Oil Level

[AC]

Evening All,

Quick (muppet) question.  My oil level is above the max on the dipstick, will this cause any damage when running the engine up to 7000 rpm?

At weekend I dropped the oil (Mr T at the last service used Shell Helix Plus 15w40 mineral) and replaced it with Shell Helix Ultra 5w40 fully synthetic, partly in a bid for a little freer revving but also for a better quality, better protecting oil.  The car was on ramps, so I knew a small amount of oil would still remain in the sump, so when I poured in the new I put in 3.5 litres, having read 3.7 is the usual volume.  The car has sat for a few days since and I checked the dipstick tonight to find the oil level above max and visible on the steel cord of the dipstick for a couple of mm.  All I can think is Shell either over fill their 4 litre can's and/or that the gauge on the can is hugely inaccurate.  I do know I still have half a litre or so left in the can.  

Anyway, I'm thinking that maybe the engine will consume a little oil now being on a 5w40 (only done 31k though) and me a spirited revver (only when fully warmed up) and that may solve the problem, either that or get it back on the ramps unscrew plug for a couple of seconds then screw it back in, but don't fancy the mess.  What's the consensus peeps?

[spit]

3.7l is about the right amount to add on a change. In fact we read recently that Toyota guidance had upped this by a couple of hundred mls. Hoping you changed the filter too? If not, 3.7l may be a tad too much.

I've found that having the car on ramps makes less difference than you might at first think. With or without, there's always a residual 1/2 litre or so of oil in the pan.

The stick is not a joy to read, especially with lighter oil that tends to creep up the stalk. Silverman's trick is something I use frequently now - measure first with a finger gap between the stick and its fully-seated position and you've more chance of seeing where the oil is on the lower portion of the knurled area of the stick. Adding back the finger width will tell you how far over you are.

There is a bit of latitude and a plate in the pan between crank and sump, but too overfull and there's a risk of churning the oil with the crank if it surges during spirited driving.