I just changed the oil and filled up w/ 7 QTs Mobil one 5w 20...i checked the stick dip and its a bit over max line.

should i drain some out ??

I drove around for an hour or so...thats when i found out.

Thanks!
YOMAN!

2004 FX4 5.4L

 

A little over won't hurt anything. A lot will. I know of folks who, for strange reasons only known to them, have changed the oil by just putting new oil in the engine......without draining the old. Go figure. Blown seals, gaskets, oil and smoke from discharge out of the dipstick tube or worse.

 

Ok, the strange thing is that there are 2 punched holes between the level read on oil stick dip like this O IXXXXXI O .

The oil level read right below of top of punched hole on oil stick dip..

Thanks!
YOMAN!

 

You're cool. An easy way to drain a little, is to remove the filter, tip it over. Let it drain, and re-install. That's about 1/2 a quart. That will put you in the zone.

Horror stories: Worked in a Sears Auto Center...20 years ago. The oil change kids had no idea what they were doing. The oil dispensing pump measured while it pumped. One turn of the clock face was 1 gallon, well theis kid thought it was a quart, next thing you know the kid is complaining that the oil won't go in and just runs out the top of the valve cover. He got 3.5 gallons in it. We just drained it all out, put the correct amount in and all was well. Now mind you if it had gotton started with that much oil, it could have damaged something.

The main reason not to fill past the mark is the oil seal on the crank is designed to repell oil, but it is not a pressure seal. When the oil is overfilled pressure is exerted on the seal, causing a failure(leak).

If you check you oil after a few hundred miles, most of that excess oil will go through and get burned in the engine. No worries.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is that too much oil will cause a lot off bubbles in the oil (I think it's caused by the crank "splashing" the oil), and therefore causes a lack of sufficient lubrication where it counts...i.e. the pistons, valve train, and main bearings. THEREFORE, this will accelerate engine wear. IN OTHER WORDS, no good will come from it. Class dismissed.

 

It's always better to have a little less oil than needed than to have a little more oil than needed. If you're a tiny bit over, I wouldn't worry about it. If you're 1/4" over as measured on the stick, I'd drain a little. If you have too much oil in the pan, al you're doing is causing the crank to slap against the extra oil which A.) creates more drag on the assembly IE. causing a loss of some power and B.) creating aerated oil since the crank is frothing it up as it spins. Both A and B are not the things you typically want out of your engine. Loosing power and creating air bubbles in the oil are things you usually want to stay away from.

 

Next time, err on the low side of the dipstick...about a 1/4 of the way into the crosshatches.