Oil Overfilled by at least two quarts....should I be concerned?
 

92 300D, head gasket just replaced. When I got car home, I noticed the oil was dramatically overfilled. I drained a solid two quarts....to say nothing of the oil mess around the exhaust manifold. It was driven like this for about 50 miles, mostly highway.

What's the risk of lasting damage to seals, etc...?

Or do I just clean up the mess and drive?

No Damage.

Just drain to correct level...

Lots of oil splattered over area in and around exhaust manifold. Where did it come from?

Maybe clean up and observe if oil is still being ejected? I have a 617 so oil filter is on opposite side from exhaust manifold.

Maybe a leaky valve cover gasket? or air cleaner oil return not hooked up right. If there is too much oil in some of these engines, it sometimes makes it's way into the PCV tube and into the air cleaner and thence down the oil return tube.

Just some ideas. Is it smokin' by the way?

are you sure it's all oil...

perhaps when the shop pulled the head, and coolant got into the block, they did not drain it out and install fresh oil? I find it hard to believe a shop would over fill a car that takes 8 quarts to fill...

It is odd. I supplied them with 12 qts. of oil, so they'd have more than enough. They used 8, yet it was clearly over filled. I don't see any milkiness in the oil, so I doubt there's any coolant in there.

It was smoking when it was overfilled. I would hope it's not any more. I've cleaned it up a bit and tried to observe the source. At first I thought it might be the valve cover gasket. But I think I'm still still residual oil heating up and going different places. I'll have to drive it for a few days and see what I see.

I checked the air filter and it's clean as a whistle.

So what conditions of oil overfill WOULD involve damage? From everything I've read, the possibility exists.

If the crank can reach the oil in the pan it will aerate the oil. The air bubbles in the oil will reduce the amount of oil between the bearing surfaces possibly causing bearing damage.

Yes, that's one of my concerns. I wonder how much overfill, over what mileage, would/could cause bearing damage on a 602 engine.

If I'm not mistaken, the PCV tube extends to the area inside the air cleaner filter not outside. This means the oily blowby gasses will not pass through the air cleaner element but directly into the filtered air via the oil collection area. Any oil condensation should then go down the oil return tube to the crankcase. Some oily gasses will go into the turbocharger and get sent into the intake to be burned which caused the smoky exhaust. I don't think there would be any damage from oily gasses but damage is possible if any liquid oil was ingested by the engine.

If pressure builds up inside the crankcase it might be possible for oil to be forced back up the return tube but I wouldn't swear to it.

I believe this is a major reason for runnaway engines - overfilling with oil. Thank God that didn't happen to you.