Oil smells like gas??? : V-Twin Forum: Harley Davidson Forums

sslegend · 10-16-2003, 11:16 PM

I have had this problem the entire time I have had the bike. I thought it would go away after break in, but it has not. I have 3000 miles on the bike now. I switched to Syn3 at 2500 miles. I check oil level after every use, and it has a smell of gas. It's not too strong, but I smell it over the oil. When I was running regular oil, I went through about 1 quart of oil. I have barely used up any Syn 3. My bike does not blow smoke when you start it either. I am out of ideas and the dealer says they don't know what it is. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Polizzio · 10-17-2003, 06:41 AM

Many of us have stated the same thing over time but no one is experiencing any problems as a result of the odor. Hey, if ur oil level isn't rising and your not experiencing any problem as a direct result, just get over it and ride.

sslegend · 10-18-2003, 03:23 AM

I'm not seeing a problem yet, just trying to avoid it in the future. I'll get over it when I find out the reason. If it's normal-cool, but I want to make sure.

greenham · 10-18-2003, 12:37 PM

A few have had their oil anaylized for this very reason. I have mine in now. Everyone has noticed this, and if you do a search in the family forum you will see there is a lot to read on this. All the oil that was anaylized came back WELL within limits for gasoline in the oil. If you want the "warm and Fuzzy" go to http://blackstone-labs.com and ask for a engine oil anaylsis kit. They are free and the test is $20.

I found as others have, if you take the oil fill cap off for a few miniuts the smell is almost completely gone.

sslegend · 10-19-2003, 04:37 AM

cool! Thanx for the help!

george douglas · 10-19-2003, 09:12 AM

I can get your oil analyized for $18.95 if you are interested. The price includes postage to the lab and you can get the readings by fax, mail, or on line. I don't make a penny for this service, but would be happy to assist any of the members of this great site.

sslegend · 10-19-2003, 09:28 PM

sure! what's the site?

george douglas · 10-20-2003, 06:21 PM

Give me a call at 1-800-887-6698 or go to my site at www.oilhelp.com to get more info on oil analysis.

flying V · 11-15-2003, 09:11 PM

Saw in a magazine today at the newstand that this is normal and no cause for alarm...good news.

Cheezer · 11-16-2003, 09:18 PM

I'm not sure how reading in a magazine about the gas smell in the oil is good news. Just because it's in print doesn't make it any more believable, regardless what the author says. I have 3200 miles on my '03 and it smells like there's more gas than oil in the crankcase. This problem only started at about 2800 miles.

People are reporting analysis findings of > 7% fuel in the oil. THAT'S NOT RIGHT!!!

Be careful accepting everything you read in a magazine as truth.

What magazine was it? Who's the author? Is there a link to the article on line?

Thanks.....Cheez

bill_pro199 · 11-17-2003, 01:10 AM

I have been running AMSOIL and it seems to have a progressively stronger oil smell to it as I accumulate more mileage. The last time I checked it was 3000 miles after the last change and I used no oil, but the gasoline smell was extremely strong and the oil was thin. I think if I lit a match by the oil it would of gone up in flame.. Scary huh?

I figure if 2 strokes can survive on gasoline oil mixture its no big deal. What do you think?

george douglas · 11-17-2003, 08:50 AM

Guys,

If you indeed do have fuel dilution in your oil then you need to find the source and get it fixed. Fuel dilution is common in drag racers due to short durations of all out power and no chance to burn it off in a long drive in the country so to speak. You should never have a noticable fuel dilution in a street bike or car unless something is wrong period! 1 or 2% dilution won't hurt anything, but if it continues unchecked and it even accumulates more fuel, you will eventually subject your engine to un-needed wear if you don't blow it up first. When I was involved with drag racers I did a test of leaving the same oil in the crankcase for over 200 passes and the fuel dilution reached 10%. The oil report showed very low wear and the oil had thinned out to a 10 weight oil. The engine power increased due to the thinner oil, but this really wasn't a good situation. If it had normal oil changes then the fuel would have been dumped out.

If you suspect fuel dilution you need to call me for an oil kit and get it tested and then if it does have fuel in the oil, you might ask HD to fix it or explain why this is happening. The kits are $18.95 and it includes the postage.

Cheezer · 11-17-2003, 07:15 PM

George,

Thanks for the input. Based on what I'm hearing (or smelling) a gas smell in VR's oil is a fairly common complaint. That doesn't make it any better, but it sounds like I/we are far from alone.

I've called the Moco, was given a reference number, told I would hear from someone in 24-48 hours, and am still waiting for someone to call 2 months later. I took it into my dealer and was told that the smell was perfectly normal. They changed the oil for free, after I bitched for a long time, and then gave it back to me. (The bike was under warranty at the time.) Less than 100 miles later, it smelled as strong as ever.

I'm going to change the oil again after the fuel flange replacement. I've already got a kit from Blackstone. (sorry!) I'm not sure what good it's going to do me, though. As with others, my results will show 7-10% fuel with high amounts of aluminum. As far as the Moco and my dealer is concerned, well, forget that.....they're not concerned.....they've already sold me the bike.

It's definitely not a leaky injector, the bike starts right up after sitting. The only possible explanation that makes even an ounce of sense is the fact the most of my trips are 15 to 20 minutes. Since the bike isn't at temperature for long, most of the trip is at rich trim. Don't buy it totally, but what choice do I have?

Just going to perform frequent oil changes until somebody figures it out.

george douglas · 11-17-2003, 07:42 PM

Test your oil so you will know for sure what is happening. If it continues to make Aluminum and build fuel in the oil and the moco doesnt' seem to care you might have to go to a higher authority. Doesn't the lemon law apply to motorcycles?

Cheezer · 11-17-2003, 08:26 PM

That's exactly what I'm going to do.

Though no lawyer, I'm fairly certain the Lemon Law wouldn't apply. All that's happening is the oil smells like gas. There really isn't anything broken......yet.

I believe Lemon Laws go into effect when a vehicle gets the same repair 3 times within the first 6 months after purchase. Like I said....it ain't broke.