Extraordinary oil overfill

[FranticM3]

So, this past Friday I picked up a semi-high mileage (81k) 08 M3 from a Jeep dealer. They are part of a reputable auto group in my area and happen to be next-door to a BMW dealer under the same ownership.

Anyway, last night, 2 days after buying the car I was going through check control and noticed it had engine oil >max. Figured they topped it off maybe a bit too much so I put it on the lift at work today to drain a bit so I can drive it home without worrying (local BMW dealer was going to deliver fresh oil & filter next day). No big deal, right?

So instead of draining just a bit, I accidentally dropped the plug into my drain pan and said screw it, just let it drain I'll let it sit on the lift until tomorrow and drive something else home instead.

Well, to my surprise, collectively between the front and rear drain plugs, the engine poured out ~15 quarts. The engine seemed to be mechanically sound before this discovery of mine so I'm hoping that when I put the correct amount of oil in tomorrow it will continue to act normal.

The dealer claims they did an oil change on the car during the pre-delivery inspection and that it "should've been fine". Although the oil I drained out looked like it had far more than the 50 miles I put on over the weekend. They are going to check with the service department and will be getting back to me tomorrow. Not really sure what I can expect from them, even if they are at fault for this mishap.

My main question is, if the engine appeared to be running just fine before discovering 15 quarts of oil in it, and still continues to run fine after correcting the issue, should I have major concern that it will fail on me in the near future?

I'm expecting the dealer to own up to this mistake and at the least provide me with some type of an extended drivetrain warranty, but If they refuse than I'm not sure what I should do.

At this point the car is still sitting on the lift at work waiting for fresh oil, and I don't think I'll be getting a good nights sleep, lol.

[gatorfast]

Is that even possible? Thats more than 50% over max capacity.

[jhbrennan]

Where did the oil come from? Crankcase/sumps certainly can't hold 15 quarts.

[W///]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Is that even possible? Thats more than 50% over max capacity.

+1. A couple of quarts over, I can see. But 15?

[tdott]

Realistically 15 Quarts is only about 6 over. Not enough to fill the crank case and give you problems judging by the fact that the engine ran.

Just do a proper fill and see how it runs, my guess is that it will be fine. But still try to see what you can get out of the dealer that sold you the car, extending the warranty would be great.

Edit: Correction, oil capcity is 8.8L, 15 quarts = 14.2L. Therefore its probably closer to being ~ 5.4L over or less depending on how much actually came out, OP said ~15Qts

[kawasaki00]

Even if it was that over filled it is not going to cause any damage. It might smoke for a while though. Wonder what oil they used because I doubt they dumped that much TWS in it, that would have been a expensive oil change.

[dma550]

Wow, draining that must have been a trip, my drain pan can't hold that much. I am also lazy and I have the type with a cap, so I let it accumulate before bringing it to the recycling center and empty. This would have put about 4+ qts of oil on the floor which would have been a meltdown from me of epic proportions!

[FranticM3]

Actually drained it into a 5 gallon bucket, it filled the bucket about 3/4 of the way, little over 3.5 gallons which is 14-15 quarts... Still waiting on BMW to deliver the oil and filter. Should have her up and running again this evening. We'll see what happens.

[Vic311]

Originally Posted by kawasaki00

Even if it was that over filled it is not going to cause any damage. It might smoke for a while though. Wonder what oil they used because I doubt they dumped that much TWS in it, that would have been a expensive oil change.

Totally disagree, over filling oil can cause massive damage. Burning oil is the least of your worries but it can damage plugs and cats. The main issue is oil aeration leading to foaming and starvation, which are likely with an extreme overfill, and will cause damage.

[dparm]

I'm surprised it even ran with a 5L overfill. That is a catastrophically huge mistake.

[kenwelch]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Is that even possible? Thats more than 50% over max capacity.

This oil service gone wrong would be easy to do in the Jeep dealers lube service bay.
We know there is too much oil in the engine and it looks older than 50 miles of use.

The lube tech at Jeep does not often work on BMW’s and maybe never serviced an M3. So he finally figures out how to get the car on the lift and removes the drain plug nearest the front. He has done plenty of oil changes so it doesn’t make sense to just watch the oil drain or estimate the volume drained. The plug is out and he is on to looking up the fill capacity for a "3 series" BMW.

When he returns to the car there is no more oil dripping so the drain plug goes back in tightened to the correct torque on the “elbow meter”. He has only drained the front sump on the oil pan. The front sump on the S65 engine is filled with two oil pumps and has a small capacity. The tech is using a drain mobile that holds 15 to 20 gallons, so he does not check the volume drained.

Now he pulls down the ceiling hose for the lube oil and dials in the 7 quarts required for a “3 series” BMW and begins the fill. When filled he looks around for a dip stick to verify the level shrugs his shoulders and decides that he has the 7 quarts in, so good enough.

Unlikely that he changed the filter because he only did the oil change so the new owner would have clean oil if he looked at the dip stick when doing the purchase inspection. If he did have a BMW filter kit he is still amazed that they put two drain plug gaskets in the package.

Conclusion: A little oil drained out and 7 quarts added makes about 14 to 15 quarts in the engine.

[dma550]

Ken, do you do crime scene reconstructions? If not, then you should

[gatorfast]

Ken's explanation sounds very plausible!

[kenwelch]

Originally Posted by dma550

Ken, do you do crime scene reconstructions? If not, then you should

I teach future automotive technicians. After 40 years you see very interesting repair methods. I have had the opportunity to observe many technicians on the job also.

Another common FWD engine oil change mistake sometimes results in the automatic transmission fluid being drained by mistake.
The new syn ATF is expensive.

[///mawana]

Originally Posted by kenwelch

This oil service gone wrong would be easy to do in the Jeep dealers lube service bay.
We know there is too much oil in the engine and it looks older than 50 miles of use.

The lube tech at Jeep does not often work on BMW’s and maybe never serviced an M3. So he finally figures out how to get the car on the lift and removes the drain plug nearest the front. He has done plenty of oil changes so it doesn’t make sense to just watch the oil drain or estimate the volume drained. The plug is out and he is on to looking up the fill capacity for a "3 series" BMW.

When he returns to the car there is no more oil dripping so the drain plug goes back in tightened to the correct torque on the “elbow meter”. He has only drained the front sump on the oil pan. The front sump on the S65 engine is filled with two oil pumps and has a small capacity. The tech is using a drain mobile that holds 15 to 20 gallons, so he does not check the volume drained.

Now he pulls down the ceiling hose for the lube oil and dials in the 7 quarts required for a “3 series” BMW and begins the fill. When filled he looks around for a dip stick to verify the level shrugs his shoulders and decides that he has the 7 quarts in, so good enough.

Unlikely that he changed the filter because he only did the oil change so the new owner would have clean oil if he looked at the dip stick when doing the purchase inspection. If he did have a BMW filter kit he is still amazed that they put two drain plug gaskets in the package.

Conclusion: A little oil drained out and 7 quarts added makes about 14 to 15 quarts in the engine.

Amazing,..!

[jhbrennan]

Originally Posted by kenwelch

I teach future automotive technicians. After 40 years you see very interesting repair methods. I have had the opportunity to observe many technicians on the job also.

Another common FWD engine oil change mistake sometimes results in the automatic transmission fluid being drained by mistake.
The new syn ATF is expensive.

Ken - any chance of oil hydrolock with an overfill like this??

[0_to_60]

im assuming they only drained one of the sumps and then filled new oil

[FranticM3]

Fresh oil and filter are in. Car still works and nothing seems abnormal. Now to duke it out with the dealer...

[kenwelch]

Originally Posted by jhbrennan

Ken - any chance of oil hydrolock with an overfill like this??

You would need oil level to the bottom of the pistons, which would require more oil. Maybe another 7 quarts??
I'm not sure you could get 24 total quarts in.

[s85e90]

Forget about hydrolocking; cavitation is the problem when this much oil is overfilled. It sounds like OP is having no issues, so good for him! At least you realized their error before it was too late. Too much oil is worse than not enough IMO

[Candide13]

Well who knows. Many of us have suffered through minor overfill dramas (including me), but I have never seen a confirmed engine damage report.

So it might be good thing to hear of an example of massive overfill, and still no apparent damage.

These are tough engines...