Hey guys, just got a '05 PKG-5 w/ 53k miles on it. all of 75 miles after I left the dealers, my CEL came on and I started feeling hesitation under 50%+ throttle. Pulled the code and it's P0102 (low MAF voltage). First thing I checked was the oil level, which is about 1/4" above the "full" dot. Is overfill the likely cause??
Very very likely. Take it back and tell them to drain some oil, clean the MAF, and clean the throttle body.
It's amazing how often we get reports here of people getting this type of problem almost straight after having an oil change, particularly at one of the cheap oil change places. I don't know why so many people like to overfill. My dealer always overfilled by about 1/4" too, though luckily it didn't seem to cause any problems in my case (though I always do it myself now and never overfill). I think that it's when you're more than 1/4" overfilled that this is about the point where you just start getting problems. However I also think that the oil above about a 1/4" overfilled gets consumed pretty quickly (hence the fouling of the MAF and intake). So what might have originally been say a 1/2" overfill is back down to around 1/4" by the time you notice a problem (with the remainder having been already pulled off through the PCV/air intake). Severedgein, hopefully the dealer will do the work that BritPrius recommends under warranty. They certainly should do.
Yes good point. I know modern oils (api sm/sn) are formulated to have less of the additives that can potentially damage that cats, but not burning oil in the first place is still the most efficacious option.
Not knowing much about the inside of an engine I still can't imagine how 1/4 inch overfill would cause this much trouble. Doesn't going up or down a steep hill move the oil level a lot more than 1/4 inch?
Like I said above, I think it actually happens at levels a bit more than 1/4" over (I personally didn't get the problem at full+1/4"). But it uses that excess oil fairly rapidly, so people are often back down to somewhere about F+1/4 by the time problems are noticed. I think the mechanism is churning of the oil through interaction with the bottom of the crank (both windage and splashing). Many modern engines actually have a baffle plate in the sump to minimize this, but if the oil gets overfilled then it creeps above the baffle and starts to splash and froth. This causes excess oil to be lost via the crankcase ventilation system, so the functionality of the PCV valve may also play a role in whether or not a person experiences this problem. .
Overfill by 1/4 inch is caused by dumping in 4 quarts of oil after an oil change. To get it to full (the high mark on the dipstick) takes about 3+1/2 quarts. If oil is too high it foams because of crank slapping the oil as it rotates. -Paul R. Haller-
Always check the oil level yourself before driving away from an oil change. 3 quarts is plenty. One can always top it off afterwards if one feels the need.
