How can my 308 have too much oil in it?

Completed the oil change this week on my 84 308QV...

Dipstick is now showing as a fair way over max (after sitting overnight) but only 8 litres (2.11 us gal) was put in as the manual says. Should I be worried or is there some leeway built in? I used a friends lift some miles away so it wouldn't be particularly easy to drain some out at this stage although of course I would if I had to.

Thanks for any help.

 

There have been threads on this. The oil drains into the sump when the car sits overnight, and the reading on the dipstick will show that the car's filled above the max mark -- this is normal.

The correct way to check the oil level is to do it just after you switch the engine off, just as the manual says -- if you do this, you'll probably see that the level indicated on the dipstick is within normal limits.

Some people have let their car sit overnight, and have scribed a light line on the dipstick to indicate the normal oil level after the car has been sitting for a while.

Do a search on the threads and see if you can find a better explanation. Here's one:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=169480&highlight=mark+dipstick

 

Normally it is recommended to check the level straight after turning the car off before it all drains back to tank. I have a dry sump and thats what my manual says, but, I am pretty sure the method of checking is the same.

 

Thanks guys, should have done a search first

 

No Probs John, sometimes you can't find what your lookimg for, trust me I have used the search b4 and had no luck.

This forum is a must have if owning one of these OHOS.

Theres always someone out there that can help. Great community.

 

John,

Remember, about a quart of oil goes into the oil filter. If you put the recommended amount in and did not start the engine, and then checked it, it will show really high on the dipstick. Also, even though the filters are supposed to have an anti-return valve in them, when you let them sit, they do drain back down into the engine. Unlike most engines we are used to, the filter here is on the top, upside down, not on the bottom as you ordinarily find. That extra quart of oil probably accounts for what looks like being overfilled. As noted, check it right after running the engine, and you'll probably find that it's right on the correct fill mark.

Hope that helps,
Steve

 

or perhaps you dropped the gear box oil instead of the motor oil? there are a few threads on that error. if you did this, you have twice the oil in the engine? do a search on that one............

 

Thankfully I'd heard about others making that mistake before I started, it does make you wonder just how much oil the engine could actually take before it overflowed!

 

John has a QV. The proper method for checking the QV oil is to warm it up, then shut down and wait 15 minutes before checking. The 2 valve cars are supposed to be checked immediately after shut off.

It's in the owner's manual.

Birdman

 

Could 15 minutes really matter?

 

Yes, it does. This is one of those procedures you should just follow, as-written. Take care to follow the directions of YOUR owners' manual, not the one to someone else's model/year, otherwise it will take you three hours to change your oil. If you do NOT know, in-advance, how much oil your engine needs, you may end up in a lengthy cycle of warming the car up, shutting it down, waiting 15 minutes, taking a reading, adding some oil, warming the car up, shutting it down, waiting 15 minutes, taking a reading, adding some oil.......all 308 owners should experience the joy of a 3-hour oil change just once!

 

Contrary to what most people believe, the anti-drainback valve in an oil filter only holds oil for an hour or two. The 15 minute rule, I believe, is to allow a reading that incorporates enough time for all the oil in the engine to running back into the sump, but not long enough that the oil in the filter dribbles out.

On the 2 valve cars, they calibrated the dipstick so that you checked it immediately after shutdown when none of the other oil has a chance to run back into the sump. I have no idea why.

I have no idea what the dry sump cars procedure is, but for the wet sump cars, ALL 2 valve engines (carb and injected, 308 and Mondial) call for checking immediately upon shutdown and all 4 valve cars (including 308 QV, Mondial QV, 328, Mondial 3.2) call for checking after 15 minutes.

Birdman

 

basically the same on the drysump cars. Checking immediately after shutdown.
Worst error I have seen on the drysump cars was by an owner who apparently was illiterate but had a Porsche 911 prior to his 308 GTB. He checked the oil level while the engine was running. While this is correct on the 911 P-cars, it is plain stupid on the drysump Ferraris. Because the upper oil return line on the tank always supplies oil and splashes the dipstick, he always got a 'full' reading on the dipstick. In the end he was 4 quarts low, when I explained him his error. Worse; he did not believe me and insisted and continued on his ' running engine procedure '. Because there's no german language owners manual for the early cars - only english, french, italian - I translated the important chapter word by word, but still had no success in convincing. No clue how the engine ended.

Something different; Birdman you say, that the anti-drainback valve in the oil filter only holds oil for a couple of hours. Recently I had a problem with a Baldwin 253 oil filter. They seem to fail too. Since several weeks I drive my car almost every day. Suddenly I took notice of an unusual delay in oil pressure buildup on startup in the morning.
Easiest solution to try first, was replacement of the oil filter. And the problem was gone.
I assume, that the anti drainback valve in the oil filter somehow failed or at least didn't work properly. Therefore I thought, that the anti drainback valve should hold the oil significantly longer, than the few hours, like you say.
A few years ago I had a similar problem with an UFI filter. Sudden delay in oil pressure buildup in the morning. The reason was evident here. When I had removed the oil filter and shook it, there was a rattling noise. At further examination I found a loose standpipe. No such thing on the Baldwin, but something must have been wrong too.

Best Regards from Germany

Martin

 

Birdman,

Just an FYI. My 1981 308 2V owner's manual says oil check should be made with a warm engine and waiting a few minutes after stopping. It further says, "Wait for 15 minutes for percise checking."

V/r,

Mark

 

Mark,
You are absolutely right. I should have double checked before I posted. It is the carb cars only that you check immediately on shutdown, and the injected cars wait 15 minutes. Sorry everyone!! Like M. James said above CHECK YOUR OWNERS MANUAL and don't rely upon some doofus named Birdman on fchat to tell you how to check your oil.

Birdman

 

I have used both Baldwin and UFI and found neither of them to hold the oil for more than a couple hours, but hey, maybe they are supposed to and I keep getting the busted ones! I would believe it. I have found that if I want to change my oil without a big mess, I run the car for a while to warm it up, put it on the lift, drain the warm engine oil, then let the car sit overnight. The next morning, there will not be any oil in the filter to make a mess on the engine when I remove it. The one time I did it shortly after shutdown, I made a huge mess when I unscrewed the filter!

Birdman

 

Sorry Buddy, didn't mean ANYTHING by it. Your advice is (almost))) always SPOT-ON or errs on the side of caution. You have saved some people some BIG BUCKS & Headaches) on this forum including me!!!! When you talk (type), I listen.

I trust you (but verify if possible, as I do anyone else) as I hope ANYONE would do the same to me. I am a novice but my learning curve is near verticle. My knowledge of these cars has increased 10000000000 fold in the past 13 months of ownership and I am still a dummy.

I 100% concur with the advice above, change your own oil according to the OM w/o running it. Then scribe the dip stick. That way you can check the oil BEFORE running the car (assumiing you drive it only on weekends). Checking after the fact, you have just run the crap outta it as it was meant to be, is just plain S T U P I D. Another wine and spagetti decision moment that made it into the OM IMHO.

V/r,

Mark

 

Mark,
I'm glad you caught my mistake!! That's the good thing about this forum...between all of us, we are bound to get some stuff right now and then!

Birdman

 

My owners manual on page 59 Carry out this operation with a warm engine just after stopping; in this way radiator oil does not discharge into the sump.
My manual is Green North American Verson.
The previous owner told me it had to be done within 30 seconds of shutting off the engine.
Takes me 30 seconds to get out of the car, so I open the door, release the rear bonnet, get out of the car; raise the bonnet, put on a glove; reach in the car
to shut it off, pull the dipstick, wipe the dipstick, insert the dipsitck, pull the dipstick , read the dipstick.
I was doing this Keystone Cops or Chinease Fire drill routine until I called T Rutland for some parts wait 5 or 10 minutes (the same interval every time) and check the oil. To verify I did my Keystone cops routine and then checked the oil every minute for 10 minutes, result the level with in 30 seconds and 10 minutes were almost the same, so I do 10 minutes with out the glove.

Mark what page does the manual say 15 minutes?

Somebody, I believe on F-chat said if read the Italian, French and English in the Owners manuals (mine just has English and Italian) they are a little different and the Italians laughing at us.

Stephen

I have a North American 81 owners manual in pdf format (3 languages) and on page 59 it says' Carry out this operation with warm engine (140 to 158 F)
waiting a few minutes after its stopping.

 

The e-Tron OM version says this (15 minutes) on page 59. I do NOT have a e-Tron version of the North American OM. I'll check my hard copy when I get home.

Oh, Stephen,

What was it you wanted me to chek for you on my NA version car, some sensor location on my motor IIRC? NOW that I FINALLY have my car in the air, I can check for you.

 

Sorry to get off topic. My 81 parts book shows the sender mounted on the bottom. My 81 has the speed sender mounted on the top. The difference is about $100
more for my part :-( . G P car parts thought it was done by a PO to replace the 85 mph speedo. But my 81 still has the 85 MPH speedo.
From what I understand (from F-chat) that the top mounted sender is a generator and the speedometer is a voltmeter. The bottom mount is a pulse sender
and the speedometer. That is why the speedometers and senders/generator are NOT compatable.

I was wondering what you had top or bottom. If bottom the parts manual and the clutch/gearbox manual works for your car.

Stephen