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Engine Light AND overheating AND oil AND stalling

13 messages,  Last post on Apr 16, 2010 at 7:32 AM

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What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Venture, Van

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#4 of 13 Re: Engine Light AND overheating AND oil AND stalling [azu] by fleastiff

Mar 31, 2010 (2:46 pm)

Replying to: azu (Mar 27, 2010 9:44 am)
I think the mechanic who changed the oil may have been the one who put in too much oil but if so I've been driving on it for over a month... and its been overheating that long too, I think. Now it has way too much oil in it, but at least it now runs cooler and I don't get either gauge warnings or the smell of hot metal. So maybe I'm better off with too much oil in it? I'm only doing real short trips until I can get it looked at, but I worry every moment.
 
Trouble is, that is the only decent mechanic around here. Well, halfway decent mechanic.

#5 of 13 Re: Engine Light AND overheating AND oil AND stalling [fleastiff] by azu

Mar 31, 2010 (6:07 pm)

Replying to: fleastiff (Mar 31, 2010 2:46 pm)
Just make sure the oil is oil and nothing else. Does it look a little milky? How much over filled is the oil? If it's a pint or less, no problem. Anymore you have a time bomb brewing.

#6 of 13 Re: Engine Light AND overheating AND oil AND stalling [azu] by fleastiff

Mar 31, 2010 (6:18 pm)

Replying to: azu (Mar 31, 2010 6:07 pm)
Its at least two quarts and probably nearly three quarts over full (estimated) since I added two quarts myself and it was already over full. No Hot Coolant messages since I added the oil. Runs cooler now.
How bad a time bomb?
What will happen if it goes off?
 
Oil looks like oil, not milky at all.
 
Is there an oil pump anywhere? How do I know if its working?
Is there a coolant pump anywhere? How do I know if its working?
 
I wonder if the oil change people just added oil without draining the old oil out? Or they drained the old oil out but added too much new oil?
 
I can't afford to lose this engine or to have any major repair jobs.

#7 of 13 Re: Engine Light AND overheating AND oil AND stalling [azu] by fleastiff

Apr 05, 2010 (11:33 am)

Replying to: azu (Mar 31, 2010 6:07 pm)
Your use of the term "time bomb" scares me. I'd like to drive it to the seven mile distant mechanic but wonder if even brief errands around town for grocery shopping or something are going to wreck the car?
 
One person contacted me directly and said that the stalling was probably a separate matter entirely. That may be, but its the oil/coolant/temperature situation that really scares me, not the occasional stalling at stop signs.

#8 of 13 Re: Engine Light AND overheating AND oil AND stalling [fleastiff] by azu

Apr 05, 2010 (2:32 pm)

Replying to: fleastiff (Apr 05, 2010 11:33 am)
Excess oil will cause the oil to be churned and in turn will increase pressure within the engine. The increased pressure will start to find it's way out of engine oils seals resulting in oil leak(s) not to mention increased oil consumption. Best thing to do is drain it to proper level and take to mechanic. Your oil pan isn't deformed (dented)? is the dip stick the proper length without any deformities?

#9 of 13 Re: Engine Light AND overheating AND oil AND stalling [azu] by fleastiff

Apr 05, 2010 (2:52 pm)

Replying to: azu (Apr 05, 2010 2:32 pm)
>Best thing to do is drain it to proper level and take to mechanic.
You mean not even drive it that seven miles to get there, but drain off three quarts first?
>Your oil pan isn't deformed (dented)?
Not that I know of.
> is the dip stick the proper length without any deformities?
Yes. Its the same type dipstick that was present on the former engine in that Chevy Venture 2000. I think it has five little holes in the dipstick to indicate the range that is proper. Also some cross hatching on the dipstick.

#10 of 13 Re: Engine Light AND overheating AND oil AND stalling [fleastiff] by azu

Apr 05, 2010 (5:05 pm)

Replying to: fleastiff (Apr 05, 2010 2:52 pm)
I would drain the oil first.If you can't, you could drive the 7 miles real slow, 25 mph and under, and you may be ok.

#11 of 13 Re: Engine Light AND overheating AND oil AND stalling [azu] by fleastiff

Apr 09, 2010 (7:24 pm)

Replying to: azu (Apr 05, 2010 5:05 pm)
Okay. I'm going to recheck the dipstick and take off the oil fill cap again and look inside. If everything still seems to be too high (which I expect will be the case) I'm going to try to get under the car and see if I can locate and loosen the oil drain. I'll guess I'll just put a pan under it and try to close it after I think about two quarts has run out.
 
Oil must have been too high for a long time though, so I'm not sure if all this worry is proper. I did read that high oil levels cause the fast spinning crankshaft to whip up the oil into a froth that the oil pump can't pump. That sounds bad. Don't think I can afford to lose this engine or have any major problems with it.

#12 of 13 Re: Engine Light AND overheating AND oil AND stalling [fleastiff] by fleastiff

Apr 14, 2010 (2:15 pm)

Replying to: fleastiff (Apr 09, 2010 7:24 pm)
UPDATE:
Mechanic's conclusions:
The excess oil was probably the fault of too much oil being added at the last oil change. I should not have added even more oil. Overheating problem was coolant, not oil related.
 
The overheating and hot-coolant warnings were probably due to a faulty thermostat in the coolant system. He pressurized the coolant system and determined there was no warped head gasket or anything and it did not appear that there was coolant mixed in with the oil, it was just oil.
 
Total Bill: Staggering!! And far more than I can deal with.

#13 of 13 Re: Engine Light AND overheating AND oil AND stalling [fleastiff] by fleastiff

Apr 16, 2010 (7:32 am)

Replying to: fleastiff (Apr 14, 2010 2:15 pm)
I tried to drain the oil here, figuring I'd drain off about two quarts and then drive there, but getting underneath the car was real difficult and I couldn't find the oil drain. So I simply drove it to the mechanic (6.9 miles) and road speed.
 
He fingered the inside of the oil filler neck and he pressurized the coolant system. No leaks found. So he figured it was the thermostat which had malfunctioned.
 
He had been worried that the two Orange Hot Coolant warnings and the one RED Hot Coolant Warning might have warped the head casket, particularly if I shut the engine off prior to adding the coolant.
 
He seems to think I was lucky. I probably SHOULD have focused more on the coolant system when that was the warning since I never did get any low oil warnings. I guess I should have thought of the thermostat sticking but it just never did occur to me!
 
Dip stick reads high still but no where near the ridiculously high levels it did before. I think that place just puts in more oil than they should when they change the oil.
 
He fixed the doohickey that releases the hood catch so that is one annoyance out of the way.
 
He did say to "save my pennies" for a new radiator sometime.

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