sad to say...

[m8r8j]

ive taken my ranger to a mechanic, with bad news..

its a 2003 2.3l with 64k on it, and it has pretty bad blowby... it burns oil (i think), and the oil smells like gasoline. a lot of air blows out of the oil fill... it needs new rings i think...

the question is, how long can i drive it with the motor like this??
and
how the hell can a (so called bulletproof) motor with 64k have bad rings//have blowby??

 

[fastpakr]

I'd want to start by finding out why the oil smells like gasoline.

 

[m8r8j]

I'd want to start by finding out why the oil smells like gasoline.

bad rings let some of the gas mixture slip right by during the compression phase.. just part of blowby

also, the rings can't squeegee the oil back down into the crank case, causing some of it to be burnt in the combustion phase

 

[Jon581]

every vehicle i have owned when i change the oil it smells like gas how is that a problem?
i'm just curious because i just changed the oil on my new truck that has 10,000miles on it and it smelled like gas.

 

[Mechanickid]

I'm unsure if this engine really has 64k on it and if it does it has to be a manufacturers defect.

 

[m8r8j]

every vehicle i have owned when i change the oil it smells like gas how is that a problem?
i'm just curious because i just changed the oil on my new truck that has 10,000miles on it and it smelled like gas.

i think that on a lot of low compression motors it does that... but im not entirely sure.

 

[m8r8j]

i just checked the oil, and its not flammable... but it smells like gas

 

[warrior24]

does it use up lots of oil, do you have to keep adding oil?

 

[m8r8j]

does it use up lots of oil, do you have to keep adding oil?

nope, i havent had to put in a drop...

 

[Twizzler09]

If the oil is "hot" when you check it, usually smells funny. Havent figured out what the variable is, but some vehicles (not model specific) when I drain the oil after its warmed up all the way, smells different. Its not a problem in the least, as most often these vehicles are new-ish with less than say...65k miles on them more often than not, and run perfect.

Unless your having serious issues with engine performance and burning excessive amounts of oil, I dont think its a problem.

 

[Shran]

If it's not leaking oil and isn't blowing blue smoke out the exhaust then how do you know it's using oil at all?

Try this - unhook the vacuum line from the PCV and see if it blows blue smoke out. If so then THAT is blowby. Blowby is not liquid fuel in your oil; it is exhaust that enters the crankcase and is shot out through your vacuum lines.

Used oil always smells different than new oil.

 

[rickster]

And you mechanic made this diagnosis based on what?? .. a compression check I hope. If so what were the numbers from that test. Every engine has an amount of blow-by. The PCV system helps to scavange this from the crankcase and add it to the air going into the coombustion chamber to be burned. Its a ventilation system for the crankcase, hense the name PCV or positive crankcase ventilation valve. Check the PCV with the engine running and make sure it is pulling a vacuum. If not, you need to determine where the blockage is. It could be a clogged PCV valve or sometimes the the hose will clog at the inlet to the manifold or throttle body. This passageway needs to be clear so that there is airflow. If your PCV system is working properly when you check it then you need to have a compression check done on the engine to determine the condition of the engine. You warm up the engine then shut down and pull all the spark plugs. Then each cylinder at a time you install the compression gauge and crank the engine over untill the gauge reads its highest value, usually several cranks will do. After you get a reading on one cylinder, remove the compression gauge and squirt in a cople of shots of oil. Then repeat the test. The idea is the fresh oil in the cylinder will momentatily seal worn piston rings and you'll see a marked increase in the results. If numbers were low and no increase then this would indicate a burnt valve. There are other things the results help you indetify also, like all the numbers should be near the same and you can compare them to manufacturers specs to determine how worn they are. Also if two cylinders next to each other are low this indicates a blown head gasket between them. Sorry to run on here but a compression check results will help you to determine where the engine stands and you can then make a more informed decision. Good luck.

 

[bbbb51]

maybe the oil fill cap is bad just found that problem on my sisters ride,

 

[Mtrhd0024]

And you mechanic made this diagnosis based on what?? .. a compression check I hope. If so what were the numbers from that test. Every engine has an amount of blow-by. The PCV system helps to scavange this from the crankcase and add it to the air going into the coombustion chamber to be burned. Its a ventilation system for the crankcase, hense the name PCV or positive crankcase ventilation valve. Check the PCV with the engine running and make sure it is pulling a vacuum. If not, you need to determine where the blockage is. It could be a clogged PCV valve or sometimes the the hose will clog at the inlet to the manifold or throttle body. This passageway needs to be clear so that there is airflow. If your PCV system is working properly when you check it then you need to have a compression check done on the engine to determine the condition of the engine. You warm up the engine then shut down and pull all the spark plugs. Then each cylinder at a time you install the compression gauge and crank the engine over untill the gauge reads its highest value, usually several cranks will do. After you get a reading on one cylinder, remove the compression gauge and squirt in a cople of shots of oil. Then repeat the test. The idea is the fresh oil in the cylinder will momentatily seal worn piston rings and you'll see a marked increase in the results. If numbers were low and no increase then this would indicate a burnt valve. There are other things the results help you indetify also, like all the numbers should be near the same and you can compare them to manufacturers specs to determine how worn they are. Also if two cylinders next to each other are low this indicates a blown head gasket between them. Sorry to run on here but a compression check results will help you to determine where the engine stands and you can then make a more informed decision. Good luck.

x2, just saved me from typing all that out! You can also check the crank breather and intake piping and see if it is wet with oil, as often times on many cars with worn rings there is so much blowby that oil is forced through the breather pipe into the intake. If you clean it out it will simply happen again.

From the symtoms you describe it doesnt sound to me like your rings are worn. You would see bluish smoke and be able to smell it, and you'd need to be adding oil. Since you havent had to add oil I think you should be alright. If oil was being burned and excessive gasoline was leaking past the rings and mixing with the oil I think you'd know it, the oil would become very thin and likely burn better than straight motor oil.

As said, a certain amount of blowby is normal, it happens with all engines. I would do a compression check and if all the cylinders are within reasonable limits and they are all within about 10 psi of each other then you should be fine.

I personally would have never diagnosed worn rings with the rest of those symptoms. If the mechanic is correct then there must be something he knows that we don't. I've been through that job before. Not particularly fun tbh!

 

[m8r8j]

a lot of friends of mine say that as long as no smoke is coming out of the oil fill, then dont worry about it...

so im gonna just go ahead and drive the thing the way it is, til it pops