I recently had the oil in my 2001 Taurus LX changed.

It's overfilled a bit, when cold the dipstick should be in or at the top of the crosshatched area. I would be more concerned with whats going on with the valve situation.

Thanks Guy! I plan on having a valve job in the middle of the month. Is that too long to wait?

I would drain the extra oil out if possible but if you are going to remove the heads for work then you should go ahead and change the oil afterwards anyway and then you can put in the correct amount of oil.

Trudy, I'm curious about the bad valve diagnosis. If it's the 12 valve engine it's known for the valve springs breaking specifically on the cylinder head closest to the firewall for some reason. The symptoms are that it will sputter until about 2000 rpm's then clear up just enough to make it hard to diagnose. There are a lot of other tests that can be run that act just like a valve issue but until the valve cover is taken off and the springs are looked at you can't be sure. Normally to condemn a valve or seat a borescope is used to look at the offending part.

Hi Guy, the valve cover WAS taken off when my mechanic had it to diagnose. He performed a lot of work to track down the problem. Unfortunately though I can't remember most of it. I do remember that he ran a compression test which showed a result of 90 psi instead of 120. He tried to clean the valve but it didn't work. It is a valve on the backside of the engine. I really wish I was able to remember what all he did so I could tell you but I can't.

Hi Guy! Thank you not only your help but also confirming my suspicions about his abilities. It is very refreshing to know I have found a good mechanic.