willy1980

2001 civic sedan automatic very low mileage. Engine oil changed in late June, drove 1500 or so miles on that oil...

I noticed a drop in the fuel economy and the engine sounded "different" (engine sounds a little noisier during acceleration) only after driving it for 6~8 miles (varies).

Checked the oil dipstick and noted that the engine oil is above the full mark, about 1/3 of an inch. Smelled the dipstick. Smelled of gasoline.

Car seems to run fine. There is no smoke of any color coming out of the tail pipe. Tail pipe emissions smell normal. No smell of gasoline there.

Check Engine light is NOT on.

Went to the dealer to see what the problem might be. Told them that the engine oil smells like gas and that the car ran rough (To me anyway). They checked the codes (Twice), checked emissions (Twice), Mechanic did a road test by himself and found nothing wrong with it. I did a drive with the mechanic and asked if the engine sounded normal. He said it did. I must be paranoid but it sounded just a bit noisy.

I don't know if they bothered to check to see if there was a fuel leak. Would a fuel leak show up in a diagnostics? or would you have to take a peek at the pump, fuel injectors or what have you?

They changed the oil, filter for free. Didn't charge me for diagnostics or anything. They put in four quarts, but didn't bother to check the oil level. I checked the engine oil in a parking lot after leaving the dealership and noted once again that the oil is above the full mark, about a third or so of an inch above. Could this be because they just put too much oil in or is fuel leaking into it?

Yes it still smells like gas.

Is the oil used in the Honda dealers supposed to smell like that? Not sure what they used. Sorry. But I assume all dealerships use the same stuff.

The next time I'm at the honda dealer what should I tell them to look for so that they can pinpoint the problem. Should I ask for a used oil analysis or something next time to verify my paranoia?

What are the possible problems, besides fuel pump, regulator and injectors?

Thanks for any info anyone can provide.

05blkrs

have them send the oil off to get analyzed, and also have them do a compression check... if the compression rings on a cylinder are out, gas could seep through to the oil but the oil control ring would stop it from throwing any oil up to the combustion chamber... this will not cause a check engine light, andit will cause the car to run rough and waste a lot of gas..... just a thought.. but that's what i'd have them do.

Wadely

yea piston rings and valve seals if toasted enough can have that effect as well

dk miller

If you really are getting gasoline in your oil it will have serious consequences to the engine bearings,camshaft lobes, and all other mechanical components that are lubricated by crankcase oil. Oil cut with fuel just cannot lubricate adequetly.

You may have a leaky fuel injector dripping fuel into a cylinder, then past the rings into the crankcase when the engine is shutdown. This would not necessarily cause driveability problems or emissions. That diluted oil will sure as heck damage the internals though. Ask for a leakdown test on the fuel rail as a first troubleshooting check. Good luck

05blkrs

sorry bro but NO LEAKY FUEL SYSTEM COMPONENT would cause gas to get into the oil in a car w/ an electric fuel pump... that's just a fact there.. i thas to be either valve seals, piston compression rings, or a cracked component either head or block.. if a compression test comes back as fine, there's nothing wrong with the car as far as there is no fuel in the oil.. almost guaranteed.. but like i said before, get the oil analyzed.. and dont waste your time trying to find a fuel system leak because you wont find one..