Technical Car/Motor Issues > Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Alanovich Replies: 21
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 11:27 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Alanovich
I did an oil change on our Golf TDi (1.9 100bhp) on Saturday, and have ever so slightly overfilled it.

The oil level is a tiny tad over the max mark on the dipstick, and I'm wondering if it will be OK to leave it like this for a week. It's going in for an MoT next Monday, and I will ask the garage to remove a wee bit then, as I really don't want to (nor have the time to) get back under the car, drain the oil out and refill it again this week. Will I run te rick of causing any damage to the car by doing this? The car will be used daily for a 15 mile each way commute this week.

Also, another slight puzzle. The manual says that the car will take 4.5 litres of oil. I put 4 litres in before letting it settle and then checking the dipstick, which is when I noticed the slight overfill. Which took me by surprise as I was expecting to need to put the last half litre in. I had let the oil drain out completely before replacing the sump plug and refilling, so why doe sit seem that there was oil left in the engine somewhere? I drained the oil with the front of the car up on axle stands, but I can't imagine this caused some oil to be retained somewhere - could it? I checked the level again on Sunday morning after a drive to the local shops on Saturday evening, and the level was still marginally over.

Thanks for any tips.
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 11:35 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Zero

>> week. Will I run te rick of causing any damage to the car by doing
>> this? The car will be used daily for a 15 mile each way commute this
>> week.

If its just a tad over the full mark, a mm or two, then its fine and you need to do no more.



>> seem that there was oil left in the engine somewhere? I drained the oil with
>> the front of the car up on axle stands, but I can't imagine this caused
>> some oil to be retained somewhere - could it?

It will account for a fair proportion of it, yes. The rest is left in oilways and nooks and crannies, you never get it all out.


In summary? if its only a mm or two, forget it.
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 11:44 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Alanovich
Thanks. Yes, it only looks a mm or two. I'll have a check again this evening when the wife gets back with it.

I'm a beginner to this DIY servicing lark. Having a whale of a time, but it's a steep learning curve. The torque wrench purchased from Lidl this week has paid for itself already!

I used Q8 branded fully synth oil from a BP garage (VW 505 01 spec) and a genuine VW filter from Eurocarparts, and the car is noticeably quieter and smoother than it has been all this last year since I had it serviced at a VW specialist indie. I'm beginning to suspect that the oil they used wasn't up to spec, or it wasn't changed at all.

The car's on 81k miles now, it didn't burn or lose a drop of oil all year, I reckon the engine is at its absolute best now. When we had a brand new Touran TDi 105 in 2004, I was for ever topping up the oil between services right up to 50k miles when we traded it in.
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 13:59 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Iffy
Agree with Zero, a mm or two on the dipstick is neither here nor there, these things are not that precise.

Did you warm up the car before draining the oil?

If not, less will have come out, especially this time of year because it's cold.

The car was on an angle due to axle stands and this may have kept some oil away from the drain hole.

Did you wipe some clean oil around the sealing ring of the new filter?

Sounds daft, but they often don't seal unless you do.

And I hope you only nipped the filter cartridge up by hand, many people over-tighten them.

Here endeth the first oil change lesson.

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 Mon 17 Jan 11 14:13 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Alanovich
Iffy, yes, I took the car for a spin to get it up to temperature before draining the oil.

The filters on these cars are cartridges which look like small, cylindrical air filters and go in a metal container from the top of the engine, which is topped off with a plastic screw cap. You unscrew the cap, pull the old filter out on a spindle, put the new filter element on the spindle and replace 2 rubber sealing rings, then screw the cap back on. Really easy job and infinitly better then the usual metal canister type oil filters. I just followed all the instructions in the Haynes manual.

The huge mistake I made was doing it outside on a windy day. As I got the sump plug out, a massive gust took away the newspaper and bowl I had place underneath to catch the old oil and any spills, and blew the stream of oil all over the place. Massive oil patch on my brick driveway now :-(. Grrrr. Live and learn, I'll do it in the garage next time. I just thought I'd be better off outside on a dull day as I'd get more light.

Thinking about digging an inspection pit in the garage now........... :-)
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 14:18 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Zero
It really doesn't matter what you put down, oil will magically migrate to find non protected areas.

When I changed the oil on the lancer last time I watched in amazement as a gust of wind made the last thin stream of oil deviate by 90 degrees and about 24 inches to land on the unprotected part of the drive.
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 14:25 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Skoda
Glad its not just me that cant avoid making a mess.

My cunning plan for this spring is to powerwash the monoblock and lift out / turn over any stained blocks then re-sand it all.

Not that it'll make much difference, i've already had the ear bending for making a mess :-(
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 14:29 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Iffy
...i've already had the ear bending for making a mess :-(...

I have one of these:

www.marinescene.co.uk/view/131/pela-6000-oil-extractor-vacuum-pump

Works well, although a few drips always escape somewhere.

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 Mon 17 Jan 11 14:35 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Alanovich
Oh boy. Might just ask for one of those for my birthday........
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 15:25 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Iffy
...Oh boy. Might just ask for one of those for my birthday...

Yes, pity we are not nearer because it's an ideal tool to share.

All I do is an 'extra' intermittent oil change on the CC3, so my pump is only used once a year.

Some plumbers use them, I believe, for sucking water out of things such as radiators prior to removal.

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 Mon 17 Jan 11 15:30 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Alanovich
Well I've got three cars and I'm planning on changing the oil every 6 months in all of them, so it should get plenty of use chez moi.
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 15:49 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Iffy
...Well I've got three cars and I'm planning on changing the oil every 6 months in all of them...

Worth getting one, and a few other service tools.

I see now why you bought the torque wrench.

Do you have a trolley jack?

That would be one of the first things I would want.

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 Mon 17 Jan 11 15:52 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Alanovich
Yeah, got a trolley jack last autumn when I started working on the Volvo 360.

And last week they had them in Lidl for under half what I paid for mine. Rats.
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 16:01 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Iffy
...and last week they had them in Lidl for under half what I paid for mine. Rats...

There is an argument for having two, although you have axle stands, so two trolleys might only speed up what you can do already.

I think opinions vary on the safety of working under a trolley jack, we used to.

But I wouldn't work under a car propped on two trolley jacks.

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 Mon 17 Jan 11 14:37 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Alanovich
Interesting idea Skoda. Might well give that a go. She hasn't spotted the mess yet.......my ears a preparing to be bent though.

Will any old sand do? I've got a bag of kiddies play sand knocking around.
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 14:24 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Iffy
...The filters on these cars are cartridges which look like small, cylindrical air filters and go in a metal container from the top of the engine, which is topped off with a plastic screw cap...

Ah, gotcha.

Old Morris 1000s and the like had a metal canister - like a mug with no handle - with a paper filter inside.

There was a bolt at the base and a thin 'O' ring to seal.

The ring was in a recess on the engine block and they were a pig to change, but if you didn't the chances were it would leak.

It was recommended to change sump plug washers as well, although we often didn't without any problems.

Some sump plugs had a small, stubby magnet on them to collect swarf.

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 Mon 17 Jan 11 14:54 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - NortonES2
I believe there's a nifty device on the market that fits the sump plug: Fumoto valve. Allows draining off without removing the plug, and useful if the sump is overfilled. Haven't tried one myself but for £20 or so, it might be worth it if I start DIYing again.
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 21:13 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - -
>> I believe there's a nifty device on the market that fits the sump plug: Fumoto
>> valve.

Got one on the pick up, worth every penny, put a pipe over the nipple and drain straight into the bowl...takes a couple of minutes for the oil to drain as the bore is small though.

By the way AV, don't worry i didn't spill a drop draining daughters Civic at the weekend, but managed to spill a good cupful on the garage floor decanting the proper drain bowl into an old 5 litre oil can...bit like lying under the car, best to chuck a handful of grit in your eyes before going underneath, then you don;t notice the subsequent batches.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Mon 17 Jan 11 at 21:17
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 22:12 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Skoda
>> Fumoto

Cheers for the heads up guys, I'm having one of those, ideal!
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 22:36 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Robin O'Reliant
>> >> Fumoto
>>
>> Cheers for the heads up guys, I'm having one of those, ideal!
>>
I may be wrong, but do I remember warnings in t'other place about these tending to leak a few years back?
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 15:10 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - bathtub tom
>>The ring was in a recess on the engine block and they were a pig to change

It was a square section sealing ring and a novice could easily believe there wasn't one in there, put another on top, in which case it wouldn't seal. How do I know that..............?
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 Mon 17 Jan 11 15:20 
 Volkswagen Golf IV - 02 1.9 Oil change - slight overfill - Iffy
...it was a square section sealing ring...

Yes, it was.

So is the term 'O ring' strictly speaking wrong?

I always thought it referred to shape rather than cross-section, but I suppose most rings are round aren't they?

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