[turkbrat]

Hello, and thank you for this great place to learn. I have been reading and learning a lot from this site, and all of you experienced Kia Owners. Just thought I would join in to get your thoughts on my "issue" with my brand new Sportage.
Purchased it on the 14th, with 11 miles on it. That day, we left for 8 days, so the new baby sat in the driveway. Was driven twice since, for a total of 152 miles on odometer. Noticed many oil spots on the concrete from where the car was parked when we were gone. Checked oil level and found it to be over 1/4" above the Full mark. We haven't driven it now since the oil level was noted, and the dealership has sent a flatbed to haul it in.

My main concern is that it is sooooo bad to have too much oil in a vehicle, what damage has been done that won't be realized for many miles? Just afraid that my confidence in my new baby is shot.

Any feedback and opinions would really help at this point, and be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much, and hope everyone is having a great day.

 

[tom93r1]

1/4" above the full line shouldn't blow anything up. It is possible the drips are because the oil was overfilled and the level now sits above the top of oil pan and slowly seeping through gasket there. I wouldn't be all that concerned about latent damage.

 

[Wry 'Cuda]

1/4 inch over is nothing to worry about. Was the car level? Had it been standing for some time before you checked it? Normally, you check it hot, after 5 minutes standing.

There shouldn't be any oil leaks with a new car; slight overfilling wouldn't be likely to cause leaks.

 

[turkbrat]

Thank you both for your replies. You have made me feel much better about damage showing up later. The car was sitting level, on a flat concrete driveway, and it was checked hot, after sitting a bit, and cold after sitting for a day. It was high after all checks, but I do feel better about it now. As far as it leaking from the pan gasket, hopefully they will check that out at the dealership.

Again, thank you so much for your replies, and the ease of mind that I will now be able to sleep.

Will keep you posted as to what they find out.

Have a great night.

 

[Wry 'Cuda]

5 minutes standing with a warm engine is what happens at the dealership, but I've found checking cold is just as good. Even if the car hasn't been running, always wipe the dipstick before checking. (crankcase ventilation system can drag oil down the access tube and cause error in reading).

Over-fill isn't a major problem unless it's grossly over-filled, like a litre or more. A possible cause of over-filling is failing to drain the old oil. -It happens. e.g. draining the transmission fluid by mistake and then adding the normal amount of oil to the engine.

 

[orange kia]

I FIND with mine i have leave the dip stick out for a minute or two if the engine is warm as the seals round the top of the stick stop the oil running down the tube back in to the sump and gives an over full reading , and yes disregard the first pull of the stick

 

[Wry 'Cuda]

Strangely, I just had one of my cars serviced yesterday, and you guessed it, the oil was over-filled by 500ml (There should have been 500ml remaining in the oil container I had supplied). Had to suck the excess out using a 25ml medical syringe and a long tube; messy but effective. Mentioned it to the mechanic; maybe next time I'll give him just the right amount of oil, but I'm sure he'll have some in reserve if he insists on over-filling!

I don't know why they get this wrong so often. Most dipsticks are clearly marked with a hatched "OK" section or a couple of holes/dimples marked Max and Min. Maybe they think the "x" on Max is the correct level? You tend to wonder what else might be not quite right if the oil level is wrong.

Just to round-off my minor rant on dipsticks, I have found that some newbies don't understand the markings. One guy thought that the oil being near the lower mark meant that there was hardly any oil left; "-But that can't be right, because the engine is running fine". I had to point out that the dipstick only registered the top couple of litres, and the "OK" zone normally represents less than 1 litre. Maybe dipsticks should be marked with actual volumes? e.g. 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 litres, with the correct level (e.g. between 4.0 and 4.5) highlighted?

 

[turkbrat]

Hello again, Thank you again for your input as it has been a tremendous help. I just wanted to keep you updated. The dealership called yesterday to let us know that they would be replacing the Transmission, believe it or not. It was tranny fluid leaking all over and not oil. There are 2 "plugs" in the tranny and one was drilled crooked so the plug couldn't seal. Instead of messing around with just changing out the case, they are just replacing the whole transmission.

As far as the oil being too full, they stated that it isn't now, but will check into that further. I honestly can read the dip stick, so please don't feel I'm an idiot or something, it really was high. (and 2 other people checked it too, and said the same thing) I am really relieved to know that it was the tranny leaking and not a huge engine oil issue. Again, thank you so much for your support.

Wry' Cuda, I agree, it really isn't that hard to read the dipstick, and it really is strange that they over-filled it just as we were discussing it. I just couldn't believe it. What are the odds? Good luck with your car, and I hope that future oil changes go much smoother for you. Thanks again for your help.

 

[1saxman]

As the others have said, 1/4" over is not a significant over-fill. I get free oil changes on mine, and I take out a quart with a pump vacuum canister after every change and replace it with a quart of Pennzoil Ultra synthetic. The first time, I took out enough oil to put the level right on the lower dot, but my quart added made it a little over, almost 1/2". I drove it for the next 5000 miles with no problems, then took out more oil the next time before adding the quart. Evidently the two marks on the stick do not indicate 1 U.S. quart, but rather the maximum fill line and the minimum fill line, with the minimum line being determined by the engine characteristics, not simply a quart below the top line as in most USA cars.
That transmission drain plug problem is very rare, and I suspect the truth is that the plug was simply cross-threaded at some point between final assembly and delivery to you.
As to the problem of oil changers leaving the level high, its another manifestation of 'a little extra won't hurt', just like when they put too much pressure in the tires.

 

[Censu]

hi i comfirm with the others that 1/4" extra will not damage any vehicle. i noticed the same situation on my car which has a 17cc diesel and after checking with the dealer he comfirmed that the oil should be checked few seconds after the engine is turned off. i had checked mine after the car was stationary for long a period.

 

[turkbrat]

Thanks again for the input and support. Glad to say that my Sportage is back home, and appears to be in wonderful shape. Have driven it to be sure that everything is in working and non-leaking order. I am so very happy and satisfied with how this whole issue was handled by my dealership, and am now confident in my car, and our "future" together.

Thanks again, and happy travels to all.