[400 plus]

Ive checked the oil and smells like gas. Ive dipped a paper towel into oil and it doesn't wick up gas +-. Is there another way to check??? I just changed oil over the winter and started the engine just to warm up during the warmer weather. Thanks for your thoughts.

[DOC]

Is the oil level a little high? Possible fuel pump failure?

[400 plus]

Electric fuel pump. Idels fine and revs fine. Fresh oil change with just idel time on. Plugs are rich but it is a dom with no driving time.

[dmac]

Do you have a return line from the pump to relieve pressure after you shut engine off? Or does pump stay on after engine shutoff, or come on before you start it up?

Could be fuel seeping by needle seat in carb then flowing down into carb, past rings. Smell plugs for gas.

[400 plus]

NO relief return line??????? Pump does come on before and after engine is shut off. Carb is FRESH rebuild. Plugs are black look rich. Gas line out of the tank thru a fram filter to the Holley blue pump up to a duel feed regulator set a 6psi running 2 lines to carb. It is a 9375 3 circuit 1050. It was completely gone thru over the fall.

[400 plus]

Was told that with this cam/overlap and the cold damp weather right now trying to start the car in these conditions the car will run real rich. I should start car and then open the vacuum line on the back of the carb to lean out the carb and it will clean up the excess gas. Change oil and filter again. Sound correct???? Thanks for input

[HWYSTR455]

Fat is fat, sounds like your getting wash-out from too rich at idle. Lean it out.

Once the oil is contaminated with gas, you have to change it. So get the thing leaned out and change the oil. Excessive run time with gas contaminated oil will destroy rings, fyi.

.

[Sirrotica]

Easiest way to test the oil is of course smell it, second easiest way is to pull the dipstick and take a lighter and see if it will light the drop of oil on the stick. If it's just oil it will not light and burn, gas will make it light fairly easily.

Agreed to get the mixture leaned out so the rings don't get messed up. Unfortunately, once oil is contaminated with gasoline the only thing it's good for is starting a fire.

[400 plus]

I tried lighting it and it doesn't but it does smell like gas. Humm +- I will get it leaned out even more then. I will change the oil AGAIN this will be my third this winter. Frost plug now this when will my car love me back? LOL

[78w72]

depending on how bad the oil is contaminated, a complete warm up will burn most of it off. that doesnt mean 15 minutes of idle, it has to be ran for at least 20-30 of driving to warm up the oil & burn off water & fuel. but again, depends on how bad its contaminated, smell doesnt confirm that. your nose cant tell between 10% or 40% etc.

but the more important thing is, if you are storing the car over the winter months, starting it up to idle for a few minutes (10-15) is pointless & doesnt help anything. all that does is creates condensation & puts water in the oil & unburned fuel. a few months of storage with treated fuel is nothing to an engine... seals & gaskets wont dry up etc like so many people seem to think. i'm baffled why guys feel the need to start their cars after 1 or 2 months (or some every couple weeks) just because it warmed up to 35 or 40 after a couple months of winters single digits, or whatever the temps may be for your location.

idleing an engine is the worst thing for it next to initial start up. & idleing in the cold winter temps is even worse due to condensation/water/fuel being introduced into the oil. add to that a very rich carb set up & its doing WAY more harm than good starting it for a short time when its so cold out.

my opinion of the gas smell is that you have a very rich dominator carb with no choke, when starting the car this cold you have to pump the pedal to keep it running or even to start up, with everything cold there is not a good ring seal & all that gas is just washing down the cylinders & getting into the oil. change the oil & circulate it one more time to be safe & stop starting the car & letting it idle, or even reving it a bit. leave it sit untill you can actually drive it. a couple months of sitting to even 5 or 6 months wont hurt anything, especially compared to what i described above when doing short, cold starts. just my suggestion from storing 2 or 3 muscle cars over 20 years during extreme winters like we get in the upper midwest.

[grandville455]

I store my car every winter, When I put it to sleep its there til i fire it up the first time to drive again, I agree with the above, Its pointless to keep starting it and letting it idle especially since u have a solid roller too, thats not good for them either.

[400 plus]

Ok Ok STOP yelling at me! LOL

[78w72]

no yelling... just stressing the point. ;-) thank you for understanding & taking the advice. had a few guys argue about this & even became upset & rude on other forums. its almost like saying hey, just go ahead & pour a few cups of water & gas into your engine!

& i didnt think about the solid roller part, the lash settings are exagerated when its this cold out. thats a lot of banging on the valves!

[Sirrotica]

My 05 GTO has been stored every winter since I bought it and I never start it up until I'm ready to take it out and drive it. I have no idea where the idea that you have to start a car up and run it got started. As was said above idling any engine, gas or diesel, is not healthy for them.

Years ago the wrecking yard that sponsored the stock car we were building gave us a 61 Pontiac Catalina that the guy towed off the interstate 5 years before and it was never claimed by the owner because the slim jim was starting to slip badly. The car sat with the hood open for the majority of that 5 years and I was tired of pushing the car in and out of the shop where we were working on it so I decided to see if it would start and drive so we wouldn't have to push it. Long story short the coil was bad, so I grabbed a used one and threw it on and it fired right up, and as soon as the lifters settled down it smoothed right out and idled fine.

Just to prove a point that they will run fine even after sitting outside with the hood up for 5 years.