Oil level WAY too high!

[monzillaman]

So my son owns a 95 impreza that leaks a little oil. Despite all of my efforts to pound it in his head to check the dipstick when adding oil, he keeps dumping oil in. Yesterday he added oil, went 3 blocks to the store and when he started the car to come home it was puking out enough smoke screen to make Batman and 007 jealous. He drove it home and I started looking for the signs of a blown gasket. Upon checking the dipstick I noticed the oil covered almost half of it! I emptied his oil and measured. He had a total of 9 quarts of oil in that thing! Considering the configuration of those motors (flat) I'm sure the cylinder heads filled with oil. He didn't drive it long enough to whip the oil into a froth... oil looked good. I added back the correct amount and let the car idle for like 45 minutes (I'm sure the neighbors loved me). Most of the smoke has cleared, but I'm wondering with these cars if there was possibly any permanent damage that may have been caused?

Thanks!

[RahX]

If it didn't hydro lock, you should be in the clear as far as that goes. Having that much oil can cause seals to deform and cause even more oil leaks, that will probably be about the only damage to anything if nothing mechanical has failed thus far.

[Mojo_stevo]

LOL, great story. Reminds me of when I got my first car. I didn't bother to check the oil....ever. Then one day the rockers started to rattle. I was a block from my house and started to hear the rattling. ****! I then realized what I had done. I stopped the car right then and there, walked home and came back with oil. Luckily I stopped, because if I didn't I would have killed it.

Relevant and funny:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj5ms9PJDNY