Smell of Gas in Oil
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Smell of Gas in Oil I have a couple of questions to ask here. First off when i first bought the car 3 months ago, a 2000 trans am 115K miles, it had a starting problem. I would have to crank the car in 5 sec intervals anywhere from 30 sec to 10 min. When it finally started it fired right up with no problem, no smoke, etc. It ran perfect while driving so i ruled out a fuel problem (fuel pressure regulator, injectors, fuel pump etc.) I figured it was electrical. One day by chance i was cranking it and i happened to move the drivers seat and it fired right up. The next time it would not start I moved the seat and it fired right up. Somehow there is some type of short or security system screwing up under the seat that is disabling the engine from starting, but still allowing it to crank. I really moved the seat around one day for awhile and it has been free of the starting problem for a month now and counting.
Anyway I just changed the oil today and I noticed that the oil cap smelled like stale gas. After I changed the oil I took some oil off the dipstick after the car had ran for a few seconds and the new oil smelled like stale gas. The car runs perfect and has plenty of power. I don't think the problem is a leaky injector or blowby because there is no smoke in the exhaust, no dieseling at shutdown, it just really runs great. Also I sometimes smell gas in the cabin when I start the car and turn the heater on. What I am wondering is could the gas smell in the oil be from the times I had to crank it for so long. The only problem with that theory is when it would start after the long cranking there would be no smoke at all, just a normal startup. So I am not sure what the gas in the oil is from. Thks for your help.
Anyway I just changed the oil today and I noticed that the oil cap smelled like stale gas. After I changed the oil I took some oil off the dipstick after the car had ran for a few seconds and the new oil smelled like stale gas. The car runs perfect and has plenty of power. I don't think the problem is a leaky injector or blowby because there is no smoke in the exhaust, no dieseling at shutdown, it just really runs great. Also I sometimes smell gas in the cabin when I start the car and turn the heater on. What I am wondering is could the gas smell in the oil be from the times I had to crank it for so long. The only problem with that theory is when it would start after the long cranking there would be no smoke at all, just a normal startup. So I am not sure what the gas in the oil is from. Thks for your help.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,584
Likes: 23
From: NYC
It's impossible to troubleshoot a car from here, but gas smell in oil is normal. Take the seat out and look for problems with the wiring/connectors. Smell in cabin things to check: check for fuel leaks, check PCV is connected and working (no filtered breathers), check all vacuum lines/hoses for cracking, check rubber hood/firewall seal is there and in good shape
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Thks I will check PCV valve and look for vacuum leaks. Also I may do a compression test just to make sure there is no blowby because the smell is not faint it smells like ur sticking ur nose in a old gas can.
