I just came back from checking the oil on my Vantage and the dipstick showed it had no oil. The car has been idle for over a month.

So I proceeded to add a quart. Still nothing. Crossing my fingers, I started the car and idled it for 20 seconds, then waited for 30, then checked the oil.

Now the dipstick shows the oil level is OVER the max line.

What the what...

A couple of questions:

1- Can this kill my engine if I run the car?
2- How can I fix this?

Thanks~

 

Most likely fine. Call your dealer and ask them.

 

Any time you let a dry sump car sitting for a long period, you need to start it first (or at least dry crank it for a good bit) before checking oil level to scavenge the sump and refill the tank to get a valid level reading. Dry sump cars are routinely overfilled by owners and service departments alike. They may be 'neat' tech, but they can lead to problems like yours.

 

It appears the second time you checked the oil level, you followed the procedure in the Owners Manual for the dry-sump Vantage V8 (As mentioned by XJRS Owner).

Using an inexpensive "turkey baster" you can "extract" the extra oil you added, but most likely there is sufficient expansion room in the oil reservoir to accommodate an extra quart of oil.

But, do check with your dealer to be sure...

 

Thanks guys... yeah first dry sump car and realized my mistake a bit too late. My mechanic said it should be ok

Procedure is written in the oil reservoir, I didn't know that the first reading after the car has been still for a while is not accurate. I always do the 20 sec of 2k rpm and 30 secs of waiting otherwise, but since I'm not using the car as much, this time it didn't register at all until running it.

 

BEFORE YOU START THE CAR--after it has been sitting for a while--press the gas pedal all the way to the floor, hold it there and try to start the engine until the Oil light goes OFF. Gas pedal all the way to the floor tells the computer you don't want to start the car. This gets Oil to the engine before the engine is started.

 

Excellent tip for winter stored car guys like me .

 

^^^ FYI, function no longer present on the Bosch ECU'd '15 cars (V12VS, Vanq). I guess the engines have suddenly become tougher and don't mind running without oil now for a few seconds after storage. Either that, or storage is strictly prohibited LOL.