Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Oil smells like gas

I just got my car back today from the shop and it need an oil change. I smelled burnt oil and my oil smelled like gas. It was sitting for about 1 1/2 months. I that what its from or something else. Any help would be nice.
thanks.

If you were getting really bad gas milage, the extra gas in the blowby gets into the oil. Same thing can happen if the car is only used for short trips and never gets the chance to get hot. Make sure the PCV system is working, it's purpose is to suck the water vapor and light volatiles (like gasoline) out of the crankcase. Sometimes a leaky injector can dump gas into a cylinder while the car is sitting. This is easy to catch by doing a leakdown test of the fuel pressure.

If the gas milage was bad and there were no CEL's, it may be time for new O2 sensors or to replace the coolant temperature sensor.

Give us more info : 4 or 6 cyl ?, year, mileage, etc.

I have similiar issues with my 99 SVT (39K miles). Up until just recently, I only drove 12 miles to work, so maybe my issue is the short drive. I now drive 24 miles to work, so I'll keep an eye (acutally a nose) on it to see if it changes after I change my oil.

Originally posted by phd2be:

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I have similiar issues with my 99 SVT (39K miles). Up until just recently, I only drove 12 miles to work, so maybe my issue is the short drive.

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You nailed it on the head. From the Blackstone labs FAQ --

"There was fuel in my oil. Is that a problem?

Excessive idling or city driving can cause fuel in the oil, and at levels of 2.0% or less, it generally will not hurt the engine. However, if the fuel persists, or if any more than 2.0% shows up, it may indicate a more serious fuel system problem developing"

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/faq.html