curtjr4

Alright. So I have a 383 engine, and the oil smells a lot like gas (this was when I first got the car). I changed the oil and oil filter, got it back home and I smelled the oil again. Sure enough, it smells somewhat like gas. So what I am doing now is I am recording the oil level when the engine is cool, and if the level on the dipstick rises, I know that gas is somehow getting in the oil... which could indicate a bad gasket somewhere.

If gas isn't mixing into the oil... is this somewhat normal? The oil was thick and black when I first got the oil change. So maybe after a few oil changes the smell will go away (if it has to do with the remains of the old oil)?

Also, unrelated to the oil... I should be putting lead additives into the gasoline... correct? (please say yes or I've been wasting money)

Many thanks!

Mr.4spd

Could be poor ring seal, put some miles on it and try some thicker oil, maybe it's been sitting. It could also be that the carb is pig rich. For the record, I beat the bag out of my 440 and the oil is trashed and smells like gas after only 750 miles, so that's when I change it.

curtjr4

Hmm, alright. I have SAE 10W-40 oil in there right now, and the car has been sitting for years. So I guess after a few oil changes, the smell will slowly die off. But also note, it started smelling like gas in under 10 miles (or maybe 5-10 minutes running).

MrOldart2U

Check the fuel pump if your using the mechanical pump....

99dakota440

Lead in the fuel served to lubricate valve guides. The lead is detrimental to catalytic converters, thus the need for non-leaded fuel beginning in about '74.

Modern unleaded fuel contains lead-free additives that perform the same job, so I would think buying an additive would not be necessary...but if peace of mind is an issue there is no harm in using an additive.

440roadrunner

CHECK THE FUEL PUMP........................

curtjr4

I've checked my money situation and I am done working on the car for a while. But that won't keep me from poking around.

Now for the fuel pump, I don't see why it would be that since the old owner changed it shortly before I bought it.

Now, I've talked to another guy and he seems to be under the impression that the rings are bad. But in the case that it is a gasket leaking... how do you guys think bar's Leaks "Engine Oil Stop Leak Concentrate" would work? I've done some poking around aobut it and sounds like it's a love or hate thing. It either works or doesn't. I just an weary about dropping stuff into this engine that maybe shouldn't be put in it.

Mr.4spd

I've never personally used it, but I don't think it could hurt. I still think you should get some miles on it and see if the rings re-seal. Also I think you should pull the plugs and record your findings. Are they oily? Sooty? Only a few? All of them? Perhaps a compression test. I still say drive it, though.

bremereric

Check the fuel pump. Could also be a peice of trash keeping a float open and flooding extra fuel in the carb.

curtjr4

Hmm. Considering the engine only has 57K on it, but has sat for years and years (I mean it has sat for YEARS), the fuel pump and the float being screwed up seems more practical for the mileage. I'll look into those two before I put this "Stop Leak" stuff in the oil. Thanks!

bremereric

To check for blow by you could run a leak down test. I will tell you if your piston rings are shot.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cylinde...FQhgTAodJSQm2A

curtjr4

Now I am extremely confused with this engine. I fired it up, and instead of me having to wildy pump it, the darn thing fired right up the first time after I pumped it three times. I pulled it out of the garage (small garage... I can't work on it in there. Then again, the car is huge!). I checked the oil... and instead of the oil being over the the full line on the dipstick (it looked like it was rising. I will get a picture of my "log" of the readings), it was a little above the halfway point for low oil. I checked under the car for any oil leaking out... but there was no oil. Just some radiator fluid that spewed out of the pressure caps discharge hose (I got the coolant topped out). So what gives? I'll post a picture of the current reading and my previous readings.

Due to this... I'm thinking about flushing the oil (again), and relogging it all and make sure I am being 100% accurate. Why it did this, I have no clue. But the engine fired right up after 3 pumps this time...

curtjr4

Okay, and I checked the oil again to make sure it wasn't a mind trick. Now it is right at the full line (after I pulled it out and into the garage). So, is this some kind of expansion and contraction effect? :banghead:

MrOldart2U

Again fuel pump... The REASON we keep saying that is it could possibly have a small rupture in the diaphram causing it to leak back, AND let fuel inter into the crankcase.... No visible SIGNS of a leak, just a few "gremlins" like you are experiencing... M2C again/with explanation...

curtjr4

The fuel pump sounds funny to me as it was recently replaced. But okay, I'll look into getting the fuel pump checked out. I'll likely have to hold off on that until I get back from Pennsylvania (about 2 weeks).

curtjr4

Well, this is somewhat unrelated to the oil, but I have come to the conclusion that the engine is burning rich. What I want to do is check the spark plugs and check for soot, and make sure that the spark plugs are good in general. I've never worked on an engine like this before, so to change the spark plugs... I lift the blue caps off on the side, correct? (I don't want to remove anything and come to the conclusion that I messed something else up). And I know, DUMB QUESTION :banghead:

Mr.4spd

Don't do more than one at a time. Remove, inspect, replace, and put the plug wire back where you found it. Then on to the next one. FYI, running rich can indeed cause the oil to smell like gas. The over rich mixture washes down the cylinder walls and causes poor ring seal, which then allows fuel into the oil. Good luck.

curtjr4

Didn't get around to checking the plugs, but I think I solved my problems. A rather scary way to figure out the resolution, but here it is.

I got new tires on the car today. I always kept going slow with it since I didn't want to pop a tire. So now that I got new tires (not the radials ), I decided to take it on one of the state highways. So I was going down M43, and it felt funny. I stopped, got out and checked under the hood. Sure enough, oil was leaking out of the valve cover (time to replace the gasket. Easy fix), so it made it look like the engine was smoking. So when I got back on to go home... the engine stalled right in the middle of the highway. Turned on my hazards, went to the side, yada yada. Now that I got the engine going again, I proceeded down the shoulder of the freeway (bad, bad, bad) with my hazards on, mainly because it was chugging and backfiring badly (I thought something major went wrong, so thats why I was going very slow on there with the hazards). Got it home, and thought about it... and since it was running rich, and now it did that... it made me think it was the carburetor. Got some carb cleaner, sprayed it in the carb, let it idle... and now it's idling 10x than when I got it.

The gassy smell in the exhaust also is gone. I'm going to change the oil in a few to see if that solved the problem with the oil smelling like gas. I'll let you guys know how that all works out

Timmoparman

I too have a 383 and it seems to me that you are over thinking the whole thing.What I would in a case like your is -If the car had been sitting awhile,#1 I would change oil maybe 10/40 or I have been told to use 15/40 in the summer heat.(mind you I always use an old stabilizer like Lukus with 10/40)#2 I would change spark plugs and wires.#3 Gumout or some other carb cleaner to make certain that nothing is sticking in carburetor.#4 As fare as the gas additive, I don't use it because I always burn 93% octane or better. I HOPE THIS HELPS...

curtjr4

Spark plug wires do need to be changed. I used almost a whole can of Gumout carb cleaner. Now that the oil is the least of my worries, I'm making a new thread for the carburetor problem. Very worried about it, as this is the first problem I've had to deal with on my own (Back with my old Grand Wagoneer, we [my family] just got the whole engine rebuilt, put a new carb on it and got a new fuel pump and called it good). First time I am going to do the repairs by myself... and this is so much worse than it was on my good ol' Jeep. **sigh** I'm making a new thread for the carb

Timmoparman

I was only saying if the car sat for a long period of time.....About Oil,Plugs,Wires,etc.

curtjr4

It sat. I changed the oil, brake fluid was checked, replacing the spark wires, and so on. Everything is in check, as I know what I need to do to it. I'm going to completely tune the engine (replace the rotor, new distributor cap, new wires and new plugs, and I am going to get a timing light and do that). If that doesn't solve my problem, I am going to replace the carb... as I am fairly certain that's what it is. But I will do that stuff first and see if that fixes it. If it does, sweet. If it doesn't, it all needed to be done anyway... so no harm done.

Now, aside from that... maybe someone could help me with this: