Smoke coming out of exhaust after putting motor oil

[Beats]

So, a few minutes ago I put 4 quarts of 5W-30 full synth oil in my A4 B8 (2009) and waited about 10-15 minutes while doing other things. Turned on the engine and the car started shaking erratically and then slowed down. Then I came to notice a huge cloud of white/gray smoke coming out of the exhaust. This was shocking. I called a relative and he did not know what had happened. I googled the issue and I can't seem to figure it out.

The car has had two coolant incidents. Both fixed. I opened the hood and the car was not hot and the coolant level was normal.

I am not sure if the smoking stopped when the car's shaking slowed. But I saw the cloud blow away fast. Not sure if it was white or gray OR if it was light or heavy smoke.

All I know is that this doesn't sound good.

I filled the oil because I had a problem with the drain plug which I had replaced. So, I've been checking the oil level for weeks and today it showed that "there wasn't any information available" when checking the AMI oil level settings.

I led to believe that the engine was out of oil.

I might have over filled it but I am not sure.

Hopefully you guys can help me out.

Thanks!

OH!

Audi A4 Base 2009

~112,000 mi.

[Audisseuss]

I'm sure you over filled it.

4 quarts way too much and unnecessary for a top off.

[Beats]

Okay.

But it wasn't really a top off. It was just like if I had an oil change but I just refilled the oil tank.

I had the oil changed a month ago when they stripped the oil drain plug and I had it replaced weeks ago. Since then I guess the car was sensing the oil was low or empty.

I really hope I didn't over fill it. But if I did, is it bad? Can the car run safely like that or do I need to get it drained?

[D21burggraf]

Sounds like too much oil possibly. Remember, the AMI/MMI oil level display signifies 1 quart. If too much oil is added it can over flow and start to be burned out the exhaust which can then damage the cat. To be on the safe side, I would drain it and start from scratch.

[Beats]

So, would I need to have the car towed to a shop or can I drive it there? It's not too far.

Also, would I possibly ruin something in the car if I start the car again? I'm going to wait until tomorrow morning though. 10 hours or so.

[o1turbo30v]

Yeah you overfilled it by 3 quarts, drain it empty than put four quarts in it, if the smokes clears up you should be fine. Main damage caused by overfilling is destroying the cat.

[dscline]

But it wasn't really a top off. It was just like if I had an oil change but I just refilled the oil tank.

It was just like you had an oil change, but you never took any oil out. 3 qts is WAY too much oil to be adding at one time, especially if you don't even know how much was in there to start with, and especially if you just had the oil changed a month ago. If you were three quarts low, you should have been getting warnings about that two quarts ago. "No information" doesn't mean there's no oil, it just means it can't take a reading at that time. Drain some oil out.

[oascom]

Huge overfill.

[Mina08]

FAIL over fill dont start it, drain it and refill, you have to wait for the engine to be warm and ignition only to see oil level on the AMI, this can also take a minute to display, read the user manual.

good luck hope its ok

[Beats]

FAIL over fill dont start it, drain it and refill, you have to wait for the engine to be warm and ignition only to see oil level on the AMI, this can also take a minute to display, read the user manual.

good luck hope its ok

Thanks. Now I obviously have to get the car towed. But where do I take it? I'd much rather not have to pay for another oil change. Do shops offer just to drain the oil? Also, could they just drain the 3 quarts so I don't have to pay for the oil?

[Dasaudi mtl]

Buy yourself an oil extractor and do it yourself it will cost you less than a tow + labor

[D21burggraf]

Buy yourself an oil extractor and do it yourself it will cost you less than a tow + labor

Or a pair of car ramps and an oil drain pan. This way you can drain ALL of the oil and since the oil is fairly new, you can just reinsert 4.5-5 quarts back in. Then you can begin to change the oil yourself from then on...much cheaper and so simple

[uberwgn]

Buy yourself an oil extractor and do it yourself it will cost you less than a tow + labor

...and purchase a dipstick.

And get the correct oil for the car.

And it takes maybe as much of 100 miles of travel for an accurate reading to display in the MMI.

[Beats]

Thanks for all the help you guys. I had the car towed to a local Jiffy Lube and had them drain all the oil out. They drained about 6 qts and put 4 back in. The car was smoking for about 10 miles and now it's fine. Though, the interior smells bad. AMI now says it has about 1/4 oil left so not sure why that is. Will let it calculate for 50 miles or so.


Audi A4 B8 09

[B44]

Listen buddy as mentioned by others get a fucking dipstick and measure oill computer no good. And what are you 12? You definitely can do it yourself. Just drain all the oil then fill it up to 3 quartz and check with dipstick then keep adding until it shows max but in your case do not fill till max a little low is better. Then drive the car hard to burn of all the oil from the exhaust.

[Fburg A4]

Haha man this thread is awesome

[richardm0025]

These cars require 4.9 quarts not 4 quarts. And yes 4.9 quarts equals 5 quarts of oil. Also get a fucking dipstick asap! Your engine will thank you, never trust the electronic measurement.

[oascom]

towed to jiffy lube lol... so u paid for towing {i hope u flatbed it) to get it towed to the worst possible place ? did they at least use syntetic oil ? u know u could do it all alone with buying all tools + oil + dipstick you would do it for less than 100-150 and 1h of your work

[Beats]

towed to jiffy lube lol... so u paid for towing {i hope u flatbed it) to get it towed to the worst possible place ? did they at least use syntetic oil ? u know u could do it all alone with buying all tools + oil + dipstick you would do it for less than 100-150 and 1h of your work

No. Free towing with my insurance company and I didn't pay a cent at jiffy lube. I can't drain my oil because I have no way to lift the car plus my A4 is lowered so even worse. Also, I would have paid more than $20 to take the oil out from the top. So, I paid nothing and took less than 30 minutes to get it all fixed correctly and without a problem.

And yes, fully synthetic oil.

Audi A4 B8 09

[Beats]

Listen buddy as mentioned by others get a fucking dipstick and measure oill computer no good. And what are you 12? You definitely can do it yourself. Just drain all the oil then fill it up to 3 quartz and check with dipstick then keep adding until it shows max but in your case do not fill till max a little low is better. Then drive the car hard to burn of all the oil from the exhaust.

You're mistaken. I am not 12 and I knew I couldn't do it myself. As I stated the reason I'm my reply above. No need to attack me for being confused or unsure of how to solve my problem that I caused. Please, keep your name calling for someone else's thread.


Audi A4 B8 09

[Yogie]

Confused as to why you own an Audi with expensive maintenance issues, and unwilling to pay for a simple oil change to save your car. Or drive it and see what happens and then have to pay even MORE to fix it.

[Beats]

Confused as to why you own an Audi with expensive maintenance issues, and unwilling to pay for a simple oil change to save your car. Or drive it and see what happens and then have to pay even MORE to fix it.

I get oil changes every 3k miles and always synthetic. I didn't want to drive my car to a shop to drain the oil because I didn't want to mess anything up. I just posted this thread to know what the issue was. Nothing else. But thanks to all users who helped and not to the users who have opinions.


Audi A4 B8 09

[bluetori]

These cars do not need their oil changed every 3k you can go to easy 5k or more. And being lowered doesn't mean you can't do it your self, the factory jack is plenty to get the car up high enough.

To every else why do you keep saying 3 quarts when the car holds 5?