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Oil Smell!

1.1K views 16 replies 5 participants last post by  Wickd68  
#1 ·
Ok I had this bad oil smell when I turned my heat on, so I changed my valve cover gasket, which was bad. It was broken in the front right behind the header. I started up my car and turned on the heat, the smell is still there but now its not as strong. Where else could my car be leaking oil from now. Also my AC compressor has oil all over the bottom of it like it was leaking out the freon oil. Can I just put the dye into my cooling system to see if that is where it is coming from? Please help me as I am tired of smelling oil.
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#3 ·
Coolant and oil are distinctly different.
Oil will still potentially be present until it all gets burned off or somehow all washed off.
If you have a coolant leak, I doubt it will smell like Oil.
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#5 ·
fuel pump? check to see if there's any oily residue under the vehicle, many of the foci have had problems with the fuel pump.
That would Smell like GASOLINE, which, once again, smells NOTHING like oil. Also, the problem does not involve any leakage.
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#6 ·
OK so where could it be leaking from. I wasnt saying I smelled freon, I was saying all the oil from the A/C condenser is all over the bottom of it. I was also wondering where other people have had oil leakage. Like I said before I am tired of smelling oil.
 
#7 ·
Did you try wiping off everything that you saw?
If not, do so, and see how residue re-develops if it does at all.
As I mentioned before, you may just have oil that hasn't burned off yet.
In a few days of driving, it may clear up if it was maybe just the valve cover gasket.
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#8 ·
I changed the gasket about 2 or 3 weeks ago. I thought about there being some kind of residue left over.
 
#10 ·
I still smell oil. where else has oil been leaking from on the Zetec motor? Where is noresull when I need his advice.
 
#11 ·
Chances are, the oil all over the AC pump is coming from the power steering pump. It sits directly above the AC pump. I have replaced the PS pump on both of my foci twice now in the last 3 years. The shaft seal behind the pulley becomes leaky, and its shot. The pumps are not serviceable. A lot of contours had the same problem with the same pump. Look at any other focus, in a parking lot or a used car dealer, most of them have a few drops of oil on the AC pump that drips down from the PS pump above.

On another note, I changed my valve cover gasket this weekend and I too still have the oil burning smell. Hopefully one of these days, the oil will ignite and not just smoke.
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I need a new car.
 
#12 ·
Contours probably use the aluminum valve cover and the hard valve cover gasket. Make sure: the gasket is not binding/outside the groove in the valve cover (use grease or a SMEAR of silicone adhesive), the bolts are tightened in the right sequence, the bolts are tightened to the correct torque... THEN start looking at other stuff. Mine was smoking bad... I tightened the bolts to 40in/lbs and all was good. With the rubber gasket for the plastic valve cover.
 
#13 ·
I looked for torque specs and a tightening sequence, I couldnt find them. If you know where I can find it please inform me. Thanks
 
#17 ·
go from the inside outwards
Yeah thats the way I figured you had to tightnen it. I tightened them from the inside out, starting at the inner most ones and then going out. Thanks for the help I really appreciate it.
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