Anti clockwise to undo a oil sump plug?

Guys

Just confirming... I am about to empty the oil on the 328. it is anti clockwise to undo the bottom sump plug?

 

Yep - its a standard thread. You will also find that if you can raise the left side of the car a bit as its draining you will get a whole load more out.

If you are changing the filter then pack round the base of it with lots of paper towel to catch the spill & have a plastic bag handy to pop the filter straight into.

 

Iain..

Thanks...

I just need to loose 1tre of oil..... I have over filled her!!! this is the only way to do it?

 

How much have you overfilled it? If its just by a litre then I wouldn't worry too much about it - indeed people often overfill 308s & 328s (especially for track use) - partially gets around the oil starvation problems that can arise on long left handers

It'd be very difficult just to drop a litre out the sump plug I think - you'll end up with oil everywhere I guess when you try & get the plug back in.

I suppose you could drop the lot out into a clean can & then just chuck what you want back in the top......

 

Iain...

Done it! when cold the oil level was approx 8mil above the max level... I noticed that my oil pressure had also increased on the gauge... it was never more that 85psi before I overfilled.. Now it is 110psi when revs are up!

Mind you the oil is black! If I had a oil filter I would have changed the lot!

Just going to check it all over now! What oil filter are your using?

 

High oil level and high oil pressure are not related. If your pressure reading went up it is because of different oil viscosity or an issue with the pressure sender/gauge/regulator, not because there is an extra oil in the sump.

Low oil level and low oil pressure can be related.

 

Brian... I thought that too much oil in the engine would affect the pressure? anyway after draining out the excess oil and getting within the limits it seems that the pressure has returned to normal both cold and hot? ie when cold idle bang on 85psi, once hot at idle its around 50psi However when I turn on the lights all of my gauges (inc the petrol one) raise? Any ideas?

 

I never change the oil without changing the filter too. Always use UFI filters because that's what they sell at the main Maranello parts place at Thorpe (which is about 3 miles from here).

High oil level would not be the cause of increased pressure. The gauges are all electric & based on what you've said happens when you put the lights on I'd be inclined to think the high reading you got was an electrical issue.

Sounds to me like you might have a bad earth (ground) somewhere.

What kind of oil did you put in it?

I.

 

lefty loosie, righty tighty.

words to live by.

 

I can't speak to a 328 but I was able to siphon oil up through the dip stick tube on my 308 once. I inserted a length of clear plastic tubing through the dip stick tube and pumped a bit of oil out that way.

 

Simple!!!!

I was just concerned that the italians had made it the other way round and did not want to damage the threads!

 

I have just put modile 1 10-40 semi synthetic in.

The pressure has defo came down on the gauge..

When accelerating and taking the revs up to say 6000rpm would you expect the gauge to increase slightly from 85psi? At idle when warm it sits at the 50 mark but immediately goes to 85 when driving off..

I Read in another thread that the voltage change could be due to the alternator or battery on its way out? with that in mind my batter goes flat in 7 days if I do not have the trickle charger on?

Cars eh?!!!!!

 

i really feel the italians refrain from counterconvention.
puccini's operas pretty much read from right-to-left.

 

Gauges in the dash seem to vary with the lights being on or off. I think that there is not enough ground in the instrument cluster for all of the bulbs and the available voltage potential drops when all of the little gauage lamps come on, or the ground was adequate back when the car was new, but not so much now.

Still, oil pressure is supplied by the oil pump, regulated by the pressure relief valve to some maximum, goes through the cooler and filter and goes to the engine bearings. As long as the oil pump pickup is sucking oil and not air then the oil pressure won't be affected by how deep in oil the pickup is. Perhaps you have a leak in your pickup tube that lets the pump draw air from the crankcase above the normal oil level? If you can repeat higher oil pressure by adding a quart I would figure out what is going on. If your pump is getting oil and air, that is a very bad thing. If a 1" additional depth of oil in the sump really gives you 20psi more oil pressure you have an issue IMHO.