Right... I've been a complete Numpty. I think I've put too much oil in Felix, and now, he keeps popping his oil filler cap off.

This is causing plumes of smoke to pour from under the bonnet when in traffic.

Do I need to drain it all and start again?

Thanks,

Stuart

I guess you have good reasons for your suspicions

Fresh oil? No need to drain completely. I would just let a pint or two flow thorugh the drainage hole, then replace plug and check dipstick. If the oil is fresh you could pour it back if you drained too much.

If you have an oil drain pump that's supposed to drain through the dipstick hole I guess this is an occasion where it could be really useful, but the oldfashioned method should work fine (if a bit messy).

I guess you have good reasons for your suspicions

Fresh oil? No need to drain completely. I would just let a pint or two flow thorugh the drainage hole, then replace plug and check dipstick. If the oil is fresh you could pour it back if you drained too much.

If you have an oil drain pump that's supposed to drain through the dipstick hole I guess this is an occasion where it could be really useful, but the oldfashioned method should work fine (if a bit messy).

Felix is due for an oil change anyway. So I might as well do it now...

Annoying thing is, I put 2-3 litres of Fully synthetic oil in there because I thought it was empty, when it was actually parked at an angle.

I would try not to run the car anymore as high oil level isn't good for cars.

It's probably easier to drain the lot and change the filter than struggle to get the sump plug in against the flow of oil, especially if the oil has been in a while anyway. Another option is a vacuum extractor.

You need a 21mm socket, appropriate wrench, ideally a new crush washer, oil filter, some sort of grip thing to remove old oil filter, ramps will help access - and a torque wrench will allow you to torque the sump bolt up to specified tightness. Don't forget the oil.

Edit: also don't forget something to drain the oil into, although the last time I did my oil it overflowed over the top of the draining can onto the road, ooops.

Oil capacity is about 4 litres, and it is approximately one litre oil that makes the oil go from bottom mark on the dip stick to the top max mark.

Here's some bed time reading Car Bibles : The Engine Oil Bible

Take note particularly of...

What happens when an engine is overfilled with oil?

So you topped up the engine when it was warm after getting a faulty dipstick reading, or you put too much oil in when you changed it yourself. What's the worst that could happen? Well the problem with this is that the next time the engine is run, the windage in the crankcase and other pressures generated by the oil pump, etc. place a great strain on the seal on the rear main bearing.

Eventually, often much sooner than the ordinary man in the street might expect, the rear main bearing seal ruptures, and the engine becomes a 'leaker'. If you've got a manual gearbox, this means one thing: this oil goes right onto the flywheel and the face of the clutch disc. A lubricated clutch is A Bad Thing. If this still goes unnoticed, the front seal is the next to go, and the engine then becomes a 'gusher' (or to be more colourful, it starts ****ing oil all over the place). As well as smothering the clutch with oil from the rear, the oil now coming from the front leak will be neatly distributed about the engine bay as it hits the front pulley - often propelling it out as far as the brake discs. At the same time as this Hollywood disaster movie is unfolding outside the engine, things aren't working out any better on the inside. As you can see from the diagram, the correct oil level is really close to the rotating crank. Overfilling will mean the crank dips into the oil and churns it into a froth. Froth is good on certain types of coffee but not good in an engine. The mixture of aerated oil will be forced into the bearings and in case you didn't know, air is not a lubricant. Typically this means that bearing damage will follow quite rapidly, especially if you are driving on a motorway. You'll know bearing damage when you get it. The engine smells like a garage mechanic cooking over an open flame and the noise coming from the engine is the sort of thing you'd normally hear in vaudeville plays when a piano is pushed down a flight of stairs. As if that all wasn't bad enough, the excess oil gets thrown up into the piston bores where the piston rings have a hard time coping with the excess oil and pressure. It gets into the combustion chamber and some of it will get out into the exhaust system unburned resulting in a nice patina of oil all over the platinum surfaces of your catalytic converter. This renders it utterly useless for good.

Well, you did ask.

Also there are great debates on whether fully synthetic is worthwhile or not, if going for something a little more premium I'd just go for a good semi-synthetic myself.

I would try not to run the car anymore as high oil level isn't good for cars.

It's probably easier to drain the lot and change the filter than struggle to get the sump plug in against the flow of oil, especially if the oil has been in a while anyway. Another option is a vacuum extractor.

You need a 21mm socket, appropriate wrench, ideally a new crush washer, oil filter, some sort of grip thing to remove old oil filter, ramps will help access - and a torque wrench will allow you to torque the sump bolt up to specified tightness. Don't forget the oil.

Oil capacity is about 4 litres, and it is approximately one litre oil that makes the oil go from bottom mark on the dip stick to the top max mark.

Here's some bed time reading Car Bibles : The Engine Oil Bible

Take note particularly of...

Oh ********

Since you (generously) topped up with old oil already in the engine I think it's a good idea to drain it completely and fill up with fresh oil (and new filter).

Topping up with half a gallon - do you have a special discount at your garage?

Oh ********

Try not to worry too much, - just don't run the engine till sorted (would probably risk it to get it up some ramps to drain it) and hopefully there'll be no lasting damage.

Try not to worry too much, - just don't run the engine till sorted (would probably risk it to get it up some ramps to drain it) and hopefully there'll be no lasting damage.

My Mum is using it constantly... :eek:

And I need to get to Braintree (5 miles away) to get a filter

It's normal practice to change oil and filter at the same time, but you should get away with doing the oil first, then the filter separately.

For future reference, the difference between the high and low marks on the dipstick is usually 1 litre.

It's normal practice to change oil and filter at the same time, but you should get away with doing the oil first, then the filter separately.

For future reference, the difference between the high and low marks on the dipstick is usually 1 litre.

Just checked the oil, it's been sitting for an hour and is stone cold, It's in between the two marks...

I need to do an oil change on it anyway, but what else could cause it? I don't have a screw on cap on Felix, only a push on jobbie.

However, when putting oil in, I did spill some on the cap and the surrounding areas... Could this mean the cap is more slippery and this is causing it to pop off?

***King car!!

Apparently back pressure from collapsed internals of an exhaust component can cause the oil cap to pop off. Not quite sure how to test for this, I guess you could get it on ramps and tap the components and see if anything rattles inside. Edit: Safety first, do it when cold :D

Worth checking the two pipes off the rocker cover to the air filter box are clear and have no blockages.

Apparently back pressure from collapsed internals of an exhaust component can cause the oil cap to pop off. Not quite sure how to test for this, I guess you could get it on ramps and tap the components and see if anything rattles inside.

Actually....

Could a dodgy/collapsed Cat do this?

Blocked breather pipe.

If you do lots of short trips, white mayo will get into the breather and block it up causing pressure build up.

Do a change with a new filter and get a new breather cap for it if they sell them.

If not clean the whole thing through and then leave it for any cleaning materials to evaporate off for a good few hours.

Could it be a clogged crankcase ventilation tube? IIRC this has sometimes been a problem with VAG engines, especially in cold weather?

:EDIT: Cheers, cheezemonkhai... you beat me there:thumbup:

If not clean the whole thing through and then leave it for any cleaning materials to evaporate off for a good few hours.

My lazy method is to take the air filter box top off, remove pipe from rocker cover and spray carb cleaner through the pipes. Also a good opportunity to replace the air filter and give the throttle body a bit of a clean with carb cleaner.

What makes me a bit worried is that you said that you topped up with 2-3 litres of oil and now the dipstick reading is right between the min. and max. marks. You must hav been running with very little oil in the engine...

When I recall your question in another thread about going +30 mph in 1st gear I wonder if it can be something more serious than just a blocked pipe?

My lazy method is to take the air filter box top off, remove pipe from rocker cover and spray carb cleaner through the pipes. Also a good opportunity to replace the air filter and give the throttle body a bit of a clean with carb cleaner.

I can confirm it works, but my leave for a few hours comment comes after I did this and then found there must have been a small amount left in the pipe. That made an interesting bang and spurt of flame from the carb :eek:

Personally if you can get a new breather cap it's worth it as once they have blocked they rarely come completely clean and you will probably use more in carb cleaner on it than the cost of a new one.

What makes me a bit worried is that you said that you topped up with 2-3 litres of oil and now the dipstick reading is right between the min. and max. marks. You must hav been running with very little oil in the engine...

When I recall your question in another thread about going +30 mph in 1st gear I wonder if it can be something more serious than just a blocked pipe?

I do give it a good thrash every so often... To keep everything running well.

I'll check the oil tomorrow morning when the engine hasn't been used at all to check whether it's low or over full. I'll give it an oil change and use some 20-50 to flish through it.

The engine itself is quite noisy, but I guess this is a characteristic of this type of engine? It's always very rattly and noisy when you put your foot down

Personally I wouldn't use 20-50 to flush, but would get some proper flushing oil, not the can you add to your old oil, and flush it through with this.

You will still need to clean the breather pipes properly though as the oil doesn't run through these just the vapour and the oily fumes. Add water to it and you get an emulsion that blocks it up.

Last oil change I used some Redex oil flush that adds to the oil, think it's probably mostly diesel in a can. It says you can run for 5 minutes or add and go maximum of 100 miles so I did 50 miles on it. The oil flowed out like anything and overflowed the drain can. Must have really thinned it out. I also chucked a little 20/50 down the filler hole to try encourage any sludge in the sump and remaining flush stuff out as it's cheap.

The time before I used this Comma Flush Out Oil - 5 Litres [CO-FO5L] - £9.99 - Wilco Direct - Discount Car, Bike & Leisure Accessories, Direct To You! it is 5 litres but I think the can says you can get away with only using half the usual amount for your engine so you can use half the can and save half the can for next time. I presume the idea is your car will be staying in the same place and this is enough for the oil pump to pick up and flow around the engine.

Probably best to use a proper flushing oil though. You just have to drain the engine twice and run the engine so it's not much more effort.

If oil tends to disappear quickly I would recommend using Engine Stop Leak. I think it comes under the branding of Wynn's and Redex. Apparently it rejuvinates and expands seals in the engine. I found it stopped oil disappearing in my engine and seems to have had no negative effect.

You can also use the comma stuff up to 10 times IIRC.

The engine itself is quite noisy, but I guess this is a characteristic of this type of engine? It's always very rattly and noisy when you put your foot down

The 1.3 is noisy and rattly (the timing chain) and that's probably nothing to worry about, you can find many posts here telling that story.