Re: Oil Purgatory

"pacde" wrote:[color=blue]
>I recently bought a Toyota Tercel, 98 and brought it in for an oil
>change and some new tires - other than that the car is perfect. After
>the oil change, I took it for a test drive down the highway and the
>next day I took my wife up into the mountains - all together about[/color]
200[color=blue]
>miles. Anyway I loaded fuel and went to check the oil and this is[/color]
what[color=blue]
>happened:
>
>First there was no oil cap so all the underside of the hood was
>covered with oil. I checked the oil and wouldnt you know it, it was
>way over full. I checked the receipt and instead of adding 2.8 Litres
>of oil, the service center added 4.5 litres of oil. I understand some
>severe engine damage can result due to overfilling - can someone
>please walk me through the things I should look for?[/color]

THe only real damge likley is seal damge to front and rear main seals.
If they were blow out you would know it by now and when that happens
oil is ususally coming out of breather to from foaming up but it take
a pretty good over fill to do it. Wash everything down good and watch
for new leaks, if there are none, you are okay then.

"SnoMan" wrote:[color=blue]
>I recently bought a Toyota Tercel, 98 and
>brought it in for an oil change and some new tires - other than that
>the car is perfect. After the oil change, I took it for a test drive
>down the highway and the next day I took my wife up into the[/color]
mountains[color=blue]
>- all together about 200 miles. Anyway I loaded fuel and went to[/color]
check[color=blue]
>the oil and this is what happened:
>
>First there was no oil cap so all the underside of the hood was
>covered with oil. I checked the oil and wouldnt you know it, it was
>way over full. I checked the receipt and instead of adding 2.8 Litres
>of oil, the service center added 4.5 litres of oil. I understand some
>severe engine damage can result due to overfilling - can someone
>please walk me through the things I should look for?[/color]

THe only real damge likley is seal damge to front and rear main seals.
If they were blow out you would know it by now and when that happens
oil is ususally coming out of breather to from foaming up but it take
a pretty good over fill to do it. Wash everything down good and watch
for new leaks, if there are none, you are okay
then.[/quote:c2fdf278c8]

You think I should worry about anything like the catalytic converter -
I heard somewhere that oil can kill it.

"pacde" wrote:[color=blue]
> [quote:c2fdf278c8="SnoMan"][quote:c2fdf278c8="pacde"]I
> recently bought a Toyota Tercel, 98 and brought it in for an
> oil change and some new tires - other than that the car is
> perfect. After the oil change, I took it for a test drive down
> the highway and the next day I took my wife up into the
> mountains - all together about 200 miles. Anyway I loaded fuel
> and went to check the oil and this is what happened:
>
> First there was no oil cap so all the underside of the hood
> was covered with oil. I checked the oil and wouldnt you know
> it, it was way over full. I checked the receipt and instead of
> adding 2.8 Litres of oil, the service center added 4.5 litres
> of oil. I understand some severe engine damage can result due
> to overfilling - can someone please walk me through the things
> I should look for?[/quote:c2fdf278c8]
>
> THe only real damge likley is seal damge to front and rear
> main seals. If they were blow out you would know it by now and
> when that happens oil is ususally coming out of breather to
> from foaming up but it take a pretty good over fill to do it.
> Wash everything down good and watch for new leaks, if there
> are none, you are okay then.[/quote:c2fdf278c8]
>
> You think I should worry about anything like the catalytic
> converter - I heard somewhere that oil can kill it.[/color]

Take a lot of oil to hurt it and in the inside of it, not the outside.
Wash under the hood real good are a power hand car wash and if no new
leaks are found, chalk it up to a story to tell over a cup of coffee
sometime and laugh about it because I am sure you are not laughing
when you first found it. It looks a whole lot worse than it is most of
the time.

"SnoMan" wrote:[color=blue]
> Take a lot of oil to hurt it and in the inside of it, not the
> outside. Wash under the hood real good are a power hand car
> wash and if no new leaks are found, chalk it up to a story to
> tell over a cup of coffee sometime and laugh about it because
> I am sure you are not laughing when you first found it. It
> looks a whole lot worse than it is most of the time.[/color]

Thanks for the info - appreciated.

Your right - it wasnt funny when it happened - still doesnt feel funny
but I hope nothing serious. I have had the motor washed and so far I
dont see any leaks .. had to have the shop drain an extra 1.5 liters
out of the engine. Anyway it was only a couple hundred miles.

"pacde" wrote:[color=blue]
>Thanks for the info - appreciated.
>
>Your right - it wasnt funny when it happened - still doesnt feel[/color]
funny[color=blue]
>but I hope nothing serious. I have had the motor washed and so far I
>dont see any leaks .. had to have the shop drain an extra 1.5 liters
>out of the engine. Anyway it was only a couple hundred miles.[/color]

Sounds like you will be okay. If it had blown a seal you would know by
now. Wash the bottom of the engine off too to look for new leaks there
as well.