tenacnightman

I have owned several Honda cars for many years. I recently purchased a used 2002 Civic LX and took it to the dealer for a recall fix and SRS issue. While at the dealer performing this work I had the dealer change the oil. After running the car for one week, approx 400 miles, I filled up and checked the fluids. To my surprise the oil level was about 1" above the top dot, not good. I took it directly to the dealer and they admitted, YES, it was too much. I questioned the fact that I was concerned about this amount hurting my engine and of course they said no problem. They said they would drop the oil and replace it with the correct amount. They did and I drove it down the road and stopped and checked the oil and there it was again a overfill. This time about 1/2" past the top dot. Is it a practice not to check for proper oil level after serviced ?? The service manager told me that their oil guns are calibrated once a month to ensure proper fill but still yet they should check the level, shouldn't they. I know I always do when I change my own oil, which is almost always. Question: I am very concerned at this point that driving my car with that much overfill and for 400 miles that it has possibly damaged the engine ??? Now I'm gonna have to drop the oil plug and drain the oil down to proper level. Any opinions about whether I possibly could have damaged my engine would be welcome. It's ironic but before my oil change I was getting around 33 MPG but after the oil change(overfill) I got 38 MPG. Go figure? Thanks and glad to be a part of this forum.

EM2abe

i would think it could mess with your spark plugs, o2 sensors among other things... but if you didnt notice any probems so far, i would say you're in the clear. though i would still go ahead and check your plugs. making sure they're clean. check your air filter too.

EM2abe

just did a search and found this:
"It actually will cause lower oil pressure, the crankshaft churning up the extra oil in the crankcase will cause the oil to get foamy and full of air bubbles, air bubbles do not pass through bearings well, and would cause less oil to reach the top of the engine, thus resulting in lower oil pressure, and worn upper engine components and failed bearings. Also the resistance of the oil on the crankshaft is going to lower engine output. Not a lot of the extra oil is going to blow back past the rings either. Most of the oil is going to take the easiest way out which is out of the crankcase through the PCV system and end up going back to the air filter housing or intake manifold, that is where you get your smoke, from the PCV system recycling the crankcase gases, and all of the extra oil."

94EG8

Did you check the coolant level? Sometimes if you've got a blown headgasket coolant will go into the oil, it wont always look like a milkshake either, especially if you check the oil after it's been sitting overnight.

As far as checking the oil level goes, when I worked at Honda any time I filled something with the gun connected to the bulk oil tank, no I never checked the dipstick, when you work on flat rate you don't have time for stuff like that, especially when you need to start the vehicle to get the oil into the filter, and then let it sit for a minute. You just trust that the gun is calibrated differently. Other techs and dealerships may operate differently.

tenacnightman

Here's the latest. After my the last oil change at a local honda dealership here in East Tennessee, that was suppose to have done it right, I checked the oil again. The oil level was still the same. I had checked the coolant level, no drop. I knew pretty much that coolant was not getting into the oil since it was almost crystal clear. I stopped by another Honda service center in the tri-cities and explained my experience and asked advice on my concerns. Without mentioning by name the dealership that performed my maintenance the service advisor told me, by name, which happened to be the dealership I used, that they had a vehicle come in that was TWO quarts overfilled. I was advised that my level should be adjusted ASAP so I did just that. Last night I removed 12 ounces of oil to bring my level down to the top dot. My first time around with my original oil change the level was 3 times over what it was this time. Which would make it just over a quart. Hopefully the engine is not damage and from now on I will do it right and do it myself, like I have done in the past. Last night when I was removing the excess oil I noticed the complete bottom of the oil pan was soaked with oil. I found a leak at a location of the oil pan which I could see that there was gasket damage. Another question?? Since I don't know what the oil level in the oil pan is relative to the oil pan gasket could the oil have been so high that it was above the oil pan gasket location? I realize that a bad gasket will leak and common sense would dictate that the oil leak would be more extreme if the oil level was above the gasket location. So could even 12 ounces overfill cause the level to be above the gasket location ? Do it right, Do it yourself, no one is going to care for your car like you are. Moral of the story, if you have ANY service center perform regular maintenance it may be a good idea to follow up and check fluid levels immediately afterwards to verify it was done right. JMTCW

EM2abe

if i were you... i would take it back to the other dealership that first screwed up your oil change... speak with the general manager of the entire dealership and tell him what happened. and tell him what happened when you went to the other dealership. tell him that you want the oil leak fixed because it was not there prior to your oil being changed the first time. make sure they fix it for free. you may be reluctant, after all that happened, to go back. but its grounds for the free repair. if they try to tell you that the oil leak was there before, then its their fault for not letting you know, in the first place. technically, in my eyes, its their fault.

Racer02gtstang

A inch over shouldn't cause that I would think. I had a 01 accord yesterday that was about 4 or 5 inches over and that car was screwed up. Had oil dripping out the tail pipe. Lol

Racer02gtstang

what dealer did the oil change. I work at one in east tn. Lol

botakcivic

Imo, oil level should be check when oil is cold, like in the morning.

tenacnightman

Here's a follow up and a question per my last post on this subject. I returned my vehicle to the dealer, the second time, and when I checked the oil it was overfilled again by 10 ounces. I pulled it down to indicate at the full mark. The dealer gave me a free oil change so I took it back last week and overfilled again, this time by 28 ounces. The dealer followed up and I told them what I found. The next follow up was by the service manager and he informed me that the fill guns were checked and they were "spot on" ???? So with all that said I have to determine whether my dipstick is the correct one for my 02 Civic LX 1.7L. I purchased the car used so this is a possibility and just shy of changing out the fresh oil out myself and refilling the proper amount and doing the check I have a question to ask. Would anyone know the correct length of the dipstick from the bottom of the rubber handle to the tip of the stick? My other option is to purchase a new dipstick and compare but whether I go with dumping the fresh oil or purchasing a dipstick it's a bit expensive either way. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.