Oil Changes, Acceptable amount of Oil Options

[brandtlj]

Hello everyone,

I just started changing my oil and I have a concern about how much oil to put into the engine. This is my 3rd time changing my own oil and everything has gone smoothly so far except for one thing. After I change the oil filter and replace the oil drain plug I fill the engine with 4.1 quarts of fresh oil (as per the manual). This should theoretically be the right amount of oil, but when I check the dipstick level (after cranking the engine until normal operating temp and turning it off for a few minutes to let it settle on level ground) it is hard to see the oil level because the new oil color is so light. I usually missread the actual oil level as being lower than it actually is and end up putting more oil in than it needs. This time I filled it up to the letter "F" above the top line on the dipstick. So far, the car has been running smoothly with no probs...it usually does after a oil change. My question is will that extra bit of oil in the crankcase hurt the engine and will I need to drain some to get it back to the full line on the dipstick or is it fine just the way it is with the oil level being at the actual letter F on the dipstick slightly above the top line? Thanks guys and gals!