Car engine oil overfilling (noob)

[AttentioN]

Hi friends,

I've been wondering why I have rather low fuel economy for Honda fit 1.3 (year 2008)

I decided to do a dip stick test for the engine oil. This was done after travelling for 10KM.

I wipe it with tissue.
http://postimg.org/image/q4luzj9qv/


Then slot the dip stick in,
http://postimg.org/image/69a8j14yp/

Its overfilled right?

I get around 11.5-12.2 KM/litre. 60% highway 40% town. I feel my pick up is sluggish also. The engine oil is 5-30W. After checking with Honda fit manual, it should be filled with 5-20W!!!

 

[ZhuTou!]

5w40 also can use
30 or 40 no problem in sg

Engine oil can be overfilled
I heard not good for car

 

[AttentioN]

Do i need to turn off the engine to do the dip stick?

 

[jarred1223]

Do i need to turn off the engine to do the dip stick?

yes. or risk hot engine oil splash out

 

[bolts]

Low fuel efficiency is usually a result or sludge in engine and/or dirty throttle body, assuming all else remaining status quo.

 

[whaleshark87]

Er... I believe your engine is running? The best time to check your EO is in the morning before you start your car.

 

[AL5509]

Hhmm my own opionion, chances of 'overfilled' maybe low.

Why I said so, unless your workshop super don't care and did not empty your EO well and just top up without hacking care.

If not, how will your workshop 'give' you additional EO for no good reasons, for them to pour more, means they waste money on you as you are not paying more thou.

Best way to test as a bro said is to do so in the morning or after your car been 'resting' for a few hours as the EO will cool and settle down.

If still discovered 'overfilled', go service and observe how the servicing is being done for a peace of mind.

 

[Dragon]

Do i need to turn off the engine to do the dip stick?

Yes of course.

 

[elf108]

Overfilling car will feel no power. U know how much oil added when servicing ?
I pass 3quart to mechanic and he only use 2.75 , saying over fill will no power.

 

[ishoppersmarketing]

so old car you should not use 5-20W, but 30W or 40W is more powerful for you. The fuel consumption is high or low?

 

[leslieehy]

Overfilling car will feel no power. U know how much oil added when servicing ?
I pass 3quart to mechanic and he only use 2.75 , saying over fill will no power.

I pass my mechanic the full 4 litre bottle and he nv return me any...

 

[AL5509]

I pass my mechanic the full 4 litre bottle and he nv return me any...

So u bring your own EO for change?
Quite impossible for them to pour extra.
Otherwise suspect they never drain properly thou.

 

[weng]

Hi friends,

I've been wondering why I have rather low fuel economy for Honda fit 1.3 (year 2008)

I decided to do a dip stick test for the engine oil. This was done after travelling for 10KM.

I wipe it with tissue.



Then slot the dip stick in,


Its overfilled right?

I get around 11.5-12.2 KM/litre. 60% highway 40% town. I feel my pick up is sluggish also. The engine oil is 5-30W. After checking with Honda fit manual, it should be filled with 5-20W!!!

your fit is a JDM, so for japan user manual they spec-ed in 5w20 together with other grades. USDM user manual will only have a one and only 5w20 as recommended. singapore user manual won't have any w20, not because cannot use but i believe is more for commercial reasons. it is clear that the engine can use w20. i have been feeding my previous 08 jazz 5w20 for more than 100k over 3.5yrs and uoa @100k and 110k were still giving excellent results.

seriously you may never notice any difference in terms of power and fuel consumption between a good w30 and w20. the difference can be so subtle. so it's really down to comfort level whether to use a w20 or not. w20 still sounds scary to many pple. and many still have misconceptions about thin oils (eg. engine noise, power, wear & tear etc).

i changed to a 08 stream last year. it had ran 100k. to "warm it up", i just fed it with 5w30 for the first run. subsequent 2 oil changes so far are back to 5w20. as long as the engine is not consuming abnormal amount of oil, there shouldn't be any problem. if in doubt, do a uoa and you'll know if it's ok. or for a peace of mind dun even have to worry about anything, stick to w30.

 

[AttentioN]

Er... I believe your engine is running? The best time to check your EO is in the morning before you start your car.

Yeah engine was running. I was looking at some youtube video where they say need to run engine. Will try early morning before i start my car.

Low fuel efficiency is usually a result or sludge in engine and/or dirty throttle body, assuming all else remaining status quo.

Will normal mechanic/workshop do such servicing? I can't just say low fuel economy right? I need to be more specific.. What would you say?

so old car you should not use 5-20W, but 30W or 40W is more powerful for you. The fuel consumption is high or low?

My mileage is already 70000 KM according to odometer.

I think my fuel consumption is high. Using the data from oneshift, I should be getting around14 KM/L.

your fit is a JDM, so for japan user manual they spec-ed in 5w20 together with other grades. USDM user manual will only have a one and only 5w20 as recommended. singapore user manual won't have any w20, not because cannot use but i believe is more for commercial reasons. it is clear that the engine can use w20. i have been feeding my previous 08 jazz 5w20 for more than 100k over 3.5yrs and uoa @100k and 110k were still giving excellent results.

seriously you may never notice any difference in terms of power and fuel consumption between a good w30 and w20. the difference can be so subtle. so it's really down to comfort level whether to use a w20 or not. w20 still sounds scary to many pple. and many still have misconceptions about thin oils (eg. engine noise, power, wear & tear etc).

i changed to a 08 stream last year. it had ran 100k. to "warm it up", i just fed it with 5w30 for the first run. subsequent 2 oil changes so far are back to 5w20. as long as the engine is not consuming abnormal amount of oil, there shouldn't be any problem. if in doubt, do a uoa and you'll know if it's ok. or for a peace of mind dun even have to worry about anything, stick to w30.

What you mean UOA? Whats JDM ? USDM?

I suppose J is Japan. USDM is US.

What was your driving pattern and the fuel consumption that you got for your Jazz?

 

[weng]

Yeah engine was running. I was looking at some youtube video where they say need to run engine. Will try early morning before i start my car.



Will normal mechanic/workshop do such servicing? I can't just say low fuel economy right? I need to be more specific.. What would you say?



My mileage is already 70000 KM according to odometer.

I think my fuel consumption is high. Using the data from oneshift, I should be getting around14 KM/L.



What you mean UOA? Whats JDM ? USDM?

I suppose J is Japan. USDM is US.

What was your driving pattern and the fuel consumption that you got for your Jazz?

UOA = Used Oil Analysis. need to collect the engine oil when draining out, send for lab test where there is a set of metallic/non-metallic elements to test for, each indicating certain aspect of the engine condition. costs about $80 locally.

JDM = Japan Domestic Model. in your case Fit is a JDM and parallel exported to singapore. USDM = US Domestic Model.

mine is probably 50/50, sometimes maybe a bit more highway. mine was a 1.5. getting only about 12.5km/l, manually calculated from litres pumped and mileage ran. dashboard indicator usually indicates about 1 to 1.5km/l better. if yours is really 14km/l, it's very good already considering a 60/40 highway/urban. just curious, from full tank to light comes out, how far can it run? mine averages from early to mid 400s.

70k is also still very new. if you have been doing normal routine servicing and changing what are supposed to be changed, there shouldn't be a problem.

 

[weng]

btw, i haven't seen my stream manual for myself but according to screen shots mentioned in the stream forum, the correct way to check engine oil level is not a cooled engine, but rather a warmed up engine.

forgot exactly but roughly it's like that.... start engine and let it warm up (i think never say how long but just use own discretion). off engine and wait about 3mins. then take the oil level.

 

[AttentioN]

UOA = Used Oil Analysis. need to collect the engine oil when draining out, send for lab test where there is a set of metallic/non-metallic elements to test for, each indicating certain aspect of the engine condition. costs about $80 locally.

JDM = Japan Domestic Model. in your case Fit is a JDM and parallel exported to singapore. USDM = US Domestic Model.

mine is probably 50/50, sometimes maybe a bit more highway. mine was a 1.5. getting only about 12.5km/l, manually calculated from litres pumped and mileage ran. dashboard indicator usually indicates about 1 to 1.5km/l better. if yours is really 14km/l, it's very good already considering a 60/40 highway/urban. just curious, from full tank to light comes out, how far can it run? mine averages from early to mid 400s.

70k is also still very new. if you have been doing normal routine servicing and changing what are supposed to be changed, there shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks for the explanation. Mine should be JDM then. It is indeed PI car. I'm not sure if it is necessary for me to perform the UOA...?

My FC is not 14KM/L. I said that I think based on my driving pattern, it should be around 14KM/L.

I've got some data which I collect using aCar (Android app). This data is from 22 March 2012 till today. I have total of 44 records.

However, this is what I did to filter out the data

• Removed records of partial fill up. (only records with full pump is included).
• Removed records of fill up in Johor
• I only pump 95 oct fuel all at Esso

In the end, I'm left with 26 records.

1. My average fill up is 33.5 litres. (this average is based on 26 records and each and everytime, full tank pumping)
   
2. Over these records, the average distance travelled after light comes out is 385KM. Way below your mid 400 to early 400s. FYI, I do have 7 records which gave me >400KM. the average of these records is just 412KM. Quite sad.
   
3. If you do a simple calculation, you will get 11.5 KM/L of fuel economy. and I think this is low FC considering this is 1300CC car and known to have good FC. I'm not driving like a maniac either.
   
4. I do regular and timely maintenance. (engine oil, tire pressure). Also, when the fuel light comes up, I make a point to quickly find a station to pump.

Would you like to share your comments?

btw, i haven't seen my stream manual for myself but according to screen shots mentioned in the stream forum, the correct way to check engine oil level is not a cooled engine, but rather a warmed up engine.

forgot exactly but roughly it's like that.... start engine and let it warm up (i think never say how long but just use own discretion). off engine and wait about 3mins. then take the oil level.

I think you are right. Below is the screenshot i took from Honda fit 2008 manual. Seems like this test need to be done at hot temp.

 

[weng]

No need to do la. Uoa is more for fun and fyi kind of thing once in awhile.

As for your stats, i really duno what could be the cause liao, unless you weigh in excess of 100kg or lugging alot of things in your boot? Otherwise maybe your trips have alot of start-stops or your right foot not very light? Worst case is something might be really wrong. Can consider checking throttle body?

Btw how many kpa you pump for tyres?

 

[AttentioN]

No need to do la. Uoa is more for fun and fyi kind of thing once in awhile.

As for your stats, i really duno what could be the cause liao, unless you weigh in excess of 100kg or lugging alot of things in your boot? Otherwise maybe your trips have alot of start-stops or your right foot not very light? Worst case is something might be really wrong. Can consider checking throttle body?

Btw how many kpa you pump for tyres?

I'm just 60 kg.. No extra weight at the back. Honda fit don't even have spare tire..

My right foot quite light. From red light, i very seldom exceed 2000 rpm. If ever, only 2500 rpm. Start stops for me will just be traffic lights or some occasional traffic jams. My daily commute is just <10 KM..

Previously, 2-3mths ago, my tired was pump 220 kpa. Now, I pump to 250kpa. Can certainly feel the roughness in my ride.

Whats throttle body? I really need to find a garage/mechanic who don't cheat me...

 

[bernardoh]

1. It doesn't matter if you use 5W20 or 5W30. For a 5 years old car, 5W30 sounds just right to me. On the contrary, I would use a thicker oil once the car is over 3 years old for better engine protection.

2. It is important to get the right amount of oil in the car. Always check the engine oil at operating temperature and not with a cold engine. Go for a 10 minutes drive, park the car and let it cool for 10 minutes before checking the engine oil level.

3. Over filling of engine oil will result in a hotter engine and a sluggish engine. If overtopped, you may drain off some engine oil when the engine oil is cool (e.g. after parking over 2 hours or overnight).

4. Maintaining your throttle body should be included as part of your yearly maintenance scope. The costs is in the range of between $80 to $120 but you can actually do it yourself as it really isn't a difficult job. What you need is probably a carburetor cleaner that is available from most Auto shops. If you have never replace your air filter before, it may be a good time to replace them too for they affect the air flow to your engine.

5. There are many factors that affect fuel consumption but I'll start off with your right foot being the primarily suspect. Start stop traffic also affects FC and you will be amazed at the fuel consumption level if you do a drive up the NS highway.

Hope it helps!