Too much oil is a fault, not a safety margin
Low oil gets all the warnings. Too much oil gets almost none, and it is a common result of a well-meant habit: checking the dipstick in the morning, seeing it a little low, and adding a quart to be safe.
The trouble is that an engine holds a set amount for a reason. Overfill it and the spinning crankshaft can whip the extra oil into foam. Foamy oil is full of air, and air does not lubricate. Excess oil can also be pushed past seals and into places it should not be, and on some engines it ends up being burned, which is hard on the parts that clean the exhaust.
How the level gets read wrong is usually one of three things:
- Checking on a slope. A driveway or a parking lot with any tilt moves the oil to one end of the pan and gives a false reading.
- Checking too soon. Right after the engine is switched off, much of the oil is still up in the engine and the level reads low.
- Adding a whole quart when the level was only partway down the marks.
Reading it properly
Park on level ground. Wait several minutes after the engine is switched off, or check it before the first start of the day. Pull the dipstick, wipe it, push it fully back in, then pull it again and read it. Between the two marks is correct. If it is near the bottom, add a little at a time and recheck, rather than pouring in a quart.
If it reads above the top mark, do not drive around on it hoping it settles. Have it corrected.
For a commuter
The store opens at 7:00 AM, which makes an oil change something that can happen on the way to work. If you have been topping up at home, say so, and say how much. Needing regular top-ups is worth looking into in its own right.
While it is in
A quick look at fluids, belts, tires and lights. Anything due goes on scheduled maintenance, and oil disappearing between changes is engine repair, both here. The national oil change page covers what the service includes.
This is the Commercial & Consumer listing. Purcell's other Paducah store on Hinkleville Rd also changes oil.
Other stores nearby
Paducah Consumer and Princeton also offer oil changes.
About this store
The Paducah Commercial & Consumer store is managed by Austin Hays.
See the national oil change page for all 33 locations.