Too Much Oil In Mustang?

Question:

I own a 2003 Mustang Convertible. I went into my mechanic’s shop, whom have been servicing my vehicle for a little over 2 years, to get an oil change. The moment I left the shop, maybe about 2-3 minutes into driving my car was smoking heavily grayish/white. My mechanic did not want to take the car back to check it out. I wound up going to Big Al’s and was told my oil tank had excessive oil in it. Which overfilled in the crankcase and caused non-fixable damage to my engine. I now need a new engine. Is this a true recommendation? I later checked my receipt and saw that my mechanic has been putting 7 quarts of oil into my tank. Is this far to much oil? If so, what are the consequences? I have a court date tomorrow, March 24, 2010. It would be appreciated if you could possible shoot me your opinion as soon as possible.

Answer:

7 quarts is way too much oil. Your Mustang should only take 4 – 5 quarts at the most. Overfilling the oil can cause problems with the engine.

Basically the oil can blow past the piston rings, and hydraulically lock the piston causing a bent rod in the worst case. It can also cause issues with seals, oxygen sensors and spark plugs.

However, I would not automatically assume that you need a new engine. I would have a mechanic drain the oil, replace the spark plugs and oxygen sensor, and evaluate. A compression check should give an accurate health of the engine.

Since you have the receipt, you have proof of overfilling. What you now need is proof of the capacity for your engine. I would call your local Ford dealer and ask if they can provide you a written specification for the oil capacity for your car. They should be able to print it off for you with little trouble and fax to you. Or you can offer to stop in to the service desk and pick it up.

I would also go to court with a statement from the second shop stating that the engine damage was caused by the overfilling. The second shop, depending on what type of computer system they have, may be able to provide to you the engine oil capacity spec as well.