline with the PCV. Not to mention if you do a reroute dumped to atmosphere and do not run it in a good location where it will not freeze up... bad day if that ever plugs fully with ice
This is great! Thanks for running this experiment. Now I know that if my level is a bit over the marking on the dip stick, nothing bad will come of it.
My car requires for 4.6 quarts of oil at an oil change and I always end up putting an entire 5 quart container in since I don’t want 0.4 quarts of oil lying around. Nice to know that small amount of extra oil doesn’t harm anything.
@@trm4life well considering I’ve been doing it since I got the car almost 3 years ago, put 60,000 miles and done 12 oil changes and nothing has happened, I’m going to continue doing it. Let me freak you out further, the car “calls for” 0w20 weight oil but I put 0w30 in winter and 5w30 during warm weather. That little extra viscosity I notice a quieter engine and there’s no noticeable loss in MPG
@seanguy9720 pcv. Positive crankcase ventilation. When you over fill, it goes into the combustion chamber. The Chevrolet equinox and Saturn vue, have a problem where the oil ends up in the intake manifold, and the engines die prematurely because of it.
@@trm4life Well, most things are engineered with margins of safety. Specially motor engines. I am not a mechanic, but from my ignorance, I am pretty sure those 0.4 are not making any difference.
I'm with you with my 2022 Veloster N. Problem with my car is I watch all the oil drain with it level on a lift, I put 5.2 quarts in as required, it reads half an inch above full on the stick. Been doing that since 1100 miles and have 15,200 miles now. Car has taken me from NYC to Key West and back and been up the Mount Washington auto road twice. In eco mode at 60mph I'm getting wayyyyyyy over the 28mpg highway number (35mpg). So there's no drag from the oil. I'm gonna keep it up.
This is an awesome video, I always wanted to know what happens when you overfill, and as I thought, not much of anything, accept a little extra oil. Thank you so much for the video.
My mechanic has told me stories about engines having been filled twice by mistake at an oil change. One blew all the oil seals and the other blew its block.
@@wobblyboost1582the Ladas are exponentially more common, though that's assuming you are in the soviet sattelite regions. even so, the Mercedes and hiluxes are rapidly winding up in junkyards to get crushed.
@@LuwiigiMaster Oh i'm in Australia (little island in south asia 😁), I don't doubt Ladas would outlive them, but was just going on the interesting fact that older model 'luxes and mercs are extremely popular in arab regions, africa, sth americas and most of asia as they too are highly reliable and repairable. Don't get me wrong, modern mercs and most of the toyota range will be lucky to live past 5 years, are expensive to repair and parts hard to source or reproduce. Interestingly a lot of Ladas are being sourced for purchase by Russian companies in UK and europe to satisfy a need for parts recently, due to 'the troubles'; so many Ladas are getting to return to mother russia again.
In the mid 90’s I stopped to help a poor woman with car problems. I asked her to pop the hood and everything was dripping oil. I opened the air cleaner on the carburetor and it was full of oil. I asked her if she had put oil in, and she told me her husband had instructed her to “put some oil in the car before you go to work…”. She told me she “filled it up”. She had just kept putting oil in until she couldn’t get any more in. I told her that her best bet was the oil change joint two blocks away. I still wonder how she made out.
Now I know how oil inside the engine moves! Wow! This one is for real and not animation, this is the first time I saw how it moves for real, thanks for this good guy, because of that I will subscribe to your beautiful channel. By the way, I'm watching here in the Philippines 🇵🇭.
I think veritasium or smarter every day did a video where a guy build an engine out of clear plastic, and you could see how it all worked with the oil. I think it was smarter every dwy
Garage 54, Wow ,always thought putting a bit extra oil in wouldn't over pressurise the motor, My commodore back in 1982 blew a sump gasket & I lost my oil & 3rd piston started knocking, bye bye motor. Kudos for the video ,you showed how overfilling a little doesn't hurt the motor. I didn't know this, great show & tell, keeps the people in the know.Thanks GARAGE 54, GREAT VIDEO....... ( AUSSIE JOHN)........
This is great stuff! Real information without somebody's dog or a "for humor" or "for drama" relative getting in the way. I just subscribed and I'm looking forward to more videos. Thank you for teaching me something!
Some of us old guys might remember that until 1954-55 Chevrolet and a lot of other engines used a "dipper"" oiling system where there were tiny little pyramid shaped cups on the end of each rod to pick up the oil and feed it to the rods and crank and almost backwards of modern engines the rocker arms and pushrods were the last to get oil and another thing that sounded pretty much backwards from modern engines if you wanted more oil pressure and higher volume you would go to a thinner weight of oil, and if you were racing that little (or big in a couple of cases) in line six you would add a piece of .001 shim stock to the rod and main bearing caps and with the thinner oil and higher rpm both oil pressure and volume would raise to make your engine live longer and oh yeah, don't forget to add a quart or two of extra oil since now it was picking up more than before, not to mention that if you were racing a track where you were turning at speed it would give a little insurance that the pick-up on the rods were still having oil to pick up.
Another awesome experiment. I'm sure we've wondered about what would actually happen if the oil was overfilled, and these guys took it to the extreme in true garage 54 style. I've always heard that it would foam up and blow out the seals, and that it wasn't good for an engine to suck up a bunch of foam. Never seen it in person before though as I've never overfilled an engine like that. Definitely cool to see though, and it really scratches the itch of curiosity. You guys rock.👍👍
Well this was a lot of fun interesting how the pressure builds up in the crankcase. good to see you guys at it again . never a dull minute in your shop kudos.
What really destroys an overfilled engine is the actual oil foam, it would be great if there was a camera capturing how much of those air bubbles where sucked by the pickup tube instead of oil, even with that milky microfoam you have huge ammounts of air on the galleys, rod bearings, etc, would be nice to see the aftermath.
A pressure gauge right on screen next to the transparent sump would have shown exactly that... a drop as the air entrained in the oil is compressible.... so lower overall oil pressure as the foam increased....
No what would actually kill the engine would be the crankcase breather as the oil would be sucked back into the combustion chamber and hydro lock the engine, the crankcase breather was disconnected as you saw, if it had not been the engine would have been destroyed way before.
Great video! I've seen several engines self-destruct because levels were too low, but never too high! It's good to keep in mind that having slightly too much is better than not enough. (obviously in this video he goes way beyond "slightly" overfilled though! haha) Service intervals are longer than ever on modern engines with modern synthetic oils that don't degrade with heat, pressure and oxidation as fast as the old conventional stuff. That means fewer visits to the mechanic, with most people not doing any checks between those visits. All engines consume some measure of oil during operation....some very small, others a lot more. In my experience over the last 17 years as a tech, I've developed the habit of checking the level BEFORE doing an oil change, I see low levels almost daily. Not ALWAYS "scary" low like nothing visible on the dipstick, but maybe at the minimum mark or 0.5-1qt below that, which is still a bit scary! Even with the best coaching, some people just don't want to bother checking, and I'm much more comfortable with an engine overfilled by 1qt rather than underfilled by 1qt!
Once the oil level drops below the "oil pick-up" also known as the inlet for the oil pump, no oil is circulated throughout the engine, many important parts begin to wear and heat from friction. Before very long, something fails catastrophically. A piston rod bearing, a crankshaft main bearing, the crankshaft itself, the overhead camshaft or its bearings. A piston could seize in a cylinder. Something horrible.
I worked at a full service station back in the 80's when one day this women comes in for gas and oil. I offer to do it for her [my job after all] but she informs me she is quite capable of doing it herself. So she request 3 quarts of oil [at gas station prices] and she puts them in. I see her looking down into the case via the oil filler hole and she comes in and ask for another 3 quarts. She was going to fill the case until she could see the oil. I diplomatically offered my help and explained what a dipstick was and what it did. Coincidently she did need 3 quarts but have always wondered if the car would have even started if I had sold her all the oil she wanted.
There’s a lot of speed bumps where I live and I always drive 25 to 30 miles an hour over them because I have a big truck. So when I do that,(for fun obviously) catapult me and my kids off of our seats 😅 and I’ve always wondered how the oil is being catapulted inside the oil pan when I do that
@@donziperk Thanks for the reply. That's why they developed their test stand so they could simulate and observe what is happening in the engine while cornering and decelerating, cornering and accelerating, accelerating, or decelerating and even simulating bumps repeatedly under controlled conditions and being able to address the engineering and design changes necessary and do it quickly and repeatedly for the best results. This was much faster and efficient than trying to use an actual car.
WHEN WORKING FOR THE SANTA FE RAILROAD IN AN LOCOMOTIVE SHOP, I ONCE SAW TWO GUYS START AND GENERAL ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE WITH ALL THE CRANKCASE COVERS OFF OF ONE SIDE! AN EARLIER CREW HAD REMOVED THE COVERS FOR AN CRANKCASE INSPECTION. THESE GUYS FAILED TO DO AN WALK AROUND INSPECTION BEFORE STARTING AND WHEN IT LIT OFF , IT SLUNG A LOT OF OIL OUT! HOWEVER IT WAS AN GREAT SHOW WATCHING THE INTERNAL PARTS AT WORK! I COULD HAVE WARNED THEM, BUT THEY WERE SOME “. KNOW IT ALL” TYPES AND DECIDED TO WATCH THE FUN, INSTEAD!!😅😅😅😅 KEEP THEM ROLLING BROTHERS!! 👍👍
No he just want all the old people to read easier!!!! Its funny how things go hey tou think you the man then things goes south and next thing everyone need to help you 😂
This is an awesome demonstration. I would love to see this done again but with a windage tray. Also, with a race oil with the anti-foaming properties. I would also like ro see this test again with a high flow oil pump to test the theory of sucking the pan dry. Also, add a pressure gauge to see the difference.
I really appreciate the effort put into this video just to teach the viewing audience (not just following someone doing their hobby!). THANKS SO MUCH!!
@Garage54 .... if you redo the test, you will thank me!! It will be a lot of fun!! That oil foam gets into the crank and rod bearings, and actually causes the oil film to break down, and you will spin a rod bearing or crankshaft bearing!! How do I know, I had two people do it already. Engine oil has detergents, and it foams; think Dawn soap when you shake it. The oil lifting up the engine block is allowing more air to mix into the oil. You didn't run long enough to have any detrimental effect......yet!! Try running the engine at a constant rpm when you see the air bubbles in the oil, and you will have that engine seize up!! Redo the double fill 6:30 mark, and leave the engine run above idle for at least 20 to 25 mins at constant rpm when you see air bubbles. The issue comes as people drive 10 plus minutes and the motor is above idle so air is mixing with the oil, so the test stand running for a few minutes isn't reflective of what can happen.
Why most racing oils have very low calcium levels, as well as little to none of any other detergents. 😉 That, and the oil is changed LONG before there is much dirt, or combustion blow-by allowed to get into the oil in the first place.
Interesting demonstration, yet you should not risk health for it. You should definitely connect an exhaust extraction or at least open all doors and maximize air exchange. Have a look at 16:40 - horrible, blowing the exhaust into the room and at the camera man. While exhaust especially enriched by burnt oil would not considered healthy, additionally please remember the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Don't overfill the engine oil. Reason 1: Anything spinning in a fluid will slow the object that is spinning. You're making the engine work harder for no reason. Reason 2: The oil is foaming. You can't lubricate an engine with air. Reason 3: Drastically increased oil degradation due to heat and contact from the sheering effect. Just don't do it.
When the oil foams and turns milky, it becomes compressible and oil pressure is lost to the bearings - that's the main concern - it was more foamy at 2x than at max, so probably already loosing pressure, but you would have needed a gauge to measure - thanks for sharing!
My son was on a road trip, close to a hundred miles from home, remembered he forgot to do the 5000 mile oil change, so found a shop to change it befor heading home. On the way home it wasn't running as it should. Checked the oil, it was way over filled, figured they forgot to dump the old oil and added the new on top. We drained it, it was thick, all the oil was a thick foam and in volume, about triple the proper amount. After a month the drained oil was still the same, still foam. I was surprised something didn't break, a piston rod or something, but motor was fine.
you dont have to change it every 5k miles on the dot, you probably did more damage (engine wear) to the engine from this than if you had let it go to 10k or 15k miles with out an oil change. something they didn't cover in this vid is oil doesn't wear out, it's latterly millions of years old, the reason they want you to change it every 5k is the additives can get saturated, but depending on what type of fuel you use and how hard you run your engine it can be over 20k before it's really saturated. 5k is just playing it safe for people that abuse the engine, by not letting it idel for 30 sec on a cold start or worse giving it high revs on start up. when you do an oil change and the old oil is still clear, it's no where near "needing" an oil change.
@@robgilmour3147 Oil gets polluted with carbon, combustible gases & unburned gasses and loses its lubricating properties. In most all situations changing the oil at 5k miles is the right thing to do and shouldn't go much over whether they abuse their car or not
@@seatime674 yes and the reson the oil can pick up the carbonate and particulates is largely do to the addtives in the oil, oil with out addtives stays clean looking far far longer than with out. back in the 40s and 50s they didn't put addtives in and you often never had to change the oil, only doing so when you had to overhall the engine, witch was much more often because all that crap wasn't being removed by the oil. we still have marine engines and mining engines today that we don't change the oil ever, (or till overhall) they just have bigger oil sumps and more robust filtration systems, 10,000 hours run time (200k+ miles) and the oil still lubricates just fine. we will add oil and on some of the really big engines they often test the oil viscosity and detergent levels but change the oil nope, only if something is seriously wrong it the test results. I'm not saying its a bad thing, changing the oil every 5k is way cheaper than having to do an engine overhall every 50k like they used to, we rarely do engine overhalls any more and its largely do to additives and oil filters keeping the engine clean.
Thank you! Gave me peace of mind after I accidentally poured 1 quart over my Honda CRV. Still going to pull over and check for white smoke from the tail pipe as a precaution.
in the 1980's I bought a 1970 Plymouth Valiant with a 225 slant six. A previous owner put the wrong dipstick in the engine making it look like oil was low when it was actually over filled. I picked it up cheap probably because the previous owner thought it was a leaker. The oil coated the firewall and had blown all over the undercarriage pretty much rustproofing the whole underside. I put in the correct dipstick, my father and I put on newer heads that could handle unleaded gas and an RV cam that gave more bottom end torque. It always ran great even when over filled with oil.
too much oil makes those large bubbles that will likely result in intermittent oil pressure on the rod bearings. But adding a little bit more over the max limit doesn't seem to cause any problems. A little foaming occurs anyway, also depending on the antifoam additives
It all depends on the engine construction. Some are a lot less tolerant than the Lada engine used here. So it's most safe to stay within the min to max spectrum. A little to much might not be the end of the engine, but with modern engines I would not take the chance.
Very informative! I have always wondered about adding too much oil when I do an oil change or add a quart when it gets a little low. Now I was surprised to see how low the correct level in the pan is. An extra quart won't cause any problem at all. I was also quite surprised to see how low the oil level dropped when the RPM's were increased to what might have approximated traveling normally. There wasn't a very wide safety margin even given that the fresh oil had not really warmed completely to normal operating temperature.