Have a excess 401k deferral as I changed jobs. I did put the excess amount as misc for paying taxes as suggested in the forum, but end review complains total is above.

TurboTax is aware of this e-file issue and is working towards a solution. An update is currently planned for April 12th, 2019 to resolve this e-filing issue. 

You may still see a warning about the excess contribution, but you should be able to e-file.  You can check out this TurboTax FAQ for more information: Excess 401(k) Contribution Preventing E-filing. 

Thank you, do we need to change the total to keep it as MAX(18500) or leave the number as it is (which is in excess of 18500) before filing then?

Leave the number as is, do not make any changes to your W2.