Removal Of Excess Oil In Mk3 Mr2

[MR2red]

I have topped up the existing oil in my 04 Model Mk3 MR2 to the extent that there is approximately a surplus of 1 litre of synthetic oil at present (I subsequently found out that the engine capacity is 3.7 litres)

Is there an easy solution to remove the excess oil? Is it straight forward and something that I could attempt on my own? At present the engine is intermittently churning out copious amounts of smoke once it heats up and I rev the engine!!!

To answer the obvious question...no the oil level indicator did not indicate full at the time of inspection prior to topping up?

Is this something a breakdown assistance company would help with? I have already had one breakdown organisation suggest that I tow back to the main dealership, citing possible catalytic damage Wouldn't want to deal with Toyota even if my life depended on it!

Any suggestions :(

[Bobby-H]

I have topped up the existing oil in my 04 Model Mk3 MR2 to the extent that there is approximately a surplus of 1 litre of synthetic oil at present (I subsequently found out that the engine capacity is 3.7 litres)

Is there an easy solution to remove the excess oil? Is it straight forward and something that I could attempt on my own? At present the engine is intermittently churning out copious amounts of smoke once it heats up and I rev the engine!!!

To answer the obvious question...no the oil level indicator did not indicate full at the time of inspection prior to topping up?

Is this something a breakdown assistance company would help with? I have already had one breakdown organisation suggest that I tow back to the main dealership, citing possible catalytic damage Wouldn't want to deal with Toyota even if my life depended on it!

Any suggestions :(

I would think the easiest way to sort this out would be to jack the car up and remove the sump plug, then put the sump plug back in when enough oil has drained out. It should be quite easy to do but it might be a bit messy.

[cfc1]

I could be wrong here.. but wouldn't you need to drain it completely? If you get oil onto the seal of the sump plug you could end up with a leek.. If it was mine i would total drain it, clean the area round the sump plug replace the sump plug (or the seal if it can be bought seperatley) and top up with the correct amount of oil.

[Bobby-H]

I could be wrong here.. but wouldn't you need to drain it completely? If you get oil onto the seal of the sump plug you could end up with a leek.. If it was mine i would total drain it, clean the area round the sump plug replace the sump plug (or the seal if it can be bought seperatley) and top up with the correct amount of oil.

Oil on the seal shouldn't be a problem, in fact, it will probably help seal the sump plug better. Its best to give the area round the sump plug a good cleaning afterwards so it doesn't appear like its leaking.

[MR2red]

Thanks guys for all the suggestions. Valuable learning curve.

Consulted No 2 Breakdown service - who simply wanted to tow the vehicle back to main Toyota dealership - not interested in anything else except taking easy option of citing potential damage to catalytic converter etc.

Opted for the more expensive No. 1 competitor recovery service (you know who). Came in a matter of 10 minutes!!!!

They also wanted to tow to nearest garage but with a little bit of pressing, opted to try draining. Simple exercise once jacked up, took 10 minutes. Turns out had more than 1 litre in excess .

Drained and reinstated oil approximately 3.5 litres - (3.7 maximum) and fired up. Puff of smoke followed by a trip around the block and was fine, smoke's gone. Took on motorway for a spin and was fine. Catalytic converter probably dirty but was told should clear up after a while.

Lessons: -

Max oil capacity on MK3 MR2's 3.7 Litre (Not many people bother to check)

Oil type - SAE 5W - 30 recommended for good start in cold weather - SAE 10W-30 or higher viscosity engine oils (e.g Castrol Edge Sport 0W - 40) engine might be difficult to start in low temps. (Not many people do not bother to check the finer detail)

G et yourself a decent Breakdown membership, scrimping on a low cost option initially does not pay off if breakdown service simply wants to tow instead of repair (possibly saved myself a few pennies having to take to local garage for oil removal) In this life you do get the level of service you pay for.

Be careful when topping up, Dip Stick not the best to detect/guage oil levels (especially when fully using synthetic translucent oils ;) )

Have had good service from the No 2 breakdown service in the past , but looks like the No. 1 has pulled its act together in the past few years.

Cheers