Another Oil Question............

[Rick Stewart]

Hello All,



I am new here (first post) and like others have said this a great resource.



Purchased my truck in October and noticed it came from the factory about 1Q overfilled with engine oil. Figured they must know what they are doing so I let it go.



Just had my local (independent) shop change the oil and it came back a quart overfilled by the stick. I call him on it and he said his shop reference listed 13Q. I know the owners manual says 11 + 1 for the filter.



Question: should I drain out a Q or will it be OK? Is it truly overfilled?



Thanks.

 

[Idaho Native]

I don't know how sensitive the 3rd gen engingines are to overfilling. Two things can happen, each of them bad in their own way. First, it can cause foaming in the crankcase and then the oil pickup assembly could get air bubbles in it and potentially starve a bearing. Second, if the crankshaft slapped the oil hard enough, it could break. I don't really think you have either of these to worry about.



Personally, with the size of the pan in these engines, I doubt a quart overfill would allow either of these conditions to happen. It it makes you feel better, drain a quart out of the engine, although depending on how your drain plug is set up, that could be messy.



Good luck and I'm sure others will chime in here.



Loren

 

[DocDetonancour]

12 Q in mine is just right. Why would the manual call for 13? Doc

 

[bpenrod]

I have found that if it is really overfilled it will drip out the crankcase breather tube. If you don't see it there your probably OK. I agree taking out just one quart with the drain plug setup would be messy at best!!

 

[klenger]

Although I've never done it myself, I've heard that you can hook up a shop vac to the oil fill tube to keep the oil from draining when you remove the fill plug. Might be worth a try.

 

[JHardwick]

Second, if the crankshaft slapped the oil hard enough, it could break.



Loren

 

[RedRam401]

Why not just take the oil filter off, dump it out and then replace it?

Or, better yet install a "By Pass" oil filter and let the excess oil fill it

 

[rbattelle]

I think you're fine leaving it alone. Next time, just use 12 quarts.



-Ryan

 

[Idaho Native]

JHardwick... yeah, got to see the results of too much oil in the crankcase of a Caterpillar Inline 4 (on a D4) that had been overfilled. Oil, like water, is soft to the touch... now dive off of the high dive and do a belly flop. Broke the crank right in front of the middle main journal bearing.



Loren

 

[SSage]

Mine will hold 13 quarts and it just covers the top dip stick line. 12 quarts puts me just over half way in the safe zone. I wouldn't want the dip stick to read over full, if it is, just dump some out.

 

[dtboyer]

Oil Level

I've noticed that if I check the oil when the "Duke" has been parked over night, the dipstick indictes that its somewhat overfull. However, if I check oil on a warm engine, the level is fine. Might this be related to your situation?



dtb

 

[Rick Stewart]

I've noticed that if I check the oil when the "Duke" has been parked over night, the dipstick indictes that its somewhat overfull. However, if I check oil on a warm engine, the level is fine. Might this be related to your situation?



dtb

Don't think so. Definitely over full when cold. Owners manual says check when cold by the way.



I don't really want to drain off a quart unless there is some problem. None so far.

 

[WCounts]

If I let mine sit for a while it will show about 1 qt. over full. I watched the dealer change my oil yesterday and in went 3 one gal. jugs of oil after filling the filter with part of one. That is one qt. more than the book says. This must what the factory puts in them. Mine has been this way sence new.

 

[WMcGuire]

IMHO it's much to do about nothing! I don't think Cummins got to be the best diesel engine builder by making their engines that didn't have some safety factors built in, for example, suppose you have a perfectly filled crankcase on level ground, then you put it in four wheel and tackle a 40 percent grade, my guess is the crankshaft is going to slap a little oil somewhere, for darn sure the oil ain't goin to stay in the level zone Oo. Oo.