# Is too much oil a problem? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [November 6, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-too-much-oil-a-problem/69275 "2011-11-06T23:26:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jkliger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ebca7d/32.png) [@jkliger](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jkliger)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-too-much-oil-a-problem/69275/1 "2011-11-06T23:26:09Z")
My mechanic changed my oil and put about 1/2 a quart too much. Can this damage the engine? Should I drain the extra or just leave it alone? The car is a Chevy Malibu 6 Cyl. ---
**Author:** ![katidid79](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@katidid79](https://community.cartalk.com/u/katidid79)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-too-much-oil-a-problem/69275/2 "2011-11-06T23:32:24Z")
I don’t know if it would damage the engine but I would get a juice container or measuring cup and drain that extra half quart out. If you accident drain too much out, you can always pour it back in lol. Yes, I did that once when I was a teenager, got my first car, and my daddy was teaching me how to change the oil in a car saying it was an important skill to have and I dumped an extra quart in. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-too-much-oil-a-problem/69275/3 "2011-11-06T23:32:44Z")
1/2 qt exta oil is not a problem. If you had a few extra qts of oil in the crankcase, that would be a significant problem. Just motor on, happily. ---
**Author:** ![PhillipNeuman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@PhillipNeuman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PhillipNeuman)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-too-much-oil-a-problem/69275/4 "2011-11-06T23:33:09Z")
This is not a problem. If enough oil had been added that the crankshaft would splash into the oil in the pan and cause it to froth, it could damage the engine, but 1/2 quart is not going to do it. ---
**Author:** ![katidid79](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@katidid79](https://community.cartalk.com/u/katidid79)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 11:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-too-much-oil-a-problem/69275/5 "2011-11-06T23:36:24Z")
With a V-6 malibu, it should take 5 quarts of oil. No more, No less. Mechanics usually check the oil after a change to make sure its at a normal level. He probably assumed you needed that extra 1/2 quart because he checked the oil before it had time to settle in where it needs to go. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-too-much-oil-a-problem/69275/6 "2011-11-07T01:21:02Z")
It won’t hurt a thing and consider that 1/2 quart a small insurance policy for oil consumption purposes. Three or four quarts could be a problem but that small amount is meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![SteveF](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevef/32/2_2.png) [@SteveF](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveF)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-too-much-oil-a-problem/69275/7 "2011-11-07T02:09:25Z")
The dipstick mark is just an approximation of the ideal level. A half quart more or less is perfectly acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-too-much-oil-a-problem/69275/8 "2011-11-07T03:28:36Z")
I knew a mechanic who intentionally ran his 1.2L Civic 1/2 a quart over for extra protection. He also had a Weber carb, performance cam and exhaust header. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-too-much-oil-a-problem/69275/9 "2011-11-07T18:23:45Z")
1/2 quart is nothing. Excess oil doesn;t become a problem until it gets high enough for the crankshaft to whip it into a frappe. That takes typically more than a qt. Allowance has to be made in the design for going up and down hills, which raises the level at one end of the pan. Cars in San Francisco would all have problems if the level were that sensitive. ---
**Author:** ![katidid79](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@katidid79](https://community.cartalk.com/u/katidid79)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-too-much-oil-a-problem/69275/10 "2011-11-07T18:33:59Z")
I helped my Dad change the oil in his Ford F-250 Powerstroke diesel pickup and he puts a little extra oil in that thing, its a beast! Personally, I don’t like changing oil in vehicles, that’s why I pay someone to do it unless I’m in a pinch and its oil changing time then I take care of it myself. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-too-much-oil-a-problem/69275/11 "2011-11-07T19:56:50Z")
We have the opposite fears. You’re uncomfortable changing oil and I get anxiety attacks letting someone else do it. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-too-much-oil-a-problem/69275/12 "2011-11-07T20:11:03Z")
I feel the same way as MB…When I change the oil I KNOW it’s done right with the correct oil. I take my time to ensure everything’s correct.