Hey all,
Is it terribly uncommon for a car to smell like burning oil when stationary, after the oil has been changed, for several days?
I understand that even a drop or two on the valve cover or exhaust manifold cover is enough to bring about the stink.
I take this to a small, mom & pop mechanic for service. So what do you guys think…
Slopped up job or common, honest error?
Happens. It may be a leak, do you see the slop?
What kind of car? Has this happened before? My car does smell for several days, but I know to expect it. If this is a new problem, then it needs to be checked out.
Have you popped the hood and looked? Let’s say that the oil cap was accidentally left off…you wouldn’t be the first to have this happen. And everyone makes mistakes.
Cap could have been left off…Also not uncommon to spill…especially if you’re in a hurry…
As suggested…open the hood and look.
Opened the hood right after the oil was changed when I got the car home (habit). Everything was in its place. As of today the crankcase is full and the smell has pretty much gone away. Nothing to be alarmed about I suppose. Thanks
Is Honda still in the habit of putting the oil filter on the back of the engine right above the exhaust pipe?
Some engines are just not designed for easy filling with oil, it seems.
Back in my gas station attendant days, my nemesis was the '60s era Pontiac V-8.
In addition to those annoyingly thin and floppy dipsticks, the oil filler was located very low in “the valley” between the cylinder banks, and the placement of the air cleaner and the upper radiator hose, coupled with the low placement of the oil fill made it very hard to get the oil in there neatly. More often than not, I wound up spilling about a cupful of oil onto those Pontiac engines, unfortunately.
I hated the Northstar and the 2.2 Cavalier for poor oil filter placement. Perhaps a thread for all time worst oil filter placemrnt?
A major part of my ‘gas jockey’ education was getting the wrist flip figured out to get the oil in the engine, not on it. That was with the old cans of oil and the push-in spout. Never thought of using a funnel, I don’t even think the Sohio had one.
Yeah. I also worked as a gas jockey during the “pierce the steel can with the steel spout” era.
Pieces of hi-tech equipment like a funnel were not available at the Citgo station where I worked!
Empty Plastic Shopping Bags Can Get Blown Under Cars And Wrap around Engine / Exhaust Parts And take Several Days To Burn Off. They Stink.
I think I recall a Tom & Ray anecdote about a car with a ski jacket melting down on the car’s exhaust system over a period of time.
CSA
Yes, Honda still does that. Rocketman