Hi Everyone,

Last night I checked my oil level, and the dipstick showed it wasnt anywhere near the minimum reading.

I then topped the oil up, with about half a litre of oil.

However, I took another reading, and the dipstick showed it was about 5cm's over the maximum line.

I done this again this morning whilst the engine was cold instead, and got the same reading.

I spilt a bit of oil on the engine, so at the moment thats burning off as I drive and smelling foul!

Is this likely to cause any damage? And if so, should I drain the oil and re-fill?

Its a Fiat Cinquecento 1996.

Thank you in advance,

Just a 'typical woman driver' ha ha! I dont know anything about cars!

Natalie

5cm is quite a lot. I'd put some latex gloves on and drain a little. 5mm I'd ignore.

Overfilling tends to blow out the seals in an engine, so should be avoided -- will reduce performance, too.

The trick is to wait 5 minutes or more after the engine has stopped running before checking the oil level.