Overfill? Easy way to remove some oil...

[Robin-535im]

Thought the board might find this useful, since there are posts from time to time on what to do if you put a little too much oil in the engine. I know this works on an M30 because I did it this weekend, it probably will work on all other engines too... someone will have to try it out and report back.

Step 1: Remove the air box and AFM, but leave the spark plug wires hooked up. Just unclip the AFM harness and let it sit off to the side.

Step 2: Remove the two nuts that hold the spark plug harness to the valve cover and ease the plug wires out of the way, still hooked up though.

Step 3: Remove the valve cover nuts and pull the valve cover off and set it aside.

Step 4: Start the engine. It may idle rough since it will be in open loop mode without the AFM signal.

Step 5: Let the car run until the oil pumps up into the galleys, about 5-10 seconds depending on the weight of oil you use.

Step 6: When you feel enough oil has been sprayed all over your entire garage, engine compartment, and recently-washed front fenders (hood liner too), shut off the engine.

Step 7: Reassembly is the reverse of removal. Be sure not to over tighten the valve cover nuts. You can get away with reusing the VC gasket if it's fairly new.

Maybe this will help someone out there as much as it helped me. And yes, I came up with this procedure all by myself. In fact, I was really just trying to track down an extra-noisy rocker arm, and just kind of "discovered" this cool trick. Had to share it with the board of course.

- Robin

[granit_silber]

Step 6: When you feel enough oil has been sprayed all over your entire garage, engine compartment, and recently-washed front fenders (hood liner too), shut off the engine.

And yes, I came up with this procedure all by myself. Had to share it with the board of course.

- Robin

Of course!

Robin that made me laugh out loud! Thanks!
-ashley

[632 Regal]

Lmao!

[525e34]

Does this procedure work with synthetic oil?

[Robin-535im]

Does this procedure work with synthetic oil?
Yes sir it does.

[uscharalph]

That's pretty hilarious!!

[mikell]

Genius! You must copyright the technique immediately!

[Ted K]

That's all too much like work. stick a hose in your dipstick tube and use a vacum pump and suck it out.

Did you really go through all that! What a mess it must have been.

[Robin-535im]

That's all too much like work. stick a hose in your dipstick tube and use a vacum pump and suck it out.

Did you really go through all that! What a mess it must have been.

I was thinking I could drop the tranny to get to the rear main seal, then pop the seal and let it drain from there, but I didn't have anywhere to put the tranny to keep it out of the way.

[GS535i]

Good technique! However, for the next overfill, you can save on the wrenching: simply remove the oil fill cap and do a few loops at the local skate board track. A 360 is worth about 125 mls ....

[632 Regal]

Ted dont get it? I have been removing the harmanic balancer, the timing cover, replacing the balancer and doing a few hard fast stops to accomplish the same thing I could have done by simply removing the rocker cover...what an ass I am...live and learn,

Thanks for the tip, I will try this instead next time.

[andyman32]

Excellent work, Robin :) I haven't been here in a while, but Jeff just sent this to me... classic! I laughed out loud too!

Keep up the good work!

-Andy

[mikemaster]

Here's another way I discovered recently on a toyota 22re engine:

1. Replace valve cover and gasket but do not put on the half moon gasket at the back of the engine.

2. Take her out for a drive to admire your mechanical skills.

3. Notice huge cloud of smoke behind you, get off highway.

4. Drip oil all over nearest parking lot, notice that the bottom of your truck has a new layer of undercoating.

5. Limp home sheepishly.

Thanks for the laugh Robin.

[ryan roopnarine]

m30 engine= powered by john deere
for all of us sofi-histicated, triple overhead cam, 7 valve per cylinder, m50 engine owners, as your procedure is too pedestrian for such marvels of the early 90s, like ours :D

procedure for getting rid of 300ml of oil overfill
remove oil filter housing bolt
save washer
remove sealing gasket (the one that seals the two halves of the oil filter housing)
remove inner filter gasket (automatically happens when it falls off by itself)
reattach inner filter gasket
intentionally throw away oil filter housing gasket
put filter housing bolt back in
tighten down filter housing to "balls on" torque specifications by hand and brain alone (per ms. marissa tomei)
drive 4 miles on interstate at 75 mph /115kmph
get out of car/park car
wonder, "WTF is there a hansel and gretel like trail of oil back to my parking space?"
take filter housing back apart
realise you threw away gasket
say the c word a couple of times
dump whatever oil you have in trunk into crankcase
drive to autozone for crappy STP oil filter only to get the damn gasket because nowhere else is open, 'cause its frigging sunday.
pick up 2 quarts of oil to fill the car back up
drive home, fill with 1.8l litres (1.83L-300ml=?)
get pissed off cause now instead of being overfilled, it is slightly underfilled.

[TheGeak]

wait wait wait.....oil? whats that? you put that stuff IN an engine?

[MTechnik540i]

That got me going, lol.

[632 Regal]

goldilocks?

[Jeff N.]

In case anyone owns a Nissan 240sx, I can provide a very workable procedure for that vehicle.

1) Drain oil via normal pan bolt. Replace bolt.
2) Unscrew filter
3) Install new filter
4) Add oil.
5) Start car.
6) Watch oil pump out all over garage floor.
7) Say special mechanic's words.
8) Determine filter must have been loose. Tighten.
9) Clean up mothers garage floor of 4 qts of oil.
10) Go to autoparts store; get 4 more quarts of oil.
11) Add oil to car.
12) Start car.
13) Watch oil pump out all over garage floor.
14) Say LOTS of VERY special mechanic's words.
15) Try to find more rags to clean up 4 more quarts of oil.
16) Remove filter to try to figure out what's wrong.
17) Determine that old filter o-ring stuck to block; two o-rings are definately NOT better than one...
18) Re-install filter...this time with one o-ring only.
19) Return to autoparts store, sheepishly try to avoid the clerk as you purchase 4 more quarts of oil ......

aaaaaagh! I can remember it like it was yesterday!

:D

Jeff

[uscharalph]

You guys bust me up!

[ryan roopnarine]

goldilocks?
i meant to say hansel and gretel.

[Zeuk in Oz]

Brilliant ! But you have missed an opportunity.
Buy some cream or white artist's canvases and position them appropriately during this procedure.
You can then sell them to the National Gallery in Canberra for a fortune as ART ! :D

[uscharalph]

In case anyone owns a Nissan 240sx, I can provide a very workable procedure for that vehicle.

1) Drain oil via normal pan bolt. Replace bolt.
2) Unscrew filter
3) Install new filter
4) Add oil.
5) Start car.
6) Watch oil pump out all over garage floor.
7) Say special mechanic's words.
8) Determine filter must have been loose. Tighten.
9) Clean up mothers garage floor of 4 qts of oil.
10) Go to autoparts store; get 4 more quarts of oil.
11) Add oil to car.
12) Start car.
13) Watch oil pump out all over garage floor.
14) Say LOTS of VERY special mechanic's words.
15) Try to find more rags to clean up 4 more quarts of oil.
16) Remove filter to try to figure out what's wrong.
17) Determine that old filter o-ring stuck to block; two o-rings are definately NOT better than one...
18) Re-install filter...this time with one o-ring only.
19) Return to autoparts store, sheepishly try to avoid the clerk as you purchase 4 more quarts of oil ......

aaaaaagh! I can remember it like it was yesterday!

:D

Jeff
I was driving a Nissan 200sx before this car.

[Robin-535im]

...
...
14) Say LOTS of VERY special mechanic's words.
...
Jeff
Forgot to mention that step. I indeed used a few of the special mechanic's words... actually it was pretty funny because I remember Bill R. talking about a plexiglass cover, and I was watching the oil for the first few seconds and thinking, "bah, who needs a plexiglass cover!" since the oil hadn't pumped up yet. By the time my eyes focused on the gobs of oil pouring over the fenders and across the garage, I couldn't help but laugh a little.

I can just hear the conversation from inside the house:
"What did daddy just say?"
... "Oh, those are some special mechanic's words honey. One day when you work on cars you'll get to say them too."

[uscharalph]

Forgot to mention that step. I indeed used a few of the special mechanic's words... actually it was pretty funny because I remember Bill R. talking about a plexiglass cover, and I was watching the oil for the first few seconds and thinking, "bah, who needs a plexiglass cover!" since the oil hadn't pumped up yet. By the time my eyes focused on the gobs of oil pouring over the fenders and across the garage, I couldn't help but laugh a little.

I can just hear the conversation from inside the house:
"What did daddy just say?"
... "Oh, those are some special mechanic's words honey. One day when you work on cars you'll get to say them too."
This has been one of the funniest threasd on this board. I shouldn't read it anymore her at work. I keep just keep Laughing Out Loud.