overfilled the DODGE 2003 GRAND CARAVAN during oil change

I'd go ahead and remove a quart. Having the level too high puts it in greater contact with the spinning crankshaft and it get splattered around a lot more inside the engine. It might be fine, but there are some problems that can result from that.

Or possibly create Hydraulic Lock if the oil pressures itself past the seals...

If you replaced the filter, but have not started the engine yet, you may be seeing the filter volume (which will go away when you start the engine).

Otherwise, if you have really overfilled it, then drain out a quart or so.

You can tolerate a little overfill with no problem, but a quart or more is too much.

Are you sure you put in too much oil? I had a Dakota that took 6 qts in the 4.7 V-8. I was the first person to change the oil and the dip stick showed that it was over full. I was positive I only put in 6 qts. with the filter. I found out the Dakota had the wrong dip stick. I never found the correct dip stick, so I just filed a notch where the FULL level was.

Hank

Oil is under pressure. If there is too much oil, and the pressure builds, then it can push out seals meant to keep it out of places. If the OP is luck, it will push a seal out at one end of the engine or another and leak onto the ground or into the tranny (depending on your definition of "luck")

If not, it can push out the valve seals and drop into the engine, and since a liquid cannot be pressurized...BANG! Hydraulic Lock...

There is nothing accurate in this post... The oil pump is sucking oil out of the oil pan which is essentially a bucket. The oil pump has no idea if there is 1 quart of oil in that bucket or 300 gallons of oil in that bucket. The problem with overfilling is that the spinning crankshaft comes in contact with the oil. The whipping action of the crankshaft will aerate the oil and turn it in to a foamy froth. The oil pump can not pump this froth so you loose oil pressure and soon after loose an engine if you don't stop.

Valve seals are not exposed to pressurized oil. Any lubrication needs they have are handled by oil splashing off the other valve train components.

Steve B.

You are correct Steve. Also, don't the oil pump have a pressure relief valve built into them so that excess pressure doesn't build up?

Hank

Hank

Oh wow that's quite the story. Liquids can't be compressed eh? Well damn, that's just re-writing the laws of physics right there. I guess oil doesn't burn in the combustion chamber either. You learn something new every day.

While he's wrong about the oil "locking up" the engine, it is indeed true that liquids can't be compressed. You can put pressure on a liquid, but you can't compress it. There's a difference. That's the fundamental principle of how hydraulic systems work...

Perhaps you should have paid more attention in that high school physics class...

'88 Honda Accord. JiffyLube overfilled it by three quarts. I don't know how it happened, I know they gave me a new engine...I'm just going by what the Honda Service Manager told me. I figured he knows what he's talking about...

The oil sitting in the pan is not under pressure (under normal conditions in most engines, I am sure if I didn't write this someone would find a some engine made in east germany in 1961 that was in 45 cars that had the oil in the pan pressurized and call me a dumbass for not considering it). The oil in the passages is. The pump picks up the oil and it is pumped through the system then returns to the pan. The oil pressure builds against the resistance of pushing the oil through the small passages, bearings, etc.

When an engine is over filled with oil, the oil pressure doesn't increase, the crank dips into the oil in the pan splashing it around. The oil get frothy with air and then these air bubbles are in the oil as the pump picks it up and circulates it. Of course air doesn't do a good job lubricating internal engine parts and the engine fails.

Kip Adotta you ain't.

Ted

True enough, but then you chose to question another poster regarding his experience with a 3 quart overfill on his Honda.

Why would you picture damaged seals? It does not matter how much you overfill the system... the oil pressure will not go up. Think of a gas pump at the gas station. There could be 300 gallons of gas in the underground tank or 3000 gallons of gas in that tank. It makes no difference in the amount of gas coming out of the nozzle at your pump until the level gets low enough that the pump starts sucking air.

With a 3 quart overfill you should picture bearings destroyed by a lack of lubrication. With that much overfill the crank will whip the oil in to a froth and the oil pump can't pump froth effectively so your oil pressure goes down until you stop or the engine stops.

The seals aren't subjected to any serious pressure. They mostly just keep the splashing oil from leaking out. Worst case scenario is a seal would be sitting in oil and might leak a little until the oil level drops back under it.

Steve B.

BTW,

I was the original poster. and after a few days, I took it to WALMART and got the oil changed for 18$. As I did not have the time/energy to try to drain out accurately I quart.

My van works fine, I hope so.

I think I drove only 20-30 miles with the extra quart... I hope I did not cause any damage.

Are you sure you had an extra quart in the crankcase? I typically see an overfill on the dipstick after changing oil and filter. I add the exact amount specified in the manual and it always looks overfilled. I've noticed the same thing on several cars I've owned and never had a problem.

Hi...

Does it still check over-full after running it long enough to fill the filter?

Take care.

Ken

Was that all? An extra quart? I thought it was more than that!

I fill my Toyotas (and my GR Vger when I had it) with the proper amount of oil, less one-half quart; then I put in a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil. No probs, until I did this on the Honda (same one with the blown engine...I started doing my own oil changes after that!) and the car wouldn't start!