1996 Corolla, Smell Of Burned Oil?

Hi gurus:

Thanks for the gr8 forum. Here is the problem I am facing with my Corolla 96 1.8L eng.:

Well, the spark plug, distributor cap and wires were changed when my cur started shaking around 1month back. After that it started to smell something inside my car, while running. Later I found that one spark plug was leaking oil. I cleaned it up and placed back again. After running for one week (approx. 200km), today I found that the plug is not leaking oil anymore. The severity of smell related problem has reduced a lot but is not gone completely. I also checked the oil. It turned black. I changed oil, 2/3 days before changing the plug system. Other observations are: (1) the smell comes from the vent, (2) it comes in spurt, (3) it burns eyes.

What is going wrong here?

Thanks in advance,

mmakon

If it burns your eyes, it is probably an exhaust leak, or else you have an oil leaking onto your exhaust or engine.

 

Check for oil leaks, and also exhaust leaks (close to the firewall).

The exhaust manifold may be cracked and leaking (common for 7th generation Corollas).

I suggest you take the heat shield off the exhaust manifold and take a look for a crack.

Here is one with a crack, but it could also be in another place on the manifold-

Check my posts for cracked exhaust manifolds.

Also common is the valve cover gasket leaking and oil coming out onto the exhaust or hot engine.

Check around the bottom of the valve cover for leaks.

Hope this helps.

Check for oil leaks, Also common is the valve cover gasket leaking and oil coming out onto the exhaust or hot engine.

 

Check around the bottom of the valve cover for leaks.

To check for oil leaks, I find that using a strong flashlight or thin, narrow worklight and a small telescoping mirror, or a telescoping arm with a mirror attached, helps in looking beneath and behind hoses, manifolds, starters, and pumps, and along the sides of the crankcase, and along the firewall.

 

If you do find oil, you may want to note its presence, then wipe it away. Next, run the engine for a while, then turn off the engine, and look back at the spots you cleaned to see if new oil has appeared where it had been wiped away. Of course, some leaks are so slow that you may not find anything on first inspection. The car may need to be driven for a while before leaking shows up again. Sometimes oil can leak from one area, but gets deposited somewhere else closeby due to the action of spinning pulleys and belts, and air motion from the fan and the car moving.

Some mechanics will do a fluorescent dye test to check for oil leaks; the fluorescent dye is put into the crankcase, and after the car is run for a few days, an ultraviolet UV light is used to find where the fluorescent dye has leaked out. UV makes the dye glow. If you are a DIYer, fluorescent dye kits are available for purchase, but you may want to do a visual check and rule out and correct the obvious things before investing in fluorescent dye testing or a fluorescent dye kit.

More Info:1. I did the last oil change approx. 1+1/2 months back.

 

2. I observed no over heating, at least through the dash board reading.

3. I used Pennzoil 10W-40.

4. The spark plug related problem, that I mentioned in the first mail, took place last weekend (one week back).

Where to look for contamination?

Thanks a lot.

According to one site: "There are at least 25 unique lubricant degradation mechanisms leading to sludge or varnish formation. A few of these include:

 

* Aeration of the fluid

* Sparking from static electricity

* Bulk thermal degradation

* Antifreeze contamination

* Soot coagulation

* Bulk oil oxidation

* Hydrolysis

* Prolonged cold storage

* Grease contaminated oil

* Caustic detergent contamination

* Nitration

* Coking on hot surfaces

* Radiological contamination

* Poor engine combustion efficiency and blowby

* Highly aromatic fuels

* Sulfation (fuel, H2S, etc.)

* Lead corrosion reactions

* Reactive compressor gases

* Additive incompatibilities

* Base oil incompatibilities"