Does Engine Oil Have a Smell: All You Need to Know 

*Sniffs*

We usually get asked, “Does Engine oil have a smell?”. Your engine oil smells different with every faulty engine part, but you know what the good news is?

We have gathered all types of engine oil smells, what they indicate, and tips to remove them all in this blog. 

I can’t wait anymore to share them with you, so let’s go!

Functions of an Engine Oil

Engine oil aims to keep all parts of a car’s engine lubricated. When a vehicle is low on engine oil, the metal parts in the engine grind against each other, resulting in friction and premature aging of the engine. 

Apart from this, when put into the car, fresh engine oil removes small sludgy deposits in the engines, prevents engine overheating, and is essential to maintain overall engine health. 

Apart from using it on a car, engine oil has various uses such as termite-proofing agent, painting wood, greasing factory machinery, sewing machine chains, guns, and bike chains. 

Does engine oil kill termites? Read our guide. 

Common Smells in Car

Depending on the fault in the engine, you can smell different scents in the car. We have gathered a list of familiar nasty smells in the car so you can detect the fault in your car engine based on the scent.

Car Smells Like Sulfates or Rotten Eggs

There can be three issues in your car if you smell rotten eggs or sulfate. The first one is a faulty catalytic converter. Bad catalytic converter results in the air to fuel misproportion. In turn, it won’t appropriately process hydrogen sulfide to the exhaust. 

Besides, faulty fuel management sensors may inject too much oil. In turn, the converter won’t process exhaust byproducts. When run for too long, exhaust byproducts will go into the tailpipe unprocessed. 

Sometimes, sulfur and hydrocarbon byproducts pile up inside the catalytic converter resulting in rotten eggs or sulfates smell. Run to a mechanic as soon as possible. 

Detecting faulty fuel management sensors or catalytic converters at early stages may help you repair your car at a low cost. 

Car Smells Like Burnt Oil

This is one of the most common odors people smell inside their cars. Most of the time, it is due to low engine oil in the car. Check the oil level using the dipstick. Else, engine oil may be leaking into the engine block, and due to intense heat there, it heats up, producing a burnt oil smell.

In addition to this, when the car’s transmission fluid is low, it produces the same smell. This is because low transmission fluids won’t lubricate gears properly. Engine oil may also be leaking from the head gasket onto the hot engine pads.

Car Smells Like Burnt Paper

Most of the time, you smell burnt paper when you apply gears while the car is running. This is because the clutch facing is burning. A common reason for this burning is frequently pushing on the pedal, which causes friction and creates heat to burn clutch facing. 

Car Smells Like Burnt Carpet 

When the vehicle’s brake pads overheat, they cause premature brake wear or brake failure in the worst scenarios. Dragging of brake pads causes burnt carpet smell in the car.

Car Smells Like Maple Syrup

If you smell a sweet scent after running a car for a while, it may be possible that coolant is leaking either from the radiator, cylinder head, or manifold gasket. If the sweet scent is strong, then the heater core is faulty. 

The best you can do is not drive anymore when you smell maple syrup and take your vehicle to the nearest repair shop.

Car Smells Like Exhaust Smoke

Does your car smell like exhaust smoke? Well, this is probably due to the leaking exhaust. When the exhaust is leaking, it increases carbon monoxide levels in the car to a dangerous limit. It may prove to be fatal to people sitting in the car. 

If you smell exhaust smoke, open car doors or roll down windows immediately and take your car to the nearest repairing station.

Moldy or Musty Smell

If your car AC or heater emerges a musty smell, there might be something wrong with the AC evaporator. To fix the issue, either contact a car mechanic or turn on the ac to fuller to dry out the water in it. 

Tips to Get Rid of Car Smells

We have gathered some super-handy tips to help you get rid of the musty car smells mentioned above. Use one of these tips:

1. Rub baking soda and water paste on car carpets. Once dried, brush it off and clean the carpets with a vacuum. Baking soda is a good odor absorber. 
2. Vacuum all the interiors of the car.
3. Place charcoal in the car until it absorbs all the nasty smell.
4. Contact professional car cleaners. 

Are you wondering if engine oil is explosive? Read here.

Why Does Your Engine Oil Smell Like a Gas?

Does your engine oil smell like gas, and you can’t figure it out? or have you recently changed the engine oil, and it still smells like gas? Well, we know why this is happening. 

High Air-fuel Mixture

The car’s combustion chamber won’t combust all of the high air-fuel mixture. In turn, fuel runs through piston rings into the oil pan making engine oil in your car smell like gas.

Faulty Piston Rings

Faulty piston rings allow more fuel to run through the combustion chamber into the oil pan, making engine oil smell like gas. It is a problem that often appears and is hard to repair.

You Drive Short Distances

When you drive your car for a short distance, your car doesn’t produce enough heat to evaporate moisture in the engine oil.

If you know that you will drive for shorter periods, then the best you can do is change your oil often.

Does engine oil absorb moisture? Read our guide here.

Misfire

When the car fuel-mixture does not burn correctly, it disturbs the combustion cycle. As a result, the gas will wash cylinder walls lowering the compression, which increases blow-by through piston rings. 

Faulty Fuel Injector

Often used in new cars, a fuel injector provides the engine the fuel it needs. Solenoids and computers operate it and help it to put the right amount of fuel inside the cylinder.

As solenoids are mechanical, malfunctions are common in them. These malfunctions help gas to find its way inside, making engine oil smell like gasoline.

Faulty Carburetor

Diaphragm and gas pedals control a car’s fuel mechanism. Carburetors are mechanical, allowing the butterfly valve to stick at one place (butterfly valve is responsible for maintaining airflow) and provides gas to mix with oil, giving the oil a gasoline scent. 

Time to Change the Oil

When engine oil becomes very old and sludgy, it smells like gas. It is time to change engine oil.

When to Change Oil of My Car

Older technologies recommended you change the car’s oil every 2500-3000 miles, but as technology progressed, changing oil has become more accessible. Now, you should change the engine oil of your car every 8000 miles.

However, if you drive cars for shorter distances or have sludgy deposits on your engine, we recommend you change your car’s engine oil more often.

Read our comprehensive article on “Do engine oil cleaners work.”

How to Know If It’s Time to Change Engine Oil?

The first and significant factor is engine oil smell. If the engine oil in your car smells like a car and you see no faulty area, it is probably because your vehicle needs an oil change.

Depending on your car model, change engine oil every 3000 or 8000 miles. Many vehicles now have engine oil indicators. If the indicator shows a red light, your car is running low on engine oil, and you need to add more. 

Besides, we recommend you keep car maintenance cards that tell the date to change engine oil. Don’t leave this task for the last moment.

If you see grey clouds of smoke emerging from your car exhaust, it is time to put in more or change the old engine oil. Also, keep checking engine oil on the dipstick. If the oil is dark and dirty, change it as soon as possible. 

Note: new engine oil is an amber color, and it darkens when old. 

Also, when you smell something burning, check out engine oil volume first.

FAQs – Does Engine Oil Have a Smell?

We know that you have a lot of questions regarding engine oil’s smell. These frequently asked questions will help you understand more about it. 

Why does my car smell like burning oil after an oil change?

There are multiple reasons your car smells like burning oil once you get your oil changed. 

It is possible that during oil change, a few drops of engine oil spill on the engine block or exhaust manifold. It burns to give a burning oil smell.

Suppose this is a reason. Keep your car going or wipe the engine oil out. It is not dangerous.

It is possible that during an oil change, the old oil filter is left inside. Else, loose drain plugs and loose oil filters are also a possibility. All these factors result in oil leaks which causes burning oil smell. 

If any of these is the reason, look for leakage points and seal them. Also, make sure the drain plug is tight. 

Should I drive my car if it smells like burning liquid?

You will need to check the reason for the burning oil smell first. If it spills on the exhaust manifold or engine block, you can drive it without any issue. 

However, if you see other faulty or loose parts, don’t drive the car and run it to the mechanic as soon as possible.

Why does my car smell like oil when the heater is on?

Oil smell from the heater can result from oil dripping onto the exhaust downpipe and making its way to the cabin.

Else, the oil smell from the heater can also result from oil dripping on the exhaust manifold. It is not dangerous. Just let it burn or wipe it out. 

That’s It!

Does engine oil have a smell? Well, now you know. Engine oil may smell like gasoline if there is a faulty engine part or if your car needs fresh engine oil. 

We have tried our best to help you cover all causes of gasoline-smelling engine oil. Next time you smell something abnormal in your car, you can easily detect it and run it to the mechanic. 

Happy Oiling, Happy Driving!