jvr

So, I just did my first oil change the other day, and was told it was normal for the dipstick to read a bit above max at first, but that it would go down relatively soon. A few days later, and it's still reading about a centimeter above the max hole. Could this small amount of extra oil cause the crank to dip into the oil and aerate it, messing with the oil pressure? I haven't heard any funky noises or anything, but now I'm wondering if I should drain a bit out from the plug.

The capacity ('94 accord lx) is four quarts, but I added four quarts plus a bottle of oil additive (which was maybe half a quart, if that.. probably less). I was sure to drain the oil completely while it was hot when I did the oil change, and I replaced the filter too, so I know the total amount of liquid in there is not more than four quarts plus the small bottle of additive. So, to drain or not to drain?

MAD_MIKE

Take off the oil filter and either try to drain it out, or replace it with a new unfilled unit.

Having too much oil is just as bad as too little.
If the oil is too high in the crank case, during operation the crank may physically contact the reservoir of oil. This will place mechanical stress on the rotating assembly, cause the engine to be sluggish, and worse cause the oil to foam. Oil with air in it does not make a good lubricant.

jvr

That seems a lot messier and more complicated than just unscrewing the drain plug for a couple of seconds... is there any particular reason you suggest removing the oil filter instead? I'm aware of the issues too much oil can cause, but I just thought the tiny extra amount of oil in my engine couldnt possibly allow the crank to contact the oil. My buddy is a mechanic and told me not to worry about it since its barely over four qts...

I guess it's probably best tojust drain it a bit as a precaution. But why remove the filter?

MAD_MIKE

Draining the oil from the pan and trying to just remove a pint of oil will be tricky.
The filter will most likely have close to a pint of oil in it, and simply removing/draining it would be less messy than trying to juggle the drain plug and place it back in place while the oil is pouring out.

But if you have a clean drain pan to capture the oil, you could just drain it all out, and put most of it back, but that may be tricky as well.

jvr

Sounds reasonable. So the oil filter is high up enough that oil won't pour out of the side of the block when I remove it? I was picturing it spilling everywhere once the filter was off but now that I think about it, the filter is a lot higher than I realized

holmesnmanny

Just jack the car up as high as you can. Then as you unscrew the filter go really slow so the oil stays low and doesn't screw out of the hole as you turn it.

jvr

Well, the floor jack I have unfortunately won't jack the car up very high... It's a 3 ton jack and my jack stands go much higher but the arm on the jack isn't that tall even when fully extended.

As for removing the oil filter... Is it okay to just replace the same filter? It's only been on there for a few days and I would hate to waste it by throwing it away and buying a new one. I dished out an extra $4 for the k&n wrench-off filter... The seal should still be good to go, right?

holmesnmanny

ya use the same filter no big deal just empty it out

jvr

How is your accord with the h22 swap? How much did that cost you?