It seems every car I've owned had a gas smell on the dipstick. But now I read on here that it might not be normal. Is it?
Is it normal to smell gas on your dipstick (no funny comments!)
- Thread starter HardCharger
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No, sniffing your dipstick is not normal.
My UOA showed essentially no gas, but I always smell a faint whiff of gas on the dipstick.
My UOA showed essentially no gas, but I always smell a faint whiff of gas on the dipstick.
You might be running overly rich if you smell gas in your oil.
This symptom has been drastically reduced since the introduction of electronic fuel injection systems and as the technology matures, higher efficiency, logevitiy and also better precision in controlling fuel spray/fuel amount will ensure optimum fuel burning and mixture control.
As a result: motor oil contamination due to fuel dilution is greatly reduced and oil lasts dramatically longer (wayyyy longer).
Now it is not uncommon to experience good UOA even with dino oil exceeding 6k miles or beyond.
This symptom has been drastically reduced since the introduction of electronic fuel injection systems and as the technology matures, higher efficiency, logevitiy and also better precision in controlling fuel spray/fuel amount will ensure optimum fuel burning and mixture control.
As a result: motor oil contamination due to fuel dilution is greatly reduced and oil lasts dramatically longer (wayyyy longer).
Now it is not uncommon to experience good UOA even with dino oil exceeding 6k miles or beyond.
Are you sure the smell is gas? My trucks oil always smells like charcoal starter.
The SI-1 cleaner is a good idea if you don't routinly clean the fuel system.
Joe
The SI-1 cleaner is a good idea if you don't routinly clean the fuel system.
Joe
I always smell gas in my oil when I change it, regardless of the brand of oil. I have never had a bad UOA or one that showed fuel contamination. I now have over 140k miles on this engine without any problems.
Do a UOA and know for sure.
Do a UOA and know for sure.
Just got rid of carb'd cars in December. Now have to learn FI and forget all the old, fun stuff. The amount of gasoline smelled, along with the smell of the oil was always an indicator of what to think upon in light of, also, the color of the oil. There were once some pretty savvy mechanics could tell you about everthin' you needed to know from that diagnostic.
My first suspicion is that the oil is both old and that the car didn't see enough time past not only initial warmup, but complete warmup wherein the accumulated contaminants had burned off. If In knew that they had, in general, then the next suspicion was valve seals and piston rings.
On an FI car, I guess that it would be -- given reasonable service -- a fuel delivery problem. Old burnt oil, then engine mechanical condition.
And so forth. Go through the usual list: new filters, no vacuum leaks, excellent ignition, etc.
My first suspicion is that the oil is both old and that the car didn't see enough time past not only initial warmup, but complete warmup wherein the accumulated contaminants had burned off. If In knew that they had, in general, then the next suspicion was valve seals and piston rings.
On an FI car, I guess that it would be -- given reasonable service -- a fuel delivery problem. Old burnt oil, then engine mechanical condition.
And so forth. Go through the usual list: new filters, no vacuum leaks, excellent ignition, etc.
its possible you have a leaking or leaky injectors....i had the same trouble and shortly there after two injectors stuck open..........after they were replaced nomo gas smell in oil.but some gas smell maybe normal depending on how the car is driven.......short trips may cause it because the oil never gets up to temp.
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