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Uh Oh...too much oil in after RMS fix.

Biernuts

NAXJA Forum User
How bad is this...
Last Saturday I replaced my rear main seal and valve cover gaskets in an attempt stop the hemmoraging. It was already a long day and I was exhausted. The car sat Saturday and Sunday I added the oil (while having a few beers with my neighbor) and I drove to work Monday.

Last night I stopped for gas and see a pretty bad drip. Great. So I assume I screwed up the pan seal (I was VERY carefull on the RMS) and it's leaking like a sieve. I check the oil to make sure I have enough to get home and and WHOA! I'm WAY over filled.

I get home and check the trash can and realize I used not one but TWO 5qt containers of oil along with the single quart bottles.

So I've driven 100miles with an extra 5 qts of oil.
I'm draining and refilling tonight but my question is what damage may I have done? And could my massive leak be the result of the extra oil?

Am I the only idiot to overfill his jeep?
 
drain it and call it good...likely no damage was done.

yes the leak was probably from overfilling but hard to say untill you get the proper amount back in and drive it.
 
Extra four quarts - the 4.0 likes to have six, not five.

As long as the crank throws weren't actually hitting the surface of the oil (you'd get heinous vibrations if you did - you'd know it!) you should be fine. That's where the damage from too much oil comes from - the crank throws hitting the liquid and slowing down rather suddenly.

Since you didn't mention anything like that, I'm going to assume it didn't happen for you, and you'll be fine. The oil sump on the 4.0 is HUGE...

5-90
 
5-90 said:
Extra four quarts - the 4.0 likes to have six, not five.

As long as the crank throws weren't actually hitting the surface of the oil (you'd get heinous vibrations if you did - you'd know it!) you should be fine. That's where the damage from too much oil comes from - the crank throws hitting the liquid and slowing down rather suddenly.

Since you didn't mention anything like that, I'm going to assume it didn't happen for you, and you'll be fine. The oil sump on the 4.0 is HUGE...

5-90
I actualy put in 11qts total. One 5qt and one 1qt...then my additional 5qts after the beers ;). So it has 11 now less what it's puked out.

I forgot to mention the low RPM vibes. At higher RPM's it felt OK...I assume the oil was foamed! I thought the vibes were another problem raising it's head (my '89 is a basket case full of gremlins).
 
I've got a couple of those - like my 88 that doesn't like to run with a thermostat...

If it had been a problem, the vibration would have gotten MUCH worse with engine speed increases, rather than gone away. I think you'll be fine - but change/refill your oil, and watch oil pressure LIKE A HAWK for the next month or so to make sure you didn't pound out any bearings. If the oil pressure is stable, and more or less where it was before, I'd not worry too much.

As far as running with too little, would you believe the 4.0 runs just fine with 3 quarts? I had an CCV hose pop on the way back from FarmerMatt's last month, and found out I was low when I got home (it had only just started ticking...) Three and a half quarts later, it was just ducky! I am constantly amazed at the abuse these engines will take - try that with anything new!

5-90
 
They do seem pretty tough. I know the history of this one from day one and, while not phyically abused, it was neglected for a long time.


This is my first Cherokee and I don't know anyone else w/one this old but mine makes all kinds of bumps, grinds, dings, ticks and whines....but it seems to be holding together. It brakes well enough to lock up, doesn't overheat and stays in gear but it seems like every moving part makes more noise than anything I've ever owned.

In the last year i've put about $4K in parts and countless hours of labor and frustration over the last year. I can't figure out why I keep doing that...I could have bought a much nicer used Jeep!
 
Yeah, but you wouldn't have learned as much, now, would you?:roll:

Seriously, tho - Jeeps tend to be noisy, especially the older ones. My wife complains about the "body creaks" in her 89 every now and again, but I think she's finally getting tired of me saying "You wanted a Jeep - deal with it. Try driving mine for a while..."

Sounds like you're off to a good start - and I'd be willing to bet that anything you've changed that's cost more than $20 was original. I've got 250K on my 88, and I change mostly parts that were put on there in 1988...

5-90
 
I'd much rather throw $20-30 at the Jeep every few months than have a car payment. I like working on vehicles and have learned a lot. I've found that most shops seriously overcharge and usually do a rush half-arse job. Like the time I paid a shop to do the rear main seal because I didn't have time. It leaked worse afterward and the shop kept blaming the CCV. I re-did it a month later and found the bugger only replaced the lower half of the seal and chipped the block trying to hammer out the top half. The lying shop owner claimed that new seals use two different materials when I walked in with the black upper half and the new brown lower half.

I'd much rather screw things up myself than trust someone else. I don't really count my labor for jobs I like such as anything mechanical. For jobs I don't like to do, I figure my labor and see if it's cheaper to work some overtime and pay someone to do it.
 
That's pretty much my spin on things - although that makes it funny - I'd like to open a Jeep shop sometime after I get out of CA/Hell...

Why? Because I enjoy doing the work (especially when I have the equipment!) and my personal working motto is, "Cheap, fast, or good. Pick two." I think I do better work than just about everyone else out there, and I'd like to prove it.

The only work I farm out on personal vehicles are tyre changes (I take in four loose wheels,) and Smog Checks (which I can't afford to start doing myself, or I would.) I also think there's a "Jeep Engine Performance" segment out there that's still relatively untapped - and I don't want to get rich (I just want to be comfortable doing something I enjoy.)

5-90
 
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