Put 5 quarts of oil vs 4.5q - concerns?

gcretro · Nov 30, 2020

2016 Odyssey,
Since i didn't have time, I had my neighbor a part time mechanic do my oil change (with filter change of course). I had 5qt jug of valvoline max life.

He put all 5 qts. That's half qt more and it shows on the dipstick. Should I suck some out? What's the best way to do this?

Thanks.

ahm12 · Nov 30, 2020

you should drain it out, just loosen the drain plug a little, don't take it out all the way.

pkrface · Nov 30, 2020

Depends IMO. If he allowed it to drain fully you might be ok. Check the oil correctly, not after sitting for an extended period of time or overnight. Allow engine to reach operating temp, turn off engine, check oil level after engine is off for 1-2 minutes. If it is just barely over full I would leave it, but if it looks like it is closer to a quart over then drain a little.

2011.2017.odyssey · Nov 30, 2020

slightly above the full mark wont hurt anything.
been there, not the end of the world and as ahm12 mentioned, you can loosen the plug with a pan below and catch your half quart.

2011.2017.odyssey · Nov 30, 2020

also for some context the only danger to overfilling is if the oil in the pan reaches/ touches the crank, which will cause frothing of the oil.
a half quart will not cause that to happen on this larger engine.
my guess you would need 2-3 quarts to accomplish this.

jnissen · Nov 30, 2020

Windage losses can increase if there is excessive oil. Will affect mileage if it’s way over filled but half a quart should be fine.

Like others have suggested if it was well drained it should only show up as a slight overfill.

oldskewel · Nov 30, 2020

I've seen this situation asked about several times on here. I think some people do something about it. Have never heard a case of an engine blowing up due to leaving it as is. I generally put the full 5qt container in there due to convenience, not an oversight. Never need to add any oil by the time the next 5k rolls around. And my engine has not blown up either. So I'd leave it and thank your neighbor.

Bkh1996 · Nov 30, 2020

Ditto on regularly using 5 quarts. I let it drain all the way down and then fill the filter then put the rest in. It always registers slightly above the full mark on the dipstick. When dealer does an oil change for me once in a while, it registers at the same spot so they likely also use 5 quarts or don’t let it drain out all the way. Ody has over 110k miles and no engine issues at all.

jiantao · Nov 30, 2020

Running the engine slightly overfilled is better than slightly underfilled. 0.5 quarts won't hurt anything unless, as mentioned, the old oil wasn't fully drained so it ends up being 1+ quarts overfilled. I used the whole 5qt jug last time too since I wasn't sure whether the car burned oil or not. 4K miles later and it still reads full, so I'll probably just do the 4.5 quarts next time just to save the 0.5 quart.

egads · Dec 1, 2020

Having had a lot of dealer oil changes over the years, I can tell you that they always show 1/4 to 1/2 over full. No big deal. As said above, if the level is over by as much as the space between low & full, then maybe drain some.

2011.2017.odyssey · Feb 1, 2025

you really are going to have to share more information than that.

were the lights on before the oil change? are there oil leaks near the oil filter area?

dvpatel · Feb 1, 2025

2011.2017.odyssey said:
you really are going to have to share more information than that.

were the lights on before the oil change? are there oil leaks near the oil filter area?

Have you seen spammers post more details? 😁

Put 5 quarts of oil vs 4.5q - concerns?

gcretro

ahm12

pkrface

2011.2017.odyssey

2011.2017.odyssey

jnissen

oldskewel

Bkh1996

jiantao

egads

2011.2017.odyssey

dvpatel

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