2001 Ford Focus. Six months and 10,000 miles ago I had a whole bunch of work done. New timing chain, new water pump, new transmission filter, etc.
Since then when the engine is warmed up I’m getting the smell of burning oil. Smells like oil was spilt somewhere on the block. Usually this goes away after a few days.
Where is this smell coming from?
It’s time to open the hood and look for a little wet area near joints in the various parts. Could be something as simple as a loose valve cover. And, in the mean time, check the oil regularly.
Does it take much oil to create this smell? Someone said that there is possibly a tiny leak somewhere and I’m losing so little oil that I don’t really notice when checking the level.
Dumb question:
Are you not in the US, and have a diesel engine in your Ford Focus? Your use of ‘miles’ makes me think no.
I also don’t know much about cars, but a diesel smelling like burning oil is a lot different than a gas/petrol engine.
I just Googled the question and found many results but no common problem for the car. One problem was an incorrect oil filter. Others were more obvious, like leaking oil and oil drips under the car.
Since the car doesn’t appear to be using oil (you check it the same way each time to be consistent) I’m guessing on something simple. Check the simple things first, like the valve cover. It’s high enough that any oil would leak to something hot and smoke. If you look the engine over when it’s cold, you’ll most likely see evidence of the leak.
And yes, it doesn’t take much oil to make that smell.
Most likely oil is leaking onto a hot part and vaporizing before enough accumulates to drip underneath. There are many possible sources for the leak, some easier to see than others. A thorough visual inspection should find it.
Most likely oil (which can include transmission fluid and power steering fluid) is leaking onto a hot part and vaporizing before enough accumulates to drip underneath. There are many possible sources for the leak, some easier to see than others. A thorough visual inspection should find it. Items related to the work done would be the top suspects.
“Miles” are common in the U.S., passenger cars with diesel engines are not. This is a gasoline engine.
The exhaust manifolds and associated bits are the only parts that should be hot enough to vaporize oil efficiently.
Get it good and hot on a calm night. Shut it down, and pull the fuse that runs the cooling fan, and shine a laser pointer around. Don’t look at the spot where the laser is hitting, that will screw up your night vision. Instead, look for the “beam” in the oil smoke. Once you find where the smoke is coming from, you can start looking for where the oil is leaking from to cause it.
[quote=“Kevbo, post:9, topic:636028”]
The exhaust manifolds and associated bits are the only parts that should be hot enough to vaporize oil efficiently.
It has to something wet above or in front of something really hot, so…
Barring a visible wet spot at a seam or seal, check the smog system.
Frequently when an engine has been pulled far enough apart to get at a timing chain, etc, a smog or EGR hose gets left off or bumped out of position. The oil vapor - which is supposed to follow the hose somewhere - gets out, condenses, and the resulting drip onto a manifold will yield an invisible “oil leak” with accompanying stink.
[quote=“andyleonard, post:10, topic:636028”]
Is this a problem though? Something that needs to be fixed? I’ve no problem with the odor.
Actually, if one of those hoses is off it could cause performance and/or emissions problems, sometimes to the point of turning on the “check engine” light. I think it’s more likely that’s there’s a leak from a gasket or seal, which may or not “need” to be fixed. If all that’s going on is a slow loss of engine oil or transmission fluid and the odor, there’s no compelling reason to fix it – just check the fluid levels often enough to not run low. However, sometimes the oil gets onto a rubber part like a hose or motor mount and degrades it, in which case it’s wise to fix the leak.
Check the valve covers. My valve covers were plastic and slowly started to expand forming a gap. It was in the rear of the engine, so I couldn’t really see it, but it eventually did smoke.
Could be a seal on one of your hoses involving your transmission or power steering fluid as Gary T mentioned. My King Ranch had a messed up O ring and the power steering fluid was dripping onto the hot parts of the engine. Smelled just like burning oil. If it’s something like that, get it looked at before it becomes worse. I speak from expensive experience. 