Gas in ATV oil?

[IndyIan]

I've got some gas in the oil of my ATV('01 Suzuki KingQuad 300), it has a carb and is probably running slightly rich on idle as I don't have to use the choke to start it cold until the air temperature gets down into the low 50's. Is any smellable amount to much gas in the oil? Or is some to be expected on a carb'd ATV?
The oil has been in for a year with maybe 100 hours (half of those working hard plowing) and looks decent and I was thinking of leaving it for the winter atleast as its RTS 0W40. I plow with it and the oil cooler gets above 212F atleast, as snow will boil off it quite quickly... Should the gas in the oil evaporate quickly with a couple hours of high oil temps or will it take longer than that?
The safe route is to change it but at $30 a pop I thought I'd ask first!

 

[nfs480]

I believe you're supposed to change the oil seasonally or every 50 hours, specifically because of fuel dilution in small engines.

 

[JDD]

Typical problem with bikes/atvs. You can get leakage from the carb into the crankcase. Sure, it will burn off eventually. BUT--if you've had the situation like I had in the spring, the crankcase was full of gas. It's best to just change it out frequently, especially after sitting for a few months. You can use rotella 15-40 for cheap oil changes on a fuel leaker like the one you have. Around here it is about $11 per gallon. If your ATV has a carb like my DR650, there is no shutoff position on the petcock, and that can be a serious issue with fuel getting in the case.

 

[heavyhitter]

$30 vs potential damag, wear, corrosion? I'd change the oil myself. 100 hours seems high for OCI's too.

 

[IndyIan]

Well, it does seem a bit dumb to risk damaging it for $30. I like to use HDEO synthetic for the cold starts, -20C sometimes, so no 15W40 in the winter atleast. There is also no gas shut off so I'll have to check for gas in the oil more often.

 

[47HO]

It is common for the float to stick in carbed equipment, especially if used only sparingly. That could be the cause. ALWAYS turn the fuel petcock OFF before leaving.