I just changed my oil and filter and the car seems down on power. I switched to synthetic (not by choice, I went to two stores to find conventional but they were all out...).

Anyway, I put about 5.5 qts. in w/ a filter change. I didn't bother to check the stick as that would be too easy

SO....let's say I did put too much oil in the car. What is the effect? And how do I fix it short of draining all of the oil and trying over?

 

I put in 5.1 liters for an oil and filter change. For me, this is exactly dead on at the full mark. Your 5.5 qts is equivalent to my 5.17 liters. You are not over by much. What does your dipstick say? I don't believe your loss of power is related to this slight overfill. If you did overfill, the level would be high enough in the oil pan that the crank would whip the oil up into a froth and bubbly oil does not lubricate well nor would it generate much pressure. You'd eventually just burn it off but in the meantime, your engine might be a bit less lubricated.

 

Be wary of the butt-dyno. "Seems slower" may not actually BE slower.

Alternately, it could be weather. I see you're in Whittier -- we've had a real hot spell in LA the last few days, and our cars are VERY sensitive to heat soak. Take it out at night and see if it feels better.

 

5.5 quarts is definitely too much; I put in 5 quarts and the level is always just at "FULL" after a drive (getting the filter full) and then letting it sit for a few hours (and the oil return to the pan). I suspect that 5.5 is "too much" but probably not enough to lose power... though that is usually a side-effect of too much oil.

That ebing said... I'd consider the other suggestion on "percieved" power.

 

It depends on how well you drained the pan. Most occasions I can get away with 5 quarts, but on those days where the car is tilted towards the drain bolt a bit, I generally need 5.5 quarts to fill it up.

Still offers no explanation for the perceived loss of power...sorry.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by marcucci
[B]5.5 quarts is definitely too much; I put in 5 quarts and the level is always just at "FULL" after a drive (getting the filter full) and then letting it sit for a few hours (and the oil return to the pan). I suspect that 5.5 is "too much" but probably not enough to lose power... though that is usually a side-effect of too much oil.

 

What weight oil did you use?

 

i used 5w30 which was factory recommended?? I have 11k miles and this was my second oil change.

Yes, I thought that it might be the heat too and yes, it does seem better at night. I went cruising on PCH on Monday and I mentioned my "power loss" to my friend w/ an 02 s2000 with the same engine mods as me. He didn't mention any loss in power..although maybe I'm just more sensitive to things like that.

BTW the power loss I am referring to feels like minor bogging, noticable more before VTEC. Seems to struggle/rev slower.

I guess I'll just see when it cools down a bit.

 

Although 5W30 is OK, the factory recommendation is 10W30.
What you describe sounds like heat related "bogging". This can be remedied with some kind of intake heat management. If you're money strapped, do the "radmat". If you don't mind spending a bit of money, get a CAI. Any of these will resolve this issue.

 

Let's assume that all of the x's on the stick equal one quart. If the oil was, say one x too high (less than half quart) would this cause the oil to be whipped by the crank and cause engine damage?

Don't manufacturers build these possible overages into the design? I think 1 quart too much would cause problems but who knows. We really don't know how much oil is too much. When my dealer changes the oil the level is always slightly more than full. I supply 6 qts of Mobil 1. Perhaps I'm running with 6 quarts in my engine?

John