Long story short: 3 days ago I overfilled my engine with 3 quarts of oil (My car has been burning 1 quart ever 700-1000 miles since I got it a year ago). Basically, I lost track of what I was putting into it and went about a month without filling it (or so I thought).

I was driving home and I noticed the engine started to "drag" and when I would 'clutch in' the engine would drop to idle speed immediately, shift, release the clutch, and then it was a jerky and not smooth at all. Later, I started noticing white smoke coming out of my exhaust (I think) and then my temperature gauge shot up to 5 bars.

I turned off the engine immediately and pulled over. At this time the white smoke was coming out of the engine bay and it stunk very, very bad. I towed it to Honda where ther said my engine was shot, and that I would need a new one. I want to try everything before coming to their conclusion.

I towed it to my place, and I just got done putting fresh new oil in the engine. And when I went to turn it on the engine turned (sounded strong) but did not start. What could be my next few options?

I feel like I can get my car back and running.

 

White smoke=coolant, blue smoke=oil...

I doubt it is from overfilling it with oil. Check compression and go from there. At the very minimum I would imagine you need a head gasket.

 

About 3 months after I got the car I noticed that white smoke would shoot out of the exhaust after hitting 6k rpms and above (I never ever saw blue smoke). So I never went above that. Everyone I told of that problem said that it was probably a head gasket.

Honda said that was the 1st option. But they said that I can replace the head gasket but if they find out there is warpage in my engine I would be paying to replace the head gasket and rebuild the engine...

Also, would the engine need to be running to check compression?

 

It needs to be able to turn over to check compression, test is done with engine off. It is either your piston rings or valve seats that was causing you to burn the oil in the first place. I wouldn't get too invested in the engine you have now, I would just start looking for a low mile replacement and someone qualified to install it.

 

Oil over fill by even one quart can result in oil hydrolock, I've seen it first hand.

Remove the spark plugs, then crank the engine.

if you continue to try and start it, you can easily break a rod.

Pull the plugs now and look for oil.

 

dont forget to post those pictures.

 

Now i'm going to ask this question because i'm still quite new to the car scene in comparison to other people, so flame suit is now on and here goes:

I've never heard of oil hydrolock, so i'm googling the shit out of that now. It was always my impression that an overfilled engine would substantially increase oil pressure, and could then cause something like the headgasket to fail as it's traveling through the passages between the block and the head.

Could that have contributed to the coolant he's seeing in his exhaust somehow? Or am I just naive?

 

FWIW, if Billman sAys it, consider it to be accurate. He is "the man"

 

Right for sure, which is why I was asking if my understanding had any validity to it. I came from VW's, where the headgasket could go out if you look at the engine wrong (pre mk4 when they started incorporating metal gaskets in some motors.)So that's where my idea kind of came from.

 

I'm running a little over on the "H" (high) mark on my dipstick. I'm planning on draining some of it this afternoon, but would this amount cause enough added oil pressure to do any damage. Yes, I do know that if there is a high mark on it that it's there for a reason and Honda does have excellent engineering calculations... but in your experience woudl that be enough to "compromise" anything?

I've read multiple threads where people run up to 6 quarts of oil in the F22 and F20. The overwhelming consensus was just that it was a "waste of money"... but that doesn't make it 'right', I know.

Not to threadjack... I think it's relevant to OP