I've put about 2,000 miles on my 2004 since I got it a few months ago. I checked the oil once when I first got it, just to ensure it wasn't dirty, but didn't notice anything else. I check it again today, and noticed that the level is about one half to three quarters of an inch above the cross-hatched area on the dipstick.

It appears to have about one half to one quart too much oil. How much damage do you think I might have done to it? It runs ok now (but obviously I wont drive it again until I change the oil).

 

No damage,

GM even recommends an extra 1/2 to 1 quart for track cars...

Check your owners manual

Peace
Chip

 

I'd just keep it in there until you need to change oil. Shouldn't be any problem.

 

Ok cool, thanks for the replies. Made me feel a lot better. I think I will change it anyway, especially since I have no idea what kind of oil the dealer might have changed it with (if they even changed it).

 

I'd be more concerned about not knowing when it was changed or what was used.
For those reasons I'd say change it.

 

Another thought is that short trips during Winter and Spring will allow moisture to build up in the oil.

 

The real question is, did the level rise from the 1st time you say you checked it till the time you think it has too much with nobody ADDING more fluid.

 

Make sure you check it on a level surface each time.

Mine is on the money in my garage but will show a diff reading if checked in my driveway,which is not level.

As always,IMO.

\db2
Carolina

 

Your 2004 should be full (6.5 quarts) at the MIDDLE of the hash marks. You have way too much oil in there. I would change the oil. Too much oil will hit the crankshaft and froth up (get air in) oil, not good for lubrication.

When you pulled dip stick was there any frothing / bubbles?

 

I was once told that if you put too much oil it makes more pressure and could cause the oil seep through the gaskets. Is this just a tale of could it happen

 

On a happy note, it appears your car makes oil. I'd just drain out the excess every 2000 miles and sell it on CL.

 

A couple over 3000 rpm shifts will eliminate some of the excess.

 

If you don't know what's in there and don't know when it was last changed, then I'd suggest ou change it NOW.

 

How did you check it?
Warm or cold engine?
Did you first remove it and clean it off then reinsert and wait about 10 secs and then check it again?
It isn't unusual to have oil splash into the dipstick tube to give a false reading. So the car has to set for about 15-20 mins before it is checked.
Was surface car was parked on level?

 

These engines can easily handle a full quart overfilled (maybe even a little more) I purposely put in 7.5 quarts when I change the oil, and have had no problems doing this for the past 6 years.

 

What you talking about Willis?

 

I cannot agree with this at all. In the owners manual they state the following under the Racing or Other Competitive Driving section:

"If you use your vehicle for racing or other competitive driving the engine may use more oil than it would with normal use. Low oil levels can damage the engine. Be sure to check the oil levels often during racing or other competitive driving and keep the level at or near 1 quart (1L) above the upper mark that shows the proper operating range on the engine oil dipstick"

GM's words and not mine. If the 1 quart over were a problem why would GM recommend it???????????? If the oil were going to "froth up" and be an issue I have to believe that higher RPMs would exacerbate the froth if that were going to be an issue. Apparently the GM engineering folk don't feel the 1 qt over is a problem..........

 

What's so hard to understand? If an engine can handle a higher capacity of oil without the crank sloshing through the oil (which the LSx engines clearly can otherwise it wouldn't say what it says in the manual), then it's to your benefit to run that extra oil. A higher amount of oil means there is less overall stress on the oil, which means it can handle longer oil change intervals better. This is one of the reasons European car makers like BMW and Mercedes can specify longer oil change intervals, as their engines take a lot more oil than the average American car. Most American car engines hold 4 to 5 quarts, while a lot of European cars hold in the area of 6-7 or more. Other than the added cost of the extra quart of oil, there are no negatives to adding that higher amount. As I've mentioned here many times in the past, I do an oil analysis after every oil change. So when people question my methods (which seems to be often lately!), I keep saying that I've got the technical proof that what I'm doing is safe. A lot of people here tend to forget I'm one of the administrators on bobistheoilguy.com, so I've spent a lot of time researching oil related topics, especially in the past 8 years.

 

OP could be pushing 1.5 to 2 quarts over full, I am not sure that much extra oil is okay.

One of the reasons they say to add another quart when racing is because a lot of oil stays up in the valve covers at high rpms, it doesn't drain back to the pan fast enough, so in effect you don't have that extra quart in your oil pan. Note that GM says to drain out the extra quart at the end of your track event also.