Overfill following Oil Change

theone1981 · 09-19-2012, 10:36 AM

Hi All

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I carried out an oil change on my E90 318i M Sport 08 plate last week.

Oil Capacity is 4.3 litres.

I carried out an engine flush before the change to get rid of any junk.

Have stupidly added 4.75 litres instead of 4.3 litres plus 250ml of oil additive.

So I have overfilled (including oil additive) of appox 0.70 litres, approx 0.73 quart.

As my E90 doesnt have a dipstick I've checked the computer which shows oil level at MAX and "OK", not saying there is overfill.

Thing is I dont trust these sensors as much as I do the old dipsticks and dont want overfill issues as I know this can cause major engine damage.

Should I drain a bit out or am I just being over-cautious?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

F32Fleet · 09-20-2012, 04:16 PM

Drain and refill the appropriate amount using what you drained

douwe22 · 09-20-2012, 04:21 PM

^^^ what he said

theone1981 · 09-20-2012, 04:39 PM

Thanks

Will just loosen the sump plug v.slighty so excess oil just drips out then tighten.

Is overfill by less than 1 quart likely to cause major engine damage?

AlanAZ · 09-20-2012, 05:11 PM

If the engine burns oil from the crank splashing oil from an over-full sump can damage the cats, which are expensive to replace.

I'd suggest, when the engine is stone cold and the oil is thicker, and you're not burning your fingers on the drain plug, undo the plug and let some drain out, perhaps into a clear plastic container (like an empty 1 gallon water container with the top cut off -- measure and mark off 1 qt on it.) Top it off over several days of driving, the electronic gauge takes time to give an accurate reading, until full.

douwe22 · 09-20-2012, 06:38 PM

miss the good old dipstick, its a pain using the dash computer.

calicolorado · 09-21-2012, 12:47 AM

As previous posters said, you have to drain and replace. If we had dipsticks, one could feed a narrow diameter hose down there attached to a transfer pump and extract the excess through the dipstick tube. I can do that on my Audi and X5, but not on the E90. Ask me how I know...

theone1981 · 09-21-2012, 03:14 AM

Thanks everyone.

I have driven roughly 90 miles since the change and still shows oil level OK but I am going to drain some tomorrow as AlanAZ suggested.

A neighbour of mine said that if a top up of oil is necessary after draining some out that I shouldnt use the oil I have drained but use new stuff.

What do you guys think?

AlanAZ · 09-21-2012, 09:03 AM

Use new oil, it shouldn't be much.

And when you have the plug bolt half way in, clean the contact surfaces on the sump and plug + washer with a paper towel so that you have more friction once you torque the bolt down (there's going to be oil all over those surfaces, and you don't want this bolt working it's way loose.)

Efthreeoh · 09-22-2012, 07:12 AM

I'm not exactly familiar with the 318 since it is not sold in the USA. But if the oil level monitor is anything similar to the 325 (N52) system, the oil level monitor has a notification of overfill built into it. If your car is not reading overfill, then your probably okay and haven't damaged the engine.

The advice about draining some oil out when it is cold is the best idea if you are concerned about it. BTW, BMW does not recommend the use of oil additives in its engines.

theone1981 · 09-22-2012, 12:45 PM

Drained the excess today. Appreicate the advise.

Yep, the 318i has the overfill notification and was still showing ok since the overfill but dont really trust these sensors. But glad I drained just for the piece of mind. Like other posters have mentioned no dipstick is a real pain.

Had no idea about BMW not recommending oil additive. First time BMW owner and have used it in my previous cars. Any ideas why they dont recommend it?

F32Fleet · 09-24-2012, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theone1981

Drained the excess today. Appreicate the advise.

Yep, the 318i has the overfill notification and was still showing ok since the overfill but dont really trust these sensors. But glad I drained just for the piece of mind. Like other posters have mentioned no dipstick is a real pain.

Had no idea about BMW not recommending oil additive. First time BMW owner and have used it in my previous cars. Any ideas why they dont recommend it?

Your using a high quality synthetic so there's no reason for an oil additive.

09-19-2012, 10:36 AM	#1
theone1981 New Member 1 Rep 7 Posts Drives: bmw 2008 e90 m sport Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: London, UK iTrader: (0)	Overfill following Oil Change - Advice Please Hi All Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I carried out an oil change on my E90 318i M Sport 08 plate last week. Oil Capacity is 4.3 litres. I carried out an engine flush before the change to get rid of any junk. Have stupidly added 4.75 litres instead of 4.3 litres plus 250ml of oil additive. So I have overfilled (including oil additive) of appox 0.70 litres, approx 0.73 quart. As my E90 doesnt have a dipstick I've checked the computer which shows oil level at MAX and "OK", not saying there is overfill. Thing is I dont trust these sensors as much as I do the old dipsticks and dont want overfill issues as I know this can cause major engine damage. Should I drain a bit out or am I just being over-cautious? Thanks in advance for any advice.
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09-20-2012, 04:16 PM	#2
F32Fleet Lieutenant General 3572 Rep 10,352 Posts Drives: 2015 435i Join Date: May 2005 Location: Southeastern US iTrader: (0)	Drain and refill the appropriate amount using what you drained
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09-20-2012, 04:21 PM	#3
douwe22 dual Afe intake/ cobb/ forge dv's/ 94 oct. 10 Rep 309 Posts Drives: 2008 bmw 335xi, 2008 x5 4.8i Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: niagara region iTrader: (1)	^^^ what he said
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09-20-2012, 04:39 PM	#4
theone1981 New Member 1 Rep 7 Posts Drives: bmw 2008 e90 m sport Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: London, UK iTrader: (0)	Thanks Will just loosen the sump plug v.slighty so excess oil just drips out then tighten. Is overfill by less than 1 quart likely to cause major engine damage?
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09-20-2012, 05:11 PM	#5
AlanAZ Captain 40 Rep 818 Posts Drives: E90 325i sport manual Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Scottsdale, AZ iTrader: (4)	If the engine burns oil from the crank splashing oil from an over-full sump can damage the cats, which are expensive to replace. I'd suggest, when the engine is stone cold and the oil is thicker, and you're not burning your fingers on the drain plug, undo the plug and let some drain out, perhaps into a clear plastic container (like an empty 1 gallon water container with the top cut off -- measure and mark off 1 qt on it.) Top it off over several days of driving, the electronic gauge takes time to give an accurate reading, until full.
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09-20-2012, 06:38 PM	#6
douwe22 dual Afe intake/ cobb/ forge dv's/ 94 oct. 10 Rep 309 Posts Drives: 2008 bmw 335xi, 2008 x5 4.8i Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: niagara region iTrader: (1)	miss the good old dipstick, its a pain using the dash computer.
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09-21-2012, 12:47 AM	#7
calicolorado Second Lieutenant 163 Rep 276 Posts Drives: F10 M5 Comp 6-spd Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: SoCal iTrader: (1) Garage List 2015 BMW M5 [0.00] 1972 BMW 200/ [0.00] 2020 BMW X7 40i [0.00]	As previous posters said, you have to drain and replace. If we had dipsticks, one could feed a narrow diameter hose down there attached to a transfer pump and extract the excess through the dipstick tube. I can do that on my Audi and X5, but not on the E90. Ask me how I know... __________________ 2015 M5 Comp 6-spd manual 1972 2002 2003 Audi TT Coupe 225 2011 Highlander 4WD
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09-21-2012, 03:14 AM	#8
theone1981 New Member 1 Rep 7 Posts Drives: bmw 2008 e90 m sport Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: London, UK iTrader: (0)	Thanks everyone. I have driven roughly 90 miles since the change and still shows oil level OK but I am going to drain some tomorrow as AlanAZ suggested. A neighbour of mine said that if a top up of oil is necessary after draining some out that I shouldnt use the oil I have drained but use new stuff. What do you guys think?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

09-21-2012, 09:03 AM	#9
AlanAZ Captain 40 Rep 818 Posts Drives: E90 325i sport manual Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Scottsdale, AZ iTrader: (4)	Use new oil, it shouldn't be much. And when you have the plug bolt half way in, clean the contact surfaces on the sump and plug + washer with a paper towel so that you have more friction once you torque the bolt down (there's going to be oil all over those surfaces, and you don't want this bolt working it's way loose.)
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09-22-2012, 07:12 AM	#10
Efthreeoh General 17309 Rep 18,733 Posts Drives: The E90 + Z4 Coupe & Z3 R'ster Join Date: May 2012 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	I'm not exactly familiar with the 318 since it is not sold in the USA. But if the oil level monitor is anything similar to the 325 (N52) system, the oil level monitor has a notification of overfill built into it. If your car is not reading overfill, then your probably okay and haven't damaged the engine. The advice about draining some oil out when it is cold is the best idea if you are concerned about it. BTW, BMW does not recommend the use of oil additives in its engines.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

09-22-2012, 12:45 PM	#11
theone1981 New Member 1 Rep 7 Posts Drives: bmw 2008 e90 m sport Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: London, UK iTrader: (0)	Drained the excess today. Appreicate the advise. Yep, the 318i has the overfill notification and was still showing ok since the overfill but dont really trust these sensors. But glad I drained just for the piece of mind. Like other posters have mentioned no dipstick is a real pain. Had no idea about BMW not recommending oil additive. First time BMW owner and have used it in my previous cars. Any ideas why they dont recommend it?
	Appreciate 0 Quote