I changed the oil on my '97 Altima yesterday and the oil had a gas odor. The oil was thick and had not been changed in about 6 months/4,000 miles. Prior to that the oil had been changed every 3 months at either wal mart or jiffy lube. Is the gas odor normal? If not what can be causing it? Thanks in advance.
2006-08-27 06:45:59 · 8 answers · asked by Jay 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
By the way the car is rated to get 29 MPG at the max. I've been driving to work every day and getting a little over 30 MPG.
2006-08-27 06:54:17 · update #1
A good way to check is watch your oil level. if the level is OK then after driving is overfull (with no fluids added) you have something leaking into the oil. goodluck.
2006-08-27 07:12:37 · answer #1 · answered by Nate G 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All vehicles build up fuel in the oil, it burns off constantly. If you are doing many small trips and no big journeys the oil will contain noticeable amounts of fuel. This is why you can check your oil before a trip it will be full then after a 100k highway run you will use a litre or more of oil.
If you have a large amount of fuel in the oil and the oil feels thin and weak or slightly abrasive you have a problem. Some place to check are;
If the fuel pump is attached to the motor it may be leaking into the crankcase.
If the motor is carburetted the carby may be flooding or leaking fuel into the manifold.
If the motor is injected the injectors may be dribbling fuel into the motor when the vehicle is stopped.
The motor may be running excessively rich (you would notice the fuel bill.
You may be overfilling the fuel tank (past the first click) and fuel may be being forced through the charcol cannister into the manifold.
There are other possibilties but these are the most like cause of EXCESS contamination. One of the main reasons we change oil is because of the damage to the oil fuel dilution causes.
Have a good one.
2006-08-27 14:02:21 · answer #2 · answered by Brian B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the oil was thick, then there was probably very little gasoline in it since gasoline would have thinned it. If there is an abnormal amount of gasoline in the oil, it is probably some problem with the fuel injection system. If your car runs ok and you don't see black smoke coming out of the tail pipe, it's probably ok. The only way that I know to make absolutely sure is to have the oil analyzed. It used to cost around $100 a few years back and interpreting the results is not easy for someone who isn't a mechanic.
2006-08-27 13:51:59 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, a reputable garage or dealership will be able to tell you. Are there any fuel economy or performance issues
2006-08-27 13:53:31 · answer #4 · answered by lobo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Be careful with Jiffy Lube.
Watch this from KNBC
http://mfile. akamai.com/ 12924/wmv/ vod.ibsys. com/2006/ 0503/9152183. 200k.asx
2006-08-31 12:36:14 · answer #5 · answered by not_la_72 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it is possible and it is a very bad thing you should go get it looked at.
2006-08-27 13:48:43 · answer #6 · answered by Alex A 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Shouldn't have and if it does, you might have a gasket problem somewhere in the engine.
2006-08-27 13:48:17 · answer #7 · answered by Texan 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, and it will ruin your engine - get it fixed
2006-08-27 13:48:50 · answer #8 · answered by aliveandkicking 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋