Hot oily smell

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maclee
Too much time on your hands
Posts: 1696
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 1:13 am
Passat model: B3

Hot oily smell

Post by maclee »

For a time now I have been putting up with a hot, oily smell from the engine of my 2000 SEAT, (AGN, petrol engine).

I had assumed it was being caused by the light coating of engine oil that has seeped out over its almost 220 000 miles of service. The smell was not too much to bother about although it would sometimes make itself known through the air from the heater vents, which could be unpleasant.

Cleaning the engine was really not practical, because there is not much space around it and way too many pipes, cables, ancillaries and other bits to get in the way, so I thought I would have to live with it.

About two weeks ago I was checking the oil and giving the engine a once-over and, for some reason I do not know, I was drawn to investigating the crankcase ventilation hose where it is retained in the crankcase itself. Apart from a bit of muck collected at the point it enters the crankcase, there was nothing much to see, but when I disturbed the hose I discovered that the bit inside the crankcase had completely separated from the rest of it, the end had gone all crispy and had disintegrated on the blind side where it was next to the crankcase casting.

I obtained a replacement hose and installed it, (not the most accessible component ever!), and was delighted to find the oily smell has completely disappeared. I am also pretty sure the car is running smoother for its new breather.

I thought it worth mentioning because the old hose had looked fine, all the degradation was hidden from view, and the location of this hose meant it is not something you might normally inspect or disturb.

To anyone else who is experiencing hot, oily smells in the car or even just under the bonnet, I would suggest you examine the breather hoses, mindful that any breakages may be hidden from view. Make a point of inspecting any rubber/plastic hoses that enter the casting of the engine, the heat there must give it a particularly hard life.
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