17gs

Aloha all!

I picked up my 17 Grand Sport yesterday from the dealer. They assured me all fluids had been checked. I drove staight home, except to get gas (27 miles now on my odometer).

My bad for not checking it before I left... Today, when I checked the oil, exactly as the manual directions specify, the dipstick shows the oil mark almost 1/4" above the max line. (I also checked it hours later when it was completely cold and without starting... the level was not quite 1/4" below the max line).

Would you say that I am a 1/2 quart over full or is it more?

Do you think driving it at that level of over-filled will/has caused any problems?

And is there any possibility it was over-filled at the factory, or was this a screw up in the PDI?

We're going to extract some out tomorrow.
Thank you for your input.
Jennifer

themonk

Read your manual on how to check oil level.....don't let it be over fill, it happened to me, threw a CEL, had to go to dealership to replace air filter and clean intake.

If you're unsure go to a dealership and get them to check it, your *** will be covered if something happens.

17gs

I read the manual and followed the directions precisely. My husband, who is extremely mechanically inclined (but brand new to Vettes), also followed the instructions exactly. So we know it is overfilled.

My question is, by how much? (It's almost 1/4" over the max line when checked per instructions. It's almost 1/4" below the max line when cold).

And did that amount of overfill already do damage?

Foosh

I don't think you're dangerously over-filled, probably less than 1/2 qt, and no I don't think any damage has been done.

On the dry sump cars, it takes more time and extra effort to get most the old oil out, and, of course, you're never going to get it all out. It's not uncommon that dealerships don't wait long enough, or don't burp the dry sump lines, then fill to the spec 10 quarts, and they end up over-filled by about the amount you report.

Many of us ask the dealership to only put in 9 qts. and give us the extra qt. to adjust the level later. It's a good practice to have the level between the two marks on the dry sump dipstick. That ensures you're not going to burp oil into the air intake. After my last dealer oil change, adding only 9 qts. had it exactly between the two marks.

If you can get underneath the car, it would be easy to just partially loosen one drain plug, and drain a half quart. If you aren't comfortable doing that, I'd take it in and ask the dealer to do it, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

The only oil level that counts is what the dipstick reads between 5 and 10 minutes after shutting down with the oil at normal operating temp. A dry sump car will always read under-filled when cold.

JerryU

Yep is overfilled. if you measure the hatched area on the dip stick it is ~1 inch in length. That is 1 quart. The manual calls that the MIN level and says when it reaches that line add a quart, which brings it to Max.

Some of us keep the level 1/2 inch below MAX i.e. 1/2 quart under max and 1/2 quart over min.

Did you cause oil to come out of the dry sump tank and go into the air intake tube? (That is where my "burped air" hose goes in my 2014.) My guess is not if you drove slowly. With that low mileage are all the antifoam additives in that first fill depleted?(That is the reason for the required 500 mile oil change in only dry sumps.) I doubt it.

You could do two things, IMO. On your own use a syringe with a hose attached, etc. remove the oil fill cap on the dry sump tank and remove 1/2 quart. (I bought one from Walmart for ~$5 that I sold yo measure oil to mix with gasoline in 2 cycle engines. It's in the automotive products area. I use it to change the clutch fluid each year, using the Ranger Method.) However not sure you can get the small hose past the baffles in the tank. Others have tried to get a small hose in the dip stick hose but as I recall it did not work. (Quick check with search did not find an answer to the best way to remove 1/2 quart, perhaps a poster who has done it can advise.)

Or drive slowly back to the dealer and have them remove a 1/2 quart and tell them to leave it half way in the hatched area. You could have them check to see if any oil burped into the air intake with the burped air. That requires for my 2014 dry sump removing the air intake tube.

The probability, IMO, is you have no damage but why risk oil foam forming as you put on the 500 miles before they change the antifoam depleted oil. You can't change it sooner as it apparently takes driving 500 miles and getting the oil hot to have the silicone engine seals cure and stop any silicone going into the oil. If changed before there would still be silicone contaminating the new oil fill! The dealer could do both, change now, fill properly and change again at 500 miles.

Depending on the dealer they may say 1/4 inch over fill is fine. If it were my GS I would NOT accept that answer.

FWIW.

JerryU

FWIW did a Google search and found this old Tread re draining a small amount of oil from a C6:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-dry-sump.html

There is a pic of a poster doing what I would have tried had a C7 poster said it didn't work (since I have a fish tank!) Use a long piece of aquarium hose stuffed down the oil dip stick hole! As it shows it will take a long piece and although it doesn't say, it will take a long time! I would just suck on the long hose until it was flowing down past the tank bottom and let it sit in a container! I recall a post saying that was tried but perhaps not properly.

Side Note: As you already found if you wait too long the oil will drain back from the tank to the oil pan past the scavenge pump gears. Suggest you want to drain when the oil is cold and when I waited several days and did what you did, it was below the end of the dip stick! You can start the cold engine for a few minutes and it will pump back to the tank when you're ready to drain.

17gs

Thank you so much gentlemen! My husband will drain it out tomorrow.�� Most of my 27 miles was luckily under 50 mph, with only once hitting 70-75 for a 1/4 mile, and never over 4000 rpm.

themonk

Hey 17 (Remember Hey 19 by Steely Dan? ) don't let your husband go near the car, it's brand new, if you're unsure GO TO THE DEALERSHIP, you get 3 oil changes for free and it won't cost you a cent to get it checked out if you're unsure......husbands near tools unless they know wtf they're doing is a no go.

I can't begin to say how much is wrong with this.....I'm sure it's fine but if you want to sleep at night go to the dealership and ask them, don't rely on what you read on here as much as we try to help.

17gs

Aww Monk.. I chuckled at that .... about the only thing my man can't figure out or do, is painting. And sometimes I think that's just a play so I'll do it. The Scoundrel! He's pulled engines and changed transmissions in cars, trucks and boats, rebuilt motorcycles and diesels, and most importantly, is one deadly Marine on a machine gun. I'm just a worry wart when it comes to my baby and this is my (our) first time with a dry sump engine. Always like to collect Intel before setting a plan in action.

themonk

How many dry sump engines has he checked the oil on?

Hey, I can rewire an ignition, install a disabler, remove a cluster and change a faceplate, hot wire any vehicle but that doesn't mean I'm an expert on everything that has to do with the C7......peace of mind is invaluable.

USe-car

This oil level discussion is only one reason why I didn't buy the Z-51 package. I learned on dry sump motorcycles how much of a hassle it is to check/change the oil.

thirtythird

If you are mechanically inclined it's no big deal.

I warmed it up a bit and waited about 30 minutes before starting the oil change.

Drain the oil and replace the filter. Gave it about 30 minutes to drain via both plugs. I was also careful to not let oil hit the oil cooler next to the filter.

Put in 9 quarts and later checked. Right in the middle. Yes .8 qt was still in there. No big deal to me. Not overfilled. Not worried.

JerryU

Sounds like me! Although a gear head who stuffed an Olds engine in my '41 Ford Coupe when I was 17 and have 1000+ hours in the construction of my current ProStreet Rod where I used an engine lift on the 502 cid big block assembled from 35 parts supplied in a crate by GM, I "don't paint or put dishes in the dishwasher" good enough for my wife! So she does it! There are some other things I also don't care to do so when asked, do them poorly!

I'm sure he'll enjoy figuring the best way to get 1/2 quart out and do a fine job on your baby!

rrsperry

WTF? It's brand new from the factory? (the just picked up car from the dealer comment) It's not over filled to the point of being dangerous. Just drive the car. Make sure it's fully warmed up, shut it off, wait 5 mins, No more, no less, and check the oil. Then go drive it more.

Have fun.

17gs

So this morning my husband went and bought a fluid extractor from Autozone and some extra tubing, as the tubing included with the extractor didn't reach far enough into the dipstick. It was super, super simple and worked pretty much like a syringe drawing blood. We extracted about 12 ounces of oil and she's now below the max fill line. All is good! Thank you JerryU for the syringe idea and to everyone for your input and ideas!

Zaphod B

I did pretty much exactly the same thing after discovering that the dealer who did my 500-mile oil change had overfilled by a little less than 1/2 qt. It's a no-brainer - glad you guys got it worked out.

Foosh

The simplest thing anyone can do to avoid this is to be emphatic w/ the service department that ONLY 9 qts. is to be put into the car after old oil is drained, and that you want the extra qt. to take home and adjust later.

Patches

Bill Dearborn

The recommended fill for running on track is a 1/2 quart over full. That puts the oil level shown on dipstick about where you saw it. A half quart over full is 10.3 quarts of oil in the system. Since you don't really know for sure how much oil is in the system I agree that pulling some out until the level is at the top dot should be done. I would not recommend taking it less than the top dot.

When I change the oil to the GM recommended 15W50 Mobil 1 with an additional 1/2 quart over fill I leave the oil in the system between track events. It hasn't harmed anything.

There are some people who get terribly **** over the oil level. You really don't need to worry about it as much as they do.

Bill

Foosh

I agree about the overly **** part Bill. My first response above to the OP was that it's not a big deal. However, we have seen cars burping oil into the air intake, which one might logically assume is more likely the more oil is in the system. With all the concerns about valve coking on DI engines, I think people are just trying to take as many precautions as possible.

You also say you wouldn't recommend going below the top mark, but the manual clearly says anywhere between the top and bottom marks are acceptable.