# Oil overfilled by about 1/2 quart

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** venza, toyota\
**Created:** [April 4, 2021, 4:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978 "2021-04-04T04:20:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gdan29](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4bbf92/32.png) [@gdan29](https://community.cartalk.com/u/gdan29)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 4:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/1 "2021-04-04T04:20:39Z")

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I’m going to pick up a 2010 Toyota with a 2.7 and drive it 1,500 miles I checked the oil dip stick and it’s very clean but it is over filled about a 1/2 a quart.  
Is it ok to drive it like this or should I try to suck some of the oil out thru the dipstick tube.

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**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 4:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/2 "2021-04-04T04:22:28Z")

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A half a quart is nothing to worry about.

Tester

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**Author:** ![gdan29](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4bbf92/32.png) [@gdan29](https://community.cartalk.com/u/gdan29)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 5:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/3 "2021-04-04T05:09:56Z")

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Thanks Tester.

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**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 5:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/4 "2021-04-04T05:27:55Z")

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My trucker bud used to take his kids cars for oil changes and threw an extra quart in as soon as the car got home. Not saying it is right, but never seemed to hurt anything

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**Author:** ![NYBo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nybo/32/17281_2.png) [@NYBo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/NYBo)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 1:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/5 "2021-04-04T13:39:17Z")

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How do you know it’s half a quart? Just because it shows half the length between full and down 1 quart doesn’t mean it’s up half a quart. The oil pan gets wider at the top.

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**Author:** ![gdan29](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4bbf92/32.png) [@gdan29](https://community.cartalk.com/u/gdan29)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 5:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/6 "2021-04-04T17:11:12Z")

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I’m just going by the the dip stick. So it may be more than a half quart.

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/3/4/34d2d1f4d4853c65d1fd9e9c76678deb765f0e31.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 6:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/7 "2021-04-04T18:04:54Z")

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The Venza engine oil capacity is 4.6 quarts.

Whoever changed the oil just added 5 quarts which is what most people would do.

My Accord takes 4.6 quarts.

Guess what I do?

I add 5 !

It’s meaningless.

Tester

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**Author:** ![davepsinbox\_157004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@davepsinbox\_157004](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davepsinbox_157004)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 8:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/8 "2021-04-04T20:21:32Z")

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Just about every time I’ve had my oil changed, afterward it was sitting above “full.” Tester explained it: oil comes in even quarts. It only becomes an issue if the oil level is high enough for the crankshaft to hit the oil because then you get a crankcase full of foam. Fortunately, engines are designed with enough clearance between the oil and the crankshaft that an extra 1/2" of oil doesn’t matter.

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**Author:** ![auto-owner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/50afbb/32.png) [@auto-owner](https://community.cartalk.com/u/auto-owner)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 2:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/9 "2021-04-05T02:05:49Z")

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For what it’s worth, I’ve had several engines that, the fuller with oil, the more they tended to use.  
I kept them down close to the Add line.

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**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 2:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/10 "2021-04-05T02:12:40Z")

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> [@auto-owner](#):
>
> I kept them down close to the Add line.

I really hope no one follows that **terrible advice**. Why do you think the dip stick is marked add and full anyway ?

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**Author:** ![auto-owner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/50afbb/32.png) [@auto-owner](https://community.cartalk.com/u/auto-owner)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 2:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/11 "2021-04-06T02:16:13Z")

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Do you have any evidence that keeping oil level at just above Add line does any harm?  
Didn’t think so.

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**Author:** ![auto-owner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/50afbb/32.png) [@auto-owner](https://community.cartalk.com/u/auto-owner)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 9:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/12 "2021-04-06T21:08:34Z")

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To better explain, I wasn’t advising anyone to keep oil level at nearly Add mark. The over-full crankcase question got me wondering if that might cause or contribute to oil consumption, as with the very few motors I’ve dealt with that seemed to use more oil when at the Full mark.  
Sorry for any confusion.

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**Author:** ![thegreendrag0n](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/thegreendrag0n/32/9265_2.png) [@thegreendrag0n](https://community.cartalk.com/u/thegreendrag0n)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 9:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/13 "2021-04-06T21:59:56Z")

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I can **guess** that having lesser oil in the system makes it cycle faster, resulting in faster “oil wear”, so I would rather guess that keeping oil level closer to low mark would contribute to the faster burn/evaporation via higher temperature

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**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:** [April 6, 2021, 10:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/14 "2021-04-06T22:07:13Z")

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> [@auto-owner](#):
>
> The over-full crankcase question got me wondering if that might cause or contribute to oil consumption, as with the very few motors I’ve dealt with that seemed to use more oil when at the Full mark.

My guess is that with (older) engines that don’t have a baffle below the crank, having the oil level closer to the spinning crank whips up a little more mist, which goes into the PCV system.  
It’s just a guess, so nit-pickers please stand down.

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**Author:** ![LeonRaihn](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/leonraihn/32/24497_2.png) [@LeonRaihn](https://community.cartalk.com/u/LeonRaihn)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 10:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/15 "2021-04-06T22:08:00Z")

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just watch out not to overfill more… because the overfill can be from petrol of cooling liquid in the motor

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**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 10:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/16 "2021-04-06T22:15:51Z")

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> [@LeonRaihn](#):
>
> just watch out not to overfill more… because the overfill can be from petrol of cooling liquid in the motor

What in the world are you talking about ?

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**Author:** ![davepsinbox\_157004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@davepsinbox\_157004](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davepsinbox_157004)\
**Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 12:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/17 "2021-04-07T00:19:48Z")

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> [@VOLVO-V70](#):
>
> What in the world are you talking about ?

LeonRaihn appears to be reminding us that an overfull crankcase might be caused by a fuel leak or bad head gasket and not just excess oil.

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**Author:** ![thegreendrag0n](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/thegreendrag0n/32/9265_2.png) [@thegreendrag0n](https://community.cartalk.com/u/thegreendrag0n)\
**Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 1:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/18 "2021-04-07T01:15:06Z")

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… or from design issue like recent Honda’ turbo engines had on CR-Vs, where short tript were dumping tons of fuel into the engine

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**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\
**Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 2:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/19 "2021-04-07T14:18:57Z")

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Will car burn any oil in 1500 mi trip?

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**Author:** ![davepsinbox\_157004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@davepsinbox\_157004](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davepsinbox_157004)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2021, 12:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978/20 "2021-04-08T00:11:16Z")

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> [@Cavell](#):
>
> Will car burn any oil in 1500 mi trip?

Probably. My 2009 Corolla would probably burn a bit under a quart, less right after an oil change. All the more reason to have a bit of extra oil.

[Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-overfilled-by-about-1-2-quart/175978.md?page=2)
