one other question, how likely is it that one of his injector harnesses is shot or has a short such as what slimdawson suggested???

 

Thanks for all the help guys, I would be so lost without this site!

I hope you're right, is it really ok to run the engine for a minute or so with no oil to see if gas comes out? I have a feeling that it is just the leftover gas stuck to the walls causing the smell, but with the luck I had with cars I don't want to chance it.

I was thinking what highly unlikely things may cause this, and I am wondering if either my intake manifold is warped, or my heads are. Could either of these happen if I torqued the manifold incorrectly, or is that not enough force? Say 35lb lbs each bolt going clockwise instead of inside to outside, without torquing it in steps (That's what I did the 1st time I changed the gasket which caused the initial leaking)

I don't think thats the problem, but I will pull out the the injectors tomorrow with the harness attached and check just in case.

On a totally unrelated note, if I pull my valve cover to adjust a loose rocker, do I have to replace the gasket?

Thanks,
Max

 

You don't have to change them if you have the rubber type reusable gaskets; if, however, you have the cork type, then yup.

 

HTF said anything about running the engine with no oil!!!!!!!!!. I said to leave the drain plug out after the oil was drained out to see if it starts to drip fuel. I NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT STARTING THE ENGINE. ARE YOU NUTS!!!!!!!


What I insinuated was that you "think you smell fuel" when you don't. If you had fuel in the oil, taking a lighter to the dipstick would cause it to burn. If it don't light, it doesn't have fuel in it.

 

My bad, I misread your post, I spoke to my brother afterwards and he basically told me that I was nuts for even considering it too. I took the dipstick out and held it to a flame and nothing lit, but would it really light it there was gas in the oil? I would think there would be very little gas and a lot of oil?

 

Listen to slopok.
I think that you are imagining/worrying about crap thatyou shouldnt.
fwiw, been turning wrenches a looong time and havent seen what you are describing before.
chill out and enjoy your car man

 

Yea, I decided I'll leave it alone after tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll change the the intake manifold gasket once more (can do it in about an hour after 2 tries), check and make sure the surfaces aren't warped, fill it up with some fresh oil and hope for the best.

 

ok well I just put a lighter to my dipstick as well and nothing happened, but I know I smell something that smells like fuel. Not much, but its there. So if there is no fuel in the crankcase leaving the injectors being fine and the FPR being fine, then how do we explain the hard starts?? I also have a small erattic idle that stays at about 1200 sorta rough then falls back down to normal after a few seconds, could this be ignition?? THe power is there and runs smooth under load and normal driving through all RPMs without any miss whatsoever. Does your car do this as well maksik7??

 

Feenix, I am pretty sure the dipstick won't light until you have ALOT of fuel in the oil. I experimented with some used oil and a canister of gas, and the dipstick would only light when there was something like 50/50 gas/oil mixture.

I double checked everything today and all was good, then I pulled off my intake manifold and it's leaking again around the ports! I checked the intake manifold surface and the head surface and neither was warped as far as I can tell. Now I am stumped on how to properly install the manifold so it doesn't leak.

As for the erratic idle, my car doesn't do that. The RPM shoot up when I just start it but then immediately settle down to about 900 and stay there. Mine also runs great all the time. The hard starts are likely the fuel pump if both the injectors and the FPR are fine. You should check the fuel pressure at the rail to see if it bleeds down. If you don't have a gauge, just press in the schrader valve on the back of the rail just before starting the car after it sat for some time. If gas comes out and it hisses then your pressure is ok, and you starting problem is elsewhere (ignition?) If it doesn't then it only leaves the pump.

 

well I just got my SVO #30's yesterday since I was gonna get them anyway figured I'd go ahead and knock out one trouble shooting method with something I wanted anyway, and Ion shipped my ECM out yesterday so I'll have it back tomorrow and my fuel pressure gauge should get here tuesday, once I have everything im gonna see if the injectors were indeed the problem, if not then I'll start looking else where and at least I have my injectors now because I plan to do heads cam over the winter and my LT's and GMMG here in the next couple months. So they would have been needed anyway. I believe my FPR was fine, but I haven't tested my injectors cause I sent the ECM out monday and took it out sunday, so I haven't been able to trouble shoot all this week that we've been talking rather than the oil smell and what not. So tuesday when my gauge gets here, I'll be able to do some real trouble shooting.

 

Another tell tale sign of fuel in oil would be apparent by draining the oil and observing any bubbles or foam on the surface of the oil.

 

I replaced the intake manifold gasket for the 3rd time yesterday. I did everything very carefully and by the book to make sure this time the installation would definetely not be at fault. Today I put everything back on, changed the oil and started the car up. After 10 minutes of idling the oil smelled like gas again!

Before starting it the 1st time, I pressurized the system a couple of times and gave it time to leak down the pressure. No gas smell then, so then the injectors are not leaking 100%. With the compression test I saw that the rings were good. The FPR is good too. So the only thing I can still think of is warped heads or manifold (I checked them both with a straight edge but I don't know how accurate that is)

Has anybody ever heard of either of these warping? I find it very hard to believe that they could have warped from me tightening the manifold in the wrong sequence the 1st time I replaced it.

 

Well.. I'm pretty sure I've gone off the deep end now. I drained the oil again, smelled it, got 2 others to smell it, not a trace of gas in it. Put new oil in, run for 10 mins, smells like gas out the filler tube, the other 2 again concur. Bet if I drain it, won't smell like gas again. I don't know what the hell is going on, but I decided to leave it alone. My car runs great, oil pressure is good, IF my bearings go, so be it.

 

well, im new to this post, but have the same problem, except with me, i have air bubbles on dipstick when i pull it out, and it is running rich...for me, i have a hard start, but im almost positive that it is the pump....could the check valve be stickin open? and cause fuel to leak over time...?

 

I keep getting gas in the oil lately and I don't have a clue why. I'll tell you guys what I checked and maybe somebody can tell me what I missed. I checked:
-The fuel pressure regulator: seems to work fine
-Injectors: don't leak when taken out of the manifold
-Dead cylinder: checked that all cylinders are firing by pulling the injector plugs 1 by 1
-Cylinder rings: didn't check but I get no smoke on startup so I figure they are ok
-Manifold to head leaks: replaced the intake manifold gasket. The old one leaked around the ports causing the original contamination.

Please help me guys, I am about ready to go to the store and start replacing everything in this damn motor. Hopefully somebody can give me some pointers where to start.

Max
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maksik7 :

A compression test will give you cylinder to cylinder results.....A leak down test however, will tell you what is leaking past the compression rings (and other areas such as head gasket, valve seats).

Most likely, oil smelling like gas means you have excessive blowby. This means air/fuel mixture is 'blowing by' the compression rings down into the crankcase and into the oil. The oil rings have little to do with this. Blowby is prominent during cold startup when compression rings have not yet expanded to hot clearences. Generally, a lot of short trips under operating temp. is hard on the oil.

I run a supercharger so ring clearences are a bit looser, as a result I get excessive blowby and deal with it by a more frequent oil change schedule.

HTH,

Scott.