Brice-RX8

So, I pick up my car from the dealer, I decided to let them change the oil this time and I notice on my reciept that it says 5W-30 castrol 5 quarts, so I think that is just the way they have to put it on the sheet, so I go home. Well, after letting the car sit for a little bit I check the oil just to double check them and what do you know it is above full and right at where the dipstick goes from being flat to round, basically a quart overfilled!

I am going back this afternoon to get them to fix their screw up, but my question is on a piston engine overfilling the oil is BAD, how bad is it on the rotory? I have had to drive a day with it like this, I would assume nothing would happen in that time, makes me wonder if they used 5W-30 instead of 5W-20 too. I just don't think dealers care anymore.

Mitch Strickler

I had similar experiences with my Rockville, MD (DC suburb) dealer. The invoices kept saying 5W-30, and the service manager kept saying that they really used 5W-20. It took them months to change the invoice printout to 5W-20. The overfilling was more like half a quart. When I asked about it, a tech who did RX8 work said he always did it that way, and it wouldn't hurt. The owners manual says it will, so I made a stink about it the next time I came in for an oil change. The service manager wrote on the order that it should not be overfilled, and it wasn't.
Mitch

Go48

How far above the top mark is the oil? If it's half an inch, I wouldn't worry, but if it's an inch then they should drain some out.

BTW, oil level measurement on the dipstick is not linear (check the manual), so unless the level is more than an inch above the top mark, it probably is less than a qt overfull. Also, if the oil is drained properly and the filter changed, it is possible that nearly 5 qts would be required to bring the level up to the full mark, despite what the owners manual says.

Brice-RX8

I called and talked to the tech and he said it is only overfilled by a quarter to half a quart since it will burn some anyways, and not a full quart that is just how it shows on the bill same with the 5W-30. He assures me nothing will be harmed and I guess if it does then I have a reciept saying they did the oil change, so I am not going to worry about it now. Thanks for you thoughts.

Go48

Well, if you do resume worrying , pick up a pump at your local auto parts store that has a small-diameter hose you can snake down into the dipstick tube to pump out a little oil. The pumps are not very expensive and it's a pretty simple operation.

mikeb

dealers tend to overfill
I always check before i leave

midlife crisis

My dealer charged for 5 quarts and my dip stick read low so I complained. They claimed that the invoice was automatically generated at 5 qts and I would always be charged as such unless I made them do a special invoice. I told them I'd just ask them to include the extra 1.2 quarts in a bag so I'd have it to add later.

Snake8

My engine was over filled, too. Except this time I did it myself carelessly. It's filled up to the point where the distick goes from flat to round. The distance between that and F mark is about the same between F to the first mark below F. So I assume the overfill is about 1/2 quarter.

The owner's mannual says it may cause engine damage. My question is will it really cause damage? I don't think 1/2 quarter would make any big difference. Anyone else?

Thanks

khtm

I saw another thread about overfilling and the concensus was that it was

BAD BAD BAD

People were suggesting that you don't drive you car and drain some of the oil out yourself (it's not very hard, you can just drive up on a curb...you don't even need a jack).

Now I have no idea if this is true or not...just what I read.

khtm

Plus, there's obviously a reason for the FULL MARK on the dipstick. Mazda knows this car eats oil so you'd think they'd give you the MAXIMUM amount of oil possible...

So one can only conclude that it's BAD to overfill. If it wasn't bad then the FULL MARK would be a lot higher and everyone would be happier.

Go48

Go to your local auto parts store and pick up one of those small hand pumps that come with plastic hoses, one of which you can snake down the dipstick tube and pump out a little oil. Pretty simple actually.

devious12

I have a question not to highjack your thread but which side of the dipstick do you check? I know that the side with the full mark and the empty mark is where I should look although, when I take the dipstick out it shows as being half full on one side and overfilled on the oposite side of the dipstick. I know this may happen due to the dipstick sliding and rubbing up against tube that it comes out of but which side is the side that rubs or which side should I be checking?

Thanks for any help.

Go48

Are you waiting 5-10 minutes after shutting down the car before checking to let the oil run back into the pan? The oil level should be essentially the same on both sides if you've given it time to level out.

devious12

That may be why I haven't had this issue until now because the car was most likely shut down for a few minutes when I've checked the oil in the past. I've changed the oil myself also for the past 1 and 1/2 that I've had the car but didn't have this issue so I'll check how you said to, thanks for posting so quick, and for the info.