Just changed my engine oil and filter and managed to put too much new oil in...it is about 1/8 inch over the top mark on the dipstick. Is that critical enough to pump some out? I ran it one hour to stabilize everything and have no bubbles. Thanks for your reply
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I'd pump some out
Recently I had a Toyota P/UP serviced by one of the quick lube places. They put too much oil in and after driving at highway speeds I lost oil pressure. A mechanic described the oil hit by the cramk shaft wipping up into a froth like "milk on a cappuccino". My engine suffered some dammage from it. I've heard others talk about problems with too much oil. If it was me, I'd just pump a bit out to be safe.
Recently I had a Toyota P/UP serviced by one of the quick lube places. They put too much oil in and after driving at highway speeds I lost oil pressure. A mechanic described the oil hit by the cramk shaft wipping up into a froth like "milk on a cappuccino". My engine suffered some dammage from it. I've heard others talk about problems with too much oil. If it was me, I'd just pump a bit out to be safe.
Buddy Richardson
You may have had too much oil in the pan, but in no way will it cause any engine damage. You might leak a little from a main seal, however excess oil cannot cause engine damage. I would not want to use that mechanic to service my vehicle if that's the kind of knowledge he has.
You may have had too much oil in the pan, but in no way will it cause any engine damage. You might leak a little from a main seal, however excess oil cannot cause engine damage. I would not want to use that mechanic to service my vehicle if that's the kind of knowledge he has.
No way?
Check the Yanmarhelp site. Regardless of whether it is a Yanmar, the same condition could apply - that being the excess oil can make its way into the cylinders from the crankshaft side and cause a runaway which can ruin your day not to mention your engine. I'd believe Yanmar compared with anyone individual's opinion. Don
Check the Yanmarhelp site. Regardless of whether it is a Yanmar, the same condition could apply - that being the excess oil can make its way into the cylinders from the crankshaft side and cause a runaway which can ruin your day not to mention your engine. I'd believe Yanmar compared with anyone individual's opinion. Don
I ditto with Don
since you just changed the oil, I assume you had to use a pump to pump the old stuff out. I would suggest you hook that up again, and pump out a tiny bit. Whether it is gas or diesel engine, cars or boats, the guideline is to never overfill.
since you just changed the oil, I assume you had to use a pump to pump the old stuff out. I would suggest you hook that up again, and pump out a tiny bit. Whether it is gas or diesel engine, cars or boats, the guideline is to never overfill.
No way?
Please explain: "the excess oil can make its way into the cylinders from the crankshaft side and cause a runaway...". How does the oil get from the crankcase, even overfilled, into the combustion chamber to cause runaway? If you have bad rings or scored cylinder walls maybe, but then the engine wouldn't run. Just to set the record straight, running your engine with the correct level of oil would of course be preferable. I just fail to see 'how' it could cause damage.
Please explain: "the excess oil can make its way into the cylinders from the crankshaft side and cause a runaway...". How does the oil get from the crankcase, even overfilled, into the combustion chamber to cause runaway? If you have bad rings or scored cylinder walls maybe, but then the engine wouldn't run. Just to set the record straight, running your engine with the correct level of oil would of course be preferable. I just fail to see 'how' it could cause damage.
friend had it happen!
I really do not know the cause, but it a friend with a H'30 had his engine run away. The worst thing about this the fact that the fuel shut off will NOT kill the engine. The fuel source is the crankcase. About the only thing that will work is to let the engine suck up a large towel in the air intake. This will starve the engine of oxygen and it will shut down. I think the cause may be the excess pressure in the crankcase that forces the oil into the combustion chamber and away it goes.
I really do not know the cause, but it a friend with a H'30 had his engine run away. The worst thing about this the fact that the fuel shut off will NOT kill the engine. The fuel source is the crankcase. About the only thing that will work is to let the engine suck up a large towel in the air intake. This will starve the engine of oxygen and it will shut down. I think the cause may be the excess pressure in the crankcase that forces the oil into the combustion chamber and away it goes.
Oil Gets Past Rings?
I've heard this many times that overfilling the engine (diesel) can cause a runaway - but I've never experienced it, fortunately. I don't know the mechanics of this but I would suspect the oil would have to get past the rings. Oil, being a heavier fuel, will cause the engine to burn slightly hotter than diesel. It probably wouldn't take very much oil, either, as the engine speed is regulated by the quantity of fuel going into the injectors. If any more fuel, i.e., oil, is added/introduced then the engine would run faster. This, then, becomes a vicious cycle (no pun intended) and you have your "runaway". Just about the only way to stop a runaway is by shutting off the air flow. Technically one might be able to stop it by shutting off the fuel flow but all the fuel in the line would probably have to be consumed - and - if oil is getting into the combustion chambers, the oil would have to get used up too. *yks This might take a while but then the oil might cause the head gasket to go or perhaps something else - head? Crank? rod? *yks (again). My preferred method to stop a runaway would be to use a shoe, tong, sandle or the like over the air intake. Something that has a bit of roughness to the surface that would allow a "bit" of air to go past but not shut it off completely all at once. While a soft material like a towle, or so, would work, realize that there are several pounds of pistons, crankshaft, and flywheel turning at way past readline RPMs and the inertia of stopping all this spinning iron will really suck "whatever" in really FAST. I've dealt with a runaway that was next to me and it wasn't fun. The couple were about ready to jump ship. Oh, by the way, it will pour out "tons" of black smoke while it's "running away"! The water up here is so cold that jumping ship may be actually worse than staying on board!
I've heard this many times that overfilling the engine (diesel) can cause a runaway - but I've never experienced it, fortunately. I don't know the mechanics of this but I would suspect the oil would have to get past the rings. Oil, being a heavier fuel, will cause the engine to burn slightly hotter than diesel. It probably wouldn't take very much oil, either, as the engine speed is regulated by the quantity of fuel going into the injectors. If any more fuel, i.e., oil, is added/introduced then the engine would run faster. This, then, becomes a vicious cycle (no pun intended) and you have your "runaway". Just about the only way to stop a runaway is by shutting off the air flow. Technically one might be able to stop it by shutting off the fuel flow but all the fuel in the line would probably have to be consumed - and - if oil is getting into the combustion chambers, the oil would have to get used up too. *yks This might take a while but then the oil might cause the head gasket to go or perhaps something else - head? Crank? rod? *yks (again). My preferred method to stop a runaway would be to use a shoe, tong, sandle or the like over the air intake. Something that has a bit of roughness to the surface that would allow a "bit" of air to go past but not shut it off completely all at once. While a soft material like a towle, or so, would work, realize that there are several pounds of pistons, crankshaft, and flywheel turning at way past readline RPMs and the inertia of stopping all this spinning iron will really suck "whatever" in really FAST. I've dealt with a runaway that was next to me and it wasn't fun. The couple were about ready to jump ship. Oh, by the way, it will pour out "tons" of black smoke while it's "running away"! The water up here is so cold that jumping ship may be actually worse than staying on board!
Not quite full.
On my H376 when I change oil, I fill it 3/4 to the "full" mark on the dip stick. We dont use or burn any oil. I check the oil each time just in case, but I've heard some of those stories about too much oil, so I keep it just below the line.
On my H376 when I change oil, I fill it 3/4 to the "full" mark on the dip stick. We dont use or burn any oil. I check the oil each time just in case, but I've heard some of those stories about too much oil, so I keep it just below the line.
Runaway's an Over fills
First off check the manual and see how many quarts the engine manufacturer say’s it needs, they have a way of knowing these things, use the recommended amount, check it with the stick, run the engine (check for leaks), then recheck the oil level, add if needed. The mark on the dipstick is there for a reason. Assuming that the correct dipstick is in the engine then the mark is where the oil should be. A little under or over isn’t the end of the world. Keep in mind the oil is also used as a coolant as well as a lubricant. So a half-quart down on some engines may be a significant percentage of the required amount. Over full is not a good idea either. If one does a “google” on runaway diesels you would find that most for the runaway’s are from either stuck linkage or a stuck fuel injection pump problems, (internal rack sticks from wear or lack of lubrication). It seems that the engine that has oil as the culprit is “Caterpillar and that is on their 2 cycle models and even in those engines it is a combination of items and not just the oil foaming that causes the runaway. They have an intake seal problem that allows the oil to get into the cylinder. It seems the seal problem is not a problem by itself but combine it with the oil overfill and off you go. The big question is “what to do if it happens?” There are several ways’ to stop the engine but they all require that the fuel or air be shut off. In the case of the 2 cycle Caterpillars where the oil is the fuel, air is the only answer. If the pump is stuck you could us a vise grip on the rubber hose after the Racor. I don’t think I want to be that close to the engine if I don’t have to be. So air starvation seems to be the best answer. NEVER use your hand over the intake. A heavy bath towel or a piece of wood will work depending on the type of air cleaner. One method that was suggested I think is better than all the rest. A CO2 fire extinguisher, directed at the air cleaner will starve the engine of air. Hope this never happen to any of you but if it does I hope this helps. Vinny
First off check the manual and see how many quarts the engine manufacturer say’s it needs, they have a way of knowing these things, use the recommended amount, check it with the stick, run the engine (check for leaks), then recheck the oil level, add if needed. The mark on the dipstick is there for a reason. Assuming that the correct dipstick is in the engine then the mark is where the oil should be. A little under or over isn’t the end of the world. Keep in mind the oil is also used as a coolant as well as a lubricant. So a half-quart down on some engines may be a significant percentage of the required amount. Over full is not a good idea either. If one does a “google” on runaway diesels you would find that most for the runaway’s are from either stuck linkage or a stuck fuel injection pump problems, (internal rack sticks from wear or lack of lubrication). It seems that the engine that has oil as the culprit is “Caterpillar and that is on their 2 cycle models and even in those engines it is a combination of items and not just the oil foaming that causes the runaway. They have an intake seal problem that allows the oil to get into the cylinder. It seems the seal problem is not a problem by itself but combine it with the oil overfill and off you go. The big question is “what to do if it happens?” There are several ways’ to stop the engine but they all require that the fuel or air be shut off. In the case of the 2 cycle Caterpillars where the oil is the fuel, air is the only answer. If the pump is stuck you could us a vise grip on the rubber hose after the Racor. I don’t think I want to be that close to the engine if I don’t have to be. So air starvation seems to be the best answer. NEVER use your hand over the intake. A heavy bath towel or a piece of wood will work depending on the type of air cleaner. One method that was suggested I think is better than all the rest. A CO2 fire extinguisher, directed at the air cleaner will starve the engine of air. Hope this never happen to any of you but if it does I hope this helps. Vinny
Do Not Overfill
During the Yanmar Diesel class conducted by Mack Boring this past February, the instructor was very adamant about keeping the oil level at the mark--not over and not under. Also mentioned that if you check your oil with the finger loop on the top end of the dip stick facing forward you will get a correct reading. If you turn the loop to the rear of the boat, reinsert the dip stick and pull it out, the reading will be different and incorrect. I tried it and he is right! So, check the manual, fill as indicated on the specs and verify the level with dip stick
During the Yanmar Diesel class conducted by Mack Boring this past February, the instructor was very adamant about keeping the oil level at the mark--not over and not under. Also mentioned that if you check your oil with the finger loop on the top end of the dip stick facing forward you will get a correct reading. If you turn the loop to the rear of the boat, reinsert the dip stick and pull it out, the reading will be different and incorrect. I tried it and he is right! So, check the manual, fill as indicated on the specs and verify the level with dip stick
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