problems?

[ah_alex_]

I did an oil change about 2 weeks ago, put in 5w30 Royal Purple full synthetic. checked the oil level yesterday and noticed the oil smelled like gas. problem? or am i being paranoid. thanks

[Wiscon_Mark]

...smelled like gas?!

You mean you put the dipstick right up to your nose and it smelled like gas?

Well, if there is a problem, look for white smoke out of the tailpipe. That would indicate that you're burning oil.

Personally, I don't think this is anything.

Was the level ok and everything?

[ah_alex_]

well it was a little low but i have a leaking valve cover gasket. i dont smell burnt oil when i drive and i dont notice any smoke

[Wiscon_Mark]

Well, considering where the gas is stored and the course that it takes, it's very unlikely that any gas got into your oil.

[rougeben83]

...smelled like gas?!

You mean you put the dipstick right up to your nose and it smelled like gas?

Well, if there is a problem, look for white smoke out of the tailpipe. That would indicate that you're burning oil.

Personally, I don't think this is anything.

Was the level ok and everything?

I see white smoke coming out my exhaust all the time now...doesn't help that it's 40 degrees outside... :grin:

[ah_alex_]

ok thanks alot i was hoping i would hear that but is it possible for too much gas to be pouring in the cylinder and not combusting fully and leaking down into the oil?

[Wiscon_Mark]

no no no, not that kinda white smoke! :lol:

Thick billowing white smoke, that appears even when the engine is warmed up.

And it smells.

[Wiscon_Mark]

ok thanks alot i was hoping i would hear that but is it possible for too much gas to be pouring in the cylinder and not combusting fully and leaking down into the oil?

Not likely. That's what the EGR system is for.

If it were true though, the car would have a compression leak and you'd be getting poor performance out of it.

[ah_alex_]

noob question- what would the exhaust smell like if it was burning oil?

[ah_alex_]

[quote="ah_alex_":31ph2uht]ok thanks alot i was hoping i would hear that but is it possible for too much gas to be pouring in the cylinder and not combusting fully and leaking down into the oil?

Not likely. That's what the EGR system is for.

If it were true though, the car would have a compression leak and you'd be getting poor performance out of it.[/quote:31ph2uht]

seems to be running alright

[Wiscon_Mark]

noob question- what would the exhaust smell like if it was burning oil?

Oh, you would know it. I don't know how to describe the smell, but it would definitely make you think of burning.

[02LGT]

I got a question for anyone who can input...sorry if this is off topic...which i think sorta and sorta not.

My problem is...sometimes when i back into my garage i smell this really strong odor...im sure it's from my exhaust. Some other times it doesnt smell... My friend who is studying to be a mechanic told me that it could be a bad cat. How do I know if its a bad cat or burning oil smell? I dont have any CEL and when i check the dipstick doesnt seem like its burning oil b/c it's at the same level as 2k miles when i changed my oil.

Or do I need to change my fuel filter? any ideas anybody?

TIA.

[Huffer]

Dying Catalytic convertors smell like bad eggs.

Subaru's tend to run rich, so you will smell a little unburnt gasoline in a confined space.

[Wiscon_Mark]

yep, I get that smell in the garage. If it just smells like gas, it's normal.

[Plays_with_Toys]

I was going to say maybe just some uncombusted fuel after you had shut the motor off that leaked down. If it sits over night, it will leak down. It is a liquid after all, and the cylinder walls aren't perfectly sealed (if they were, they wouldn't move).

[02LGT]

Thanks for all of your inputs...
I currently have about 54k on my odo.

I smell something really strong...maybe its the smell of a bad egg and gasoline combined?... i never smelled a rotten egg before so i cant tell.

Does anyone know if my cat is done with 54k miles?

Thanks again for your help.

[Plays_with_Toys]

Wth 54k? No. Definately not. 154k? A possibility.

[SHOfast]

There is the possibility that the cat can be going bad at 54k, maybe a manufacturing defect but more likely the car did something to it. Lots of short trips? maybe running rich? Bad gas or wrong gas? Leaded race fuel? Too many octane boosters? Push starts?

There are lots of possibilities. There is also a federal warranty on all cars for their emissions controls. I think it is 80000 or 90000 miles, you should check in your state if it applies.

[rougeben83]

If your car is running rich to the point that it's really getting into the oil, your cats will go way before anything bad happens to the engine. Gasoline and cats don't mix (both kinds :D).

[d1giPhux]

I get a bit of a smell in my garage sometimes.. but its not really rotton eggs, and when i asked about it before, someoen explain that suby's run a little rich on cold start and stuff.. so.. makes sense. If it was burning oil.. you would know..

[jmgtp]

[quote="ah_alex_":byqxtam0]ok thanks alot i was hoping i would hear that but is it possible for too much gas to be pouring in the cylinder and not combusting fully and leaking down into the oil?

Not likely. That's what the EGR system is for.

If it were true though, the car would have a compression leak and you'd be getting poor performance out of it.[/quote:byqxtam0]

This is actually quite possible in an engine that runs very rich. The extra unburned fuel washes past the piston rings. Can be fatal to the rings.

I fail to see how the egr would prevent such an event? The purpose of the egr is to replace fresh air with an inert gas (spent exhaust) to decrease combustion temperatures and lower emissions. Typically when the egr is actively allowing exhaust fumes to mix with the air/fuel mixture the engine management will decrease the amount of fuel since there is less combustible air and hence less fuel needed for combustion - kinda like decreasing the displacement of the engine and combustion temps at the same time.

[Wiscon_Mark]

The important part of my post was about a compression leak. If gas is getting into the oil, there's got to be a major problem.

The EGR would clear up any normal overflow. If you're running super-rich I guess not, but then you have other problems :-?

[02LGT]

Any way to test this?

[Wiscon_Mark]

Yes, get a compression test done by a shop.

[jmgtp]

If you want to DIY compression gauges are in the ~$20 range. Sniff the plugs for the stink of gas while your at it. If compression checks out ok I would run it on a dyno or at an emissions place that has wide band o2 logging to see if it is running overly rich. If so the solution for you may be as simple as replacing a bad o2 sensor.

[02LGT]

Thanks