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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
Just changed the oil in my daughters 1.8 and everything went fine until I got home and poured the waste oil in an empty 5 qt contained and noticed there was only 3 qts. I added 4 qts of oil but only drained 3. I let the oil drain about 20 minutes and the engine was warm when it was draining. She was in a hurry and when I checked the dip stick it seemed high. I have done multiple oil changes and never had this happen. It's as if a qt failed to drain.
 

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did you remove the filter as well? the oil filter will usually hold 1/2 a quart or more.

as long as the current oil level isn't going over the orange plastic markers, then it should be ok, but if you are worried, then just drain it down a bit. running too much oil can lead to cat issues among other things.
 

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Did you check the level beforehand? It's normal to go through a qt every 5k.
 

· Wants to be TheFlipperGray
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I'm usually a quart short. But I created a new variable for my calculations that balances out the equation, called the "driveway spillage" factor. Old amount + driveway spillage = New amount.




I don't have very steady hands.
 

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Discussion Starter · #9 ·
Quite sure that it was the large filter - as was the one that was replaced. It is much larger than the filters on any of my other vehicles two are V6 motors along with 2 4 cly. I am hoping it's not sludged. It is baffling that I added the same 4 quarts that I always do but it is overfilled. It does suffer from the broken filler tube, cracked yellow plastic tube that the dip stick insert into. I ordered a replacement today.
 

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I had the same problem when I bought my 2001.5 1.8T with 39k miles. The oil dripped down very slowly, which led to overfilling. Try checking the oil right after you stop the car (just run it for 30 seconds cold), and then check it again in 15 minutes - I think you'll see it go up noticeably.

The problem disappeared for me after switching to a full synthetic and being religious about regular oil changes (3000-4000 miles).

Your call if you want to just make the switch to full synthetic and let it work itself out, or if you want to me more agressive. I've seen many debates on the value (or danger) of sludge treatments, so I won't even jump into the middle of that one...

In the mean time, be careful about the oil fill level or you'll take life out of your catalyic converter.
 
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