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Guess I put the whammy on it with my last post. Drove it today for the first time after service and guess what... OVER-FN-FILLLLED!!!
I did instantaneous before it was warmed up in the dealer lot just to make sure there was not some catastrophic overfill. Then again when I got home. Good. Today drove 1/2 hour out & back and got the dreaded overfilled. Grrrrrrrrr.
"It's hard to find good help these days."
I didn't know to check until coming across this thread. Been through the menu a few times but it was usually while driving so the option was unavailable, and I wasn't expecting it to be too high or too low - it had recently been serviced by the dealer and the car only had 1200 miles on it when I bought it, so why should I?
Anyway, it's been sitting for most of the winter but I checked today and of course, it says overfilled... I've driven it about 1000 miles so I'm guessing (hoping?) not a significant overfill but I suppose I better have it checked.
Has anyone done a test to see precisely how much oil the car takes before it says it's overfilled?
I hate to day this, but this is just an example of out-to-lunch engineering. 1. You can only check the oil level when the engine is off, ok I suppose, but with modern technology and sensors I am not so sure. 2. You have to wait 8 minutes to get a reading. 3. You have to page down three levels to find the right page. 4. The system doesn't warn of an overfill or an underfill. 5. It doesn't indicate the amount of the overfill or the underfill. And on a six figure car. Come on, this is 2019, and people are contemplating autonomous cars. I would prefer a $5.00 dipstick.
Then, you are locked into the dealer if you want the Castrol Pro Edge. The dealer dispenses the oil bulk and from all I have been able to gather the dispensers are not accurate and overfill regularly. But who checks after a dealer service. Not good from start to finish.
I hate to day this, but this is just an example of out-to-lunch engineering. 1. You can only check the oil level when the engine is off, ok I suppose, but with modern technology and sensors I am not so sure. 2. You have to wait 8 minutes to get a reading. 3. You have to page down three levels to find the right page. 4. The system doesn't warn of an overfill or an underfill. 5. It doesn't indicate the amount of the overfill or the underfill. And on a six figure car. Come on, this is 2019, and people are contemplating autonomous cars. I would prefer a $5.00 dipstick.
Then, you are locked into the dealer if you want the Castrol Pro Edge. The dealer dispenses the oil bulk and from all I have been able to gather the dispensers are not accurate and overfill regularly. But who checks after a dealer service. Not good from start to finish.
Both liter and quart bottles of the magical elixir are occasionally available on eBay and Amazon but also regularly at some dealers for under $11/bottle. It is definitely worth investing in a $60 vacuum extraction tank to do your own oil changes and to remove the excess deposited by the dealer.
Has anyone done a test to see precisely how much oil the car takes before it says it's overfilled?
Last time I had an overfill I extracted 300 ml of oil.
Now, each time I go for oil change, I warn the mechanic that my car is awd and it takes less oil than rwd and to not overfill. So it has never happened again since then.
Last time I had an overfill I extracted 300 ml of oil.
Now, each time I go for oil change, I warn the mechanic that my car is awd and it takes less oil than rwd and to not overfill. So it has never happened again since then.
I believe the AWD takes 6.75 litres and the RWD takes 7.25 litres so if I am correct the actual difference is half a litre (500 ml).
If so reducing the amount from 7.25 litres to 6.95 litres in the AWD is probably enough to avoid the "over filled" message.
Everything Sauro said plus... I was just speaking to a Jag friend about this, add in the tech laziness/lack of time. They don't want to warm it up all the way, make sure everything is sucked out, put in LESS than spec, warm it up, wait, recheck, top off. I bet there are a whollllllle lotta Jags out there that are overfilled.
Not sure how much overfill there needs to be before it reports as overfilled, there is one point to be aware of, at the risk of stating the obvious, if the car isn't parked on level ground it can show overfill or under fill depending on if its sloping down at front or up at front of car
Everything Sauro said plus... I was just speaking to a Jag friend about this, add in the tech laziness/lack of time. They don't want to warm it up all the way, make sure everything is sucked out, put in LESS than spec, warm it up, wait, recheck, top off. I bet there are a whollllllle lotta Jags out there that are overfilled.
Which brings me to another question... If many cars are overfilled but driving along fine, then is it really more a problem of calibration and tolerances? How far beyond the "overfilled" trigger point would it need to actually be filled before something bad happens?
It just seems like the readouts of this poorly designed gauge lead us enthusiasts to believe this is a bigger problem than it actually is.
-The space between the lines represents 1 quart and it doesn't tell you how much overfill you have like a dipstick would
-There's not much of a buffer above the top line, if at all, before it starts to read "overfilled"
-Typical service tech behavior: if it says capacity is 7.25 liters, the tech will add that much and not think "if I add the stated capacity it will read right up to the top of the line or maybe even say overfilled, so I better back off a bit." They most certainly are not measuring down to the 0.05 liter level, which is pointless anyway because you could easily be off by that much based on how much oil is still contained in the engine after it's been drained.
-Typical service tech behavior 2: Due to the convoluted process involved in getting a reading from the gauge, they will not drive it to operating temperature, let it sit for 8 minutes, then get back in and take a reading
-Measurements are always imprecise because oil is distributed throughout the system and doesn't all flow back to the sump when it's time to take a reading
-Based on the images shared by death1ord, it's not unreasonable that in rare circumstances, one might even see an "overfilled" and an "underfilled" warning within the span of a couple of days without having ever touched the oil
@Lani
In my case the dealer sent out a tech with an extractor first thing the next day. I cannot tell you how much he took out but visually it was very little. The manual say emphatically not to drive the car if you have an overfill or risk major engine damage so what choice do you have since you have no idea as to the amount of the overfill. It could be a cup or a quart. My understanding is that the tech tells the dispenser the version of the FType and the machine determines the quantity of oil to be dispensed.
-The space between the lines represents 1 quart and it doesn't tell you how much overfill you have like a dipstick would
-There's not much of a buffer above the top line, if at all, before it starts to read "overfilled"
-Typical service tech behavior: if it says capacity is 7.25 liters, the tech will add that much and not think "if I add the stated capacity it will read right up to the top of the line or maybe even say overfilled, so I better back off a bit." They most certainly are not measuring down to the 0.05 liter level, which is pointless anyway because you could easily be off by that much based on how much oil is still contained in the engine after it's been drained.
-Typical service tech behavior 2: Due to the convoluted process involved in getting a reading from the gauge, they will not drive it to operating temperature, let it sit for 8 minutes, then get back in and take a reading
-Measurements are always imprecise because oil is distributed throughout the system and doesn't all flow back to the sump when it's time to take a reading
-Based on the images shared by death1ord, it's not unreasonable that in rare circumstances, one might even see an "overfilled" and an "underfilled" warning within the span of a couple of days without having ever touched the oil
Yup
And thanks again Suaro, I'll tell my service person to do that.
Not sure how much overfill there needs to be before it reports as overfilled, there is one point to be aware of, at the risk of stating the obvious, if the car isn't parked on level ground it can show overfill or under fill depending on if its sloping down at front or up at front of car
Yeah, I've found this to be true - mine shows OK on dead level ground but as soon as it slopes slightly down it shows overfilled. I guess mine's been filled with exactly the right amount, at least I hope so ....
Didn't feel like going to the dealer so I ordered a hand pump on Amazon for $15 and went at it today. The black rubber seal on the top was poor so it took a lot more pumps than it should have, but it got the job done. I'd say that's about 500ml, so seems like exactly as much as you'd expect if they fill an AWD car with the amount that RWD takes.
Now to drive it and check again... I think perhaps the most ridiculous part about this is how the instruction for overfill situations is "do not drive under any circumstances" but step 1 of the standard procedure for checking for the condition is "drive the vehicle"
I had the same issue with my first service, but the service manager at my dealership assured me there was no problem. While the factory manual calls for 7.7 Q, they always service the 5.0L SC with 8 Q. He also told me the only time you need to be concerned is if you get an engine warning light. Since we are only talking about 1 extra cup of oil I have taken him at his word and not worried about it. The engine burned off the extra after two months and have not had any issues.
I had the same issue with my first service, but the service manager at my dealership assured me there was no problem. While the factory manual calls for 7.7 Q, they always service the 5.0L SC with 8 Q. He also told me the only time you need to be concerned is if you get an engine warning light. Since we are only talking about 1 extra cup of oil I have taken him at his word and not worried about it. The engine burned off the extra after two months and have not had any issues.
I would not be comfortable with the concept of operating a mechanical device outside of accepted operating parameters for a sufficient period of time to bring all operating conditions back within spec. For example, operating journal bearings with insufficient clearances until the excessive wear loosened the clearance to spec. Burning oil down to the right level can only accelerate issues related to carbon deposits.
A bit of good news on my end. My service guy didn't call me back, as usual so I left a message for the service manager. He called me right back. Said he didn't have a mobile extraction pump but he would send down a flatbed to pick it up. The next day, flatbed arrives at 9:30, takes it up there (one hour away,) re-changed the oil, re-fixed a couple things that didn't stay fixed and had it back to me at 5:30 PM. Nothing excuses overfilled but this came close, he did what he needed to fix the problem.
if you invest a few $$ in a hand pump so you can remove oil, or even do your own changes if you want, then more power to you.
I did and change it myself. Walmart sells the 0-20 Castrol and I get the filter from Ebay. Oil level is perfect, Just pay attention to the quantity removed.
