What are the symptoms of overfilling engine oil in a motor vehicle?
2 Answers
Overfilling engine oil in a motor vehicle can lead to the following symptoms: Reduced power output and increased fuel consumption: The crankshaft in a car engine requires lubrication while rotating. However, if the engine oil is overfilled to the point where the crankshaft is submerged in oil, it will create excessive resistance during rotation, resulting in decreased power output and higher fuel consumption. Accelerated aging of internal components: When engine oil is overfilled, the pressure between various parts inside the vehicle increases significantly. Frequent use under such high pressure conditions will cause rapid aging of internal components. Particularly for the crankshaft oil seal, excessive pressure and severe aging can lead to engine oil leakage.
I remember one time I accidentally overfilled the engine oil, and the car started acting up. The most obvious symptom was a sudden spike in fuel consumption - it used to be just 7L/100km on highways, but suddenly jumped to 10L/100km. The engine sound became muffled too, like running in waterlogged shoes - really laborious. Worse still, blue smoke started coming from the exhaust pipe. The mechanic told me this was caused by oil being sucked into the combustion chamber, and warned that the catalytic converter would be ruined if left unchecked. After draining the excess oil at the shop, everything returned to normal. Now I always specifically remind the mechanic not to overfill during oil changes - keeping it precisely between the level marks is the safest approach.
