Smell of petrol in oil

[bijou22]

I have a VP 4.3GL 1997 and have just removed the oil cap to take a look. There is some white foam there and also a smell of petrol, any ideas?
Please bear in mind it has only been run for 30mins since winterisation this season.

 

[bjcsc]

Re: Smell of petrol in oil

The white foam, if it looks like spots of milk, could be the over winter condensation coming out of the oil (normal). The gas smell, depending on severity, could be normal as well or could be a carb malfunction/coming back to life issue. Did it get up to operating temperature for very long in the 30 minutes? Any performance issues in the 30 minutes?

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Smell of petrol in oil

I would change the oil, run it some more & observe.....
That gas smell could be a faulty fuel pump....
If the petrol smell persists, you have an issue......
PS, I would feel the oil's viscosity....
If it feels to thin, it will have lost its lubricating capabilities......
Petrol is not a lubricant.....​

 

[bijou22]

Re: Smell of petrol in oil

Performance issues I had were mis-firing for around 10mins and then it ceased and was running fine for the last 20mins or so. Could it be this?
Operating temp was OK also.

 

[bjcsc]

Re: Smell of petrol in oil

Considering the performance aspects, you may have a carb issue. I think it's unlikely to be related to your fuel pump as it should be electric. It could also be entirely a condensation issue, both in your oil and in your distributor cap. If you're misfiring consistently, it's entirely possible to wash down a few cylinders and get a gas smell in your oil as a result. If you haven't changed out your cap and rotor in the last 2 years, change them. Otherwise, take the cap off as see what you've got in there, clean it up, dry it out, and wipe it out with your favorite moisture dissipator and see what you get.

 

[bijou22]

Re: Smell of petrol in oil

Took her out today for a good blast, performance was fine together with operating temperature. Removed oil cap at end of trip, still a slight smell of fuel and just a touch of condensation. Think I will change the oil this week, do you agree?

 

[bjcsc]

Re: Smell of petrol in oil

Sounds reasonable to me. The only thing I might check is to make sure that the fuel smell is actually coming from the oil and not one of the fittings on the fuel line (just to be sure you don't have a fuel leak). Sounds like you may have had a condensation problem in more than one place and it's clearing up as it's burning off. We'll know for sure after your oil change I guess...