some petrol smell from the oil on the dipstick

[shDK]

Hi all.

When checking the Oil level on the family car this evening. I smelled at the oil at the oil stick. To my surprise, it smelled like petrol, not much but some. Is that normal? Actually I am not curtain it,s petrol. But it is the same acid like smell that kind of takes you by the nose(don,t. Know how to express it otherwice)

The engine runs great, use no more petrol then it allways done. And the oil level is not rising in any way. There is about 2000 km on the oil. The engine only got 103.000 on the clock.

Is there any way you can see petrol in the oil?

Thanks
Søren

 

[yonyon]

This might no be the best way to identify what you're smelling but it might work:

Get some of the oil on a paper towel. Put the paper towel in a Ziploc bag or equivalent. Keep it indoors where it will stay warm. Go to the gas station and note the smell. Next, go to an auto parts store and note the smell of various fluids there. After that, go to Home Depot and smell the various types of paint thinner. Go home and smell the inside of the plastic bag. What does it best match up with?

 

[shDK]

Originally Posted By: yonyon
This might no be the best way to identify what you're smelling but it might work:

Get some of the oil on a paper towel. Put the paper towel in a Ziploc bag or equivalent. Keep it indoors where it will stay warm. Go to the gas station and note the smell. Next, go to an auto parts store and note the smell of various fluids there. After that, go to Home Depot and smell the various types of paint thinner. Go home and smell the inside of the plastic bag. What does it best match up with?


Haha. Yeah great idea. And after that I will live happy ever after with my new friend. The painter's syndrome.

But Ofcourse, it might work

 

[yonyon]

Hey, if you get painter's syndrome and can't remember that you smelled something in your oil then the problem's still solved, isn't it?

 

[simple_gifts]

Are you a short tripper?

My toyota manual references fuel in the oil as a result of short tripping; it is under the section related to oil level. A number of short trips and the oil level might not decrease; then when you get out on the highway the level may drop due to fuel evaporation.

Quote:

As an example, if a vehicle is used for
repeated short trips, and consumes a nor-
mal amount of oil, the dipstick may not
show any drop in the oil level at all, even
after 1000 km (600 miles) or more. This
is because the oil is gradually becoming
diluted with fuel or moisture, making it
appear that the oil level has not changed.

The diluting ingredients evaporate out
when the vehicle is then driven at high
speeds, as on an express way, making it
appear that oil is excessively consumed
after driving at high speeds.

 

[Donald]

Get a UOA. But take the sample after a long drive not a 5 minute drive.

 

[shDK]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Are you a short tripper?

My toyota manual references fuel in the oil as a result of short tripping; it is under the section related to oil level. A number of short trips and the oil level might not decrease; then when you get out on the highway the level may drop due to fuel evaporation.

Quote:



As an example, if a vehicle is used for
repeated short trips, and consumes a nor-
mal amount of oil, the dipstick may not
show any drop in the oil level at all, even
after 1000 km (600 miles) or more. This
is because the oil is gradually becoming
diluted with fuel or moisture, making it
appear that the oil level has not changed.

The diluting ingredients evaporate out
when the vehicle is then driven at high
speeds, as on an express way, making it
appear that oil is excessively consumed
after driving at high speeds.


I drive 25 km to Work everyday. And Ofcourse 25 back Home. And a 200 km trip almost Every weekend.

The Oil level has actually dropped maybe 2-3 mm in 2000 km. The Oil is clear and nuttybrown.

Anyway i Can See if there is petrol in it ?

 

[bepperb]

You would do a flashpoint test to see, that's not easy to do yourself.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Why not send off for a UOA?

 

[artificialist]

Has it ever smelled like gasoline in the past? Some engines always had a gasoline smell in the oil, especially ones with carbs or throttle body injection.

If the engine oil did not smell like gasoline in the past, it may be a sign of incorrect air/fuel ratios or ignition misfire.

Since I don't live in a cold climate, I have no experience with short trips leading to high fuel content in the oil.

 

[Clevy]

Is your 25km commute highway or city. 25kms in my car would get the oil barely up to operating temp,so it's really not a lot of time to evaporate an fuel accumulated from start up.
I suggest doing the sniff test after your 200km weekend drive. I bet the scent of fuel will be gone.
However it may be smart to check your PCV tube. If it's not operating properly you will get fuel accumulation in the oil no matter how long of a drive you take

 

[Clevy]

For example it's -15c right now. I just drove 50 kms into the city. I didn't warm up the car at all and my oil temps have only just reached operating temp and have stabilized,so if I drove half that distance,equal to your one way trip my oil temps would barely crest 140-150f which isn't enough to evaporate the accumulated fuel from cold start.
I think you're weekly long trip is evaporating the weekly fuel dilution in the oil and likely why you've never noticed before.
Jmo

 

[shDK]

Originally Posted By: artificialist
Has it ever smelled like gasoline in the past? Some engines always had a gasoline smell in the oil, especially ones with carbs or throttle body injection.

If the engine oil did not smell like gasoline in the past, it may be a sign of incorrect air/fuel ratios or ignition misfire.

Since I don't live in a cold climate, I have no experience with short trips leading to high fuel content in the oil.


I never noticed the smell before. The last time I changed the oil, it had 11.000 km on it. And I did not notice anything when draining. I had a Nissan ones who had the same smell. But never any problems neither.

I drive highway to work with 110-130 km/h

 

[Merkava_4]

All gasoline powered cars will have a gasoline scent on the dip stick - but that doesn't necessarily mean there's gasoline in the oil. The oil get its gasoline scent from the PCV system.