Overfilled with oil.

[FordPrefect]

So my Fiat leaks oil a little bit, requiring me to top it off regularly. I filled it up today and somehow through inattention, stupidity, etc. I added a quart too much. I didn't find out until I drove it a mile down the road and lost power in a cloud of smoke.

Oil was leaking from my oil filter, and I noticed the carb has some oil in there as well.

So now I'm back home, with the excess oil drained out from the pan, and am waiting for the oil in the engine to drain as much as possible while I consider my options.

Any ideas? Think this will fire up after a couple days of draining? Think I should pull the spark plugs and check for oil in the cylinders? Maybe I blew a seal?

[So Cal Mark]

when you get the level right, it will probably be okay. The oil filter leak is a concern though. Overfilling with oil shouldn't make the filter leak. It will push oil into the air cleaner at 4000rpm. The overfill doesn't raise oil pressure, but it does raise crankcase pressure, hence the oil in the air cleaner

[RoyBatty]

Well Ford,
If you had your bath towel with you, all should have been well.

[FordPrefect]

Thanks for the quick replies!

(And towels are pretty much mandatory for both intergalactic hitchhikers and Fiat owners. My trunk always has a number of rags in it.)

[BenjamminsFiat]

Ha!

"Hey you sass that hoopy Ford Prefect? There's a frood who really knows where his towel is."

Love everything about it... Let's all get together and grab a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster

[FordPrefect]

Whoops, had a typo there, I meant oil was leaking from my airfilter.

[So Cal Mark]

oh, that's very different

[FordPrefect]

Ok, so I went ahead and changed the spark plugs today as the old ones were fouled up, and it fired right up!

I was thrilled until I tried to roll out of the driveway after letting it run for awhile, and it immediately died. It still runs, but refuses to idle for some reason. I can't work on it anymore for few hours at least, so I turn, once again, for professional advice. (or a convincing verisimilitude thereof.)

[FordPrefect]

Before you guys waste too much time on this, I should mention I searched through this fantastically amazing forum and harvested what Ideas I could, assembled them into something not unlike a reasonable theory, and tried one out.

I unscrewed the idle solenoid and gave a quick wipedown before replacing it, and now it seems to idle decently and got me around the block!

I'm hoping that did the trick, but only time will tell. Idle is still a tad low, so I may adjust that later.

[RoyBatty]

OK good,
I was gonna suggest you go and hit the improbability drive with a feather hammer.
That's not needed now though.
So, go throw yourself at the ground and hope for a good distraction.

[BenjamminsFiat]

And watch out for the bowl of Petunias...

I could do this all night, lol

[FordPrefect]

I'm pretty sure my engine has been slowly converted to an improbability drive by this point.

[RoyBatty]

If the problem persists, you might visit a local aquarium and ask a dolphin for advice.

[BenjamminsFiat]

Why go to all of that trouble? Just find a mouse, they are smarter after all.

[kbee00]

Why go to all of that trouble? Just find a mouse, they are smarter after all.

Just be prepared to have a hair plucked from your head. And keep an eye on your brain - it is needed to finish the 10 million year program.....damn Vogons!!!!