Quote:
Originally Posted by Christ
Too much oil doesn't prevent the cylinders from moving at all... it just makes it alot harder. While oil doesn't compress, it does move. As one piston is coming down, another is going up, so the fluid is getting forced elsewhere in the crank case. The last thing that would happen from that is a seized piston. More likely what happened was that the flickering oil light was from a failing pump, and intermittent pressure, but without seeing the engine first hand, my guess is as good as the stuff in the cat box.
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Christ, you can't be serious! If you really think that when a piston comes down and meets a volume of oil nothing will happen because there is another piston going up, you are in for a shock. Go ahead, add an extra gallon of oil to your car and rev it up. Let us know how much the repairs will be. I know for a FACT that overfilling WILL destroy an engine. At the speeds that the piston is traveling, the oil may as well be concrete.
Underfilling or overfilling by a small amount (~a quart) will not hurt an engine, but I doubt it will help anything either. The nominal dipstick oil level is just that, nominal. It is meant to accommodate all expected engine operating conditions, so it is not an exact, calculated setting. IMHO reducing the oil level in the engine to improve FE is more foolish than removing the seat belts to shed weight for the same goal. I have never met the OP, but I'm going out on a limb and suggest they drop 15lbs and forget about reducing the crankcase oil level. The impact on FE will in all likelihood be the same.