Faint smell of gas in oil

[hooterville]

I checked my oil levels and smelled a smell of gasoline in the oil. It is about time for a oil change. But I was wondering what that means. How can I fix it. The car burns no oil and gets about 26 MPG on average (mostly highway). It is in need of a 60K service, could that be it.

Thanks

hooterville

 

[shojuan]

Welcome to the world of oil dilution! 60K should help if the car is running rich. Get a thicker oil film in there, switch to a good 10W/30 and change it often and see if that helps. Other then that, new rings, valve stem seals and valve guides would be about all you could do as one of those could be the culprit.

You're getting pretty good gas mileage so I wouldn't worry about it, it's not that big a problem. As for not burning any oil, be careful about this. When gas makes it's way into oil, the level can appear to rise if the car uses no oil, or it can stay the same if the car is burning oil. If you take a really long trip, like 300 miles of non-stop driving, and your oil level drops a bunch, that is your true oil level after burning off all the gas that's been diluting things. In this case, more frequent oil changes would be prudent.

Rick

 

[hooterville]

The previous owner took good care of it. I have taken it on quite a few 1000+ mile trips. No gas smell or oil lost. The emmissions were tested and the car showed extremely low marks. The technician said he never saw numbers that low.

 

[shojuan]

It sounds like you should have no worries then. Just get the 60K service performed, your car will love you for it and you will love the way your car drives after even more! Change the oil and give Castrol GTX 10W/30 high mileage formula a try. There is the possibility that it's seal conditioners will help your valve stem seals snug up a bit. Whatever the results, no big worries, your SHO sounds to be in fine shape.

Rick