2000 Jeep Laredo engine oil overfilled

Tiny
SRMALKIN
  • MEMBER
  • 2000 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 110,000 MILES
My engine oil level continues to rise after oil change. The Jeep Grand Cherokee runs perfect but the oil level consistently becomes overfilled. I don;t think it is the head gasket as there is no coolant in the oil and car isn't losing coolant. Can this be a fuel injector problem or something else? How can I tell? If it id fuel injector is it easy to fix myself? Thanks.
Saturday, June 6th, 2009 AT 5:56 AM

6 Replies

Tiny
PEAR69
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,482 POSTS
How many quarts are in the engine?
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Sunday, June 7th, 2009 AT 11:16 PM
Tiny
SRMALKIN
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  • 4 POSTS
Engine holds about 6 quarts.
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Monday, June 8th, 2009 AT 11:00 AM
Tiny
PEAR69
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Do you know FOR SURE that there is 6 quarts in it?
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Monday, June 8th, 2009 AT 1:47 PM
Tiny
SRMALKIN
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I do not know for sure that there is 6 qts of oil in it. What I do know is that over the last 3 oil changes done at a local chain oil and lube place, after the oil was changed, the oil level was in the normal range. After driving the vehicle several hundred miles, the oil level as measured on the dipstick rises to the overfill level. What I am trying to figure out is possible reasons to explain this such as bad head gasket. I don;t think this is the case as the car is not losing coolant, drives perferct, and there doesn't seem to be coolant in the oil. Could a fuel injection problem explain the rise in oil level? Are there other possible explanations? What is the best way to determine underlying cause? Thanks.
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Monday, June 8th, 2009 AT 1:54 PM
Tiny
PEAR69
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,482 POSTS
The only way to determine if there is a foreign fluid in your oil is to drain it out, smell and look at the oil. Let it set for a couple of hours and see if there is anything in it. This is not difficult, just get a oil drain pan that will hold over 6 quarts and remove the drain plug. Remember, oil will float on top of the coolant, so you must drain out all of the oil - then wait and see what happens. If there is fuel in the oil you will smell it almost immediately.A bad head gasket will allow coolant to enter the oil, but the amount of coolant it takes to cause your condition will be very noticable in the oil. The oil will be "milky" if there is water or coolant in it. Also, the engine will not run as you describe if the head gasket was bad. First determine if there is indeed over 6 quarts of some type of fluid in the crank case and we will take it from there. Keep me posted
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Monday, June 8th, 2009 AT 4:06 PM
Tiny
SRMALKIN
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Thanks for the response. I drained the oil, its about 6 quarts. No evidence of gasoline or coolant in oil. Car continues to drive well. Should I be at all concerned? Are there other explanations for elevated oil level as measured on dipstick? Level is about 1 inch over the "safe zone' on dipstick. Thanks for your help!
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Monday, June 15th, 2009 AT 1:45 PM

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