Had my car in for an oil change recently and it came back with large puffs of smoke on start. Checked oil guage and it is substantially over filled. Other than fouling the plugs, can this cause any real problems? Thanks for the help.

 

I think overfilling the engine can cause a number of problems. I don't know all of them but here are a few I can come up with now:

If the crank is submerged in oil (even partially) there are a number of negative effects

1) The crank has to push its way through oil on every revolution, this will take up a huge amount of power and will destroy you engines efficiency and power output. (Imagine trying to run in a swimming pool)

2) Rotating counterweights pull a vacuum behind them, much like a semi truck does on the highway. This vacuum sucks up oil and flings it around the inside of the case. This oil that is flying around in the case then drips back down into the path of the rotating crank. This may not sound like a big problem, but it is. There is a name for this type of power loss called windage losses. A drop of oil hitting a crank may not seem like much, but when several drops of oil hit a crank spinning at 7000rpm the losses are tremendous. Imagine rain hitting your face at 100mph on a motorcycle!

3) The crankshaft churning up the oil will eventually cause aeration which leads to the formation of foam. This can lead to overheated oil, oxidation and loss of oil pressure in the engine. The foamy oil is harder to pump and critical moving parts in engine may not receive oil. This can lead to overheated and damaged parts due to lack of lubrication.

4) If oil gets into the cylinders then there is a whole new set of problems. Besides the obvious pollution effects of burning oil, residue can build up on your plugs and valves causing hot spots that can act as preignition sources. In addition to huge losses in efficiency and power, over time this can lead to detonation or knocking if not corrected.

I would recommend draining out the excess oil ASAP before any permanent damage is caused.

 

whomever "over filled" you car with oil should be notified and it documented, so that any problems that have arisen from such with be covered by the appropriate culprits.

PS, little engineer.....nice mods!! and good post and sense of humor!!

 

Thanks!! I had to make the best of a "less than ideal "vehicle situation

 

The biggest issue will be the MAF will blow. It will push oil back through the inlet and blast the MAF. Not a good thing. I have seen it a dozen times.