How much oil is too much?
 

A basic question...but it's being asked. :D

Installed a Jackson Racing oil cooler a few days ago and thought I had the oil level ok. After a short drive from work today, getting oil up to temp, I checked again and it's a bit higher than what I saw the day I installed the cooler. That day, it was right at the max fill circle/mark. Now, it's roughly around the level you see here:

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps1n1ho0pk.jpg

I checked my oil containers, and there is probably 6.8qts in the car. JR says it will take about a quart extra with the oil cooler. Anyway, the photo above shows the level with the oil warm. What do you think? I have a track day coming up on Sat at Road America. Interesting how drastically the oil changed between the two days, not sure how that happened.

Just checked it again cold, and it's still above the high mark. Not sure how in the world I filled it that high when I triple checked it 2 days ago. Odd.

Anyway, not sure I'm comfortable with it that high since I'm not familiar enough with the BRZ's. In my ZO6, it's common to fill it .5L over the full mark due to high G load at the track.

Is the BRZ the same way, or will I need to drain the oil?

I didn't put the Fumoto valve in, so how can I drain a little oil safely with the factory drain plug in? Releasing the plug until a little oil flows out of it and then sealing it sounds like a bad plan. Compressing oil into the threads and all that...

Make sure you check your oil on a perfectly level surface. Your concern about overfill is valid. Unless overfill is confirmed safe without a doubt, the full mark is the full mark. The extra capacity taken up by the oil cooler will not reflect on the dipstick.

Now, your concern about oil in the threads? That applies only to contamination in a tapped plug hole where it's possible to do real damage with any incompressible crap. Through holes are no problem. Make sure the oil is cold (duh) and be prepared to struggle getting the plug back in. :)

Time to roll my sleeves up and get a little dirty. Thank you. :cheers:

:party0030: safety glasses.
the only other way is from the top from the dip stick hole with some kind of suction.

Done deal. However, definitely not my night.

Learned two things. One...take more time filling the oil with the oil cooler now in the car. Two...I found out the hard way that I apparently bought the wrong Fumoto valve 2 years ago when I bought the BRZ (just never tried installing it).

Here I am, under the car...sloooowly releasing the drain plug waiting for the oil to ooze out in a controllable state. Didn't happen. Ok, if it's coming out...the Fumoto valve is finally going in. Thought I'd be slick and have it ready in one hand while letting the other drop. Drop the drain plug, on point with the Fumoto...slick as a whistle. Except...it was the wrong size.

Chaos. Oil splashing everywhere, fumbling for the original drain plug, cursing, etc. :bonk:

Thanks again, guys. :D

any recommendations for oil drain pans? My last one the cap broke while I was changing the oil and it spilled everywhere..

Haha... noooooo!

I pictured you just peeling back the drain plug a little and immediately reinstalling it.

At the risk of sounding like a preachy Captain Obvious, don't try reusing the old stuff even though it's new. Not a good place to pinch pennies.

No problem, I appreciate the reminder. I have 3 extra bottles of the AMSOIL I was keeping on hand for the track day. Cracked open a fresh container. :thumbsup:

Keep the rubber-side down and pics or it didn't happen! :cheers:

Bringing this up from the dead. I just did my first oil change after my JRSC went in.

I also have the oil cooler and originally added an extra quart for the oil cooler. My car barely consumes any oil (61,000 miles so far).

Right before I did my oil change, I took a reading. 1/2 way between the two dots. So I'm thinking that I'm a quart low and that maybe I'm getting more blowby with the JRSC.

I drained 5 1/2 quarts out of the engine and added about 6 1/3 quarts. When I checked the oil, it looked a quart overfilled. Just a little bit over the red line in your picture.

I drove it around the block until the engine was warmed up and checked the oil immediately after I turned the car off. Almost the same reading.
So I jacked up the car again and drained 1/2 quarts using my fumoto valve.

Now I'm about half from your red mark. I just called it a day. I don't think that little extra oil would matter much..

So lets do the math.
I started with 6 3/4 quarts and added 1 quart for the oil cooler.
Drained the oil and took out 5 1/2 quarts
Added back 6 1/3 quarts and drained 1/2 quarts
That leaves me with 8.08 quarts in the engine and I supposedly started with 7 3/4 quarts. Assuming that I have no oil losses, I'm 1/3 quarts overfilled.

My perfectionist side wants to drain another 1/3 quarts now, but I doubt its going to matter, so why bother?

You drained it out of the engine but not the oil cooler. Only for your first fill after installing the oil cooler do you need to worry about that extra volume. From then on, a little bit of old oil will be mixed in with the fresh stuff. Don't sweat it.

On the dipstick, between the low and high marks is one quart. Period.

Dipstick is the master reference. A tiny bit above full is probably fine. I don't know how much that tiny bit is. If it's high enough that the crankshaft can whip it up, you will kill your engine with the bubbles. Your call.