2019 Civic Si gas smell in oil

amirza786 said:

DI engine is going to get some fuel in the oil. On my last two oil changes I sent my oil for analysis, and everything was normal after 7K on the oil both times. Both times I was told that I could have gone a couple thousand more miles. Just follow the MM and you will be fine. Changing your oil every 3K is a waste of money. That statement is based on scientific data on not speculation or opinion

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Kable's2019Si said:

Well I've been running a shop for 15+ years and don't pay for oil changes, so it's not a waste for me. I've been doing this a long time so it's not speculation or opinion. MM lights are not a perfect science. I see them all the time telling people they still have plenty of time, and the oil is burnt and low. How well your oil stands up has a lot of factors. Saying just follow your maintenance light and you'll be fine is just an opinion itself. If you have gotten enough dilution that you can smell it, change it. Just because one person's car isn't having an issue with dilution, doesn't mean that another's doesn't. If you want to get a long life out of the car, change it if you ever feel questionable. If you just want to get through warranty follow the maintenance light. My shop reflashes for faulty MM lights quite often.

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SCOPESYS said:

BY 2 cents on OD, for whats it;s worth ( about 2 cents !!)

You really cannot tell in any quantitative way, how much Oil dilution you have by smelling the oil on the dipstick.

A little bit of GAS SMELL goes a long way.

Maybe one option is to be accurate when you do an oil change, and get the new oil level to the top line on the dipstick, (Not above it). ie to a Precise, know point on the dipstick.

Then, when you can consistently measure your oil level after the engine has been off for some time, and know that it is accurately set to the top line..:-

If it rises, you are most likely getting oil dilution.

(if you are getting that amount of water in your oil, you have even bigger problems !!)

If it rises to the top of the Orange Plastic piece, then you are gained 0.25 Quarts of extra fluid, (which one will assume is gas). ( I personally measured that ...)

1.5LT Civic hold 3.7 Quarts, so an extra 0.25 Quarts = (0.25/3.7) * 100 = 6.75% OD

6.75 can be considered to be "max acceptable", but much more, or the oil being much higher on the dipstick, is NOT.

Note: Excessive high Oil level will cause a multitude of other issues, so don't let it get above the orange !!

So, if you set your initial oil level accurately after an oil change (Don't rely on the Dealer to do, that, typically they OVERFILL), then if your level rises above the top of the orange plastic, you might want to consider an oil change just to get the OD down,

Personally, I would always change the Filter with every oil change - the filter may have a Filtering Life of so many 1000's of miles, but any old oil in the filter may be suffering from OD.

The above is what I do, and I do not loose any sleep thinking about OD issues, as I feel I have it under control.

The biggest difficulty in doing all this, is trying to accurately measure NEW Clean oil levels on the Honda Dipstick !!!

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Kable's2019Si said:

Well I've been running a shop for 15+ years and don't pay for oil changes, so it's not a waste for me. I've been doing this a long time so it's not speculation or opinion. MM lights are not a perfect science. I see them all the time telling people they still have plenty of time, and the oil is burnt and low. How well your oil stands up has a lot of factors. Saying just follow your maintenance light and you'll be fine is just an opinion itself. If you have gotten enough dilution that you can smell it, change it. Just because one person's car isn't having an issue with dilution, doesn't mean that another's doesn't. If you want to get a long life out of the car, change it if you ever feel questionable. If you just want to get through warranty follow the maintenance light. My shop reflashes for faulty MM lights quite often.

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Kable's2019Si said:

I didn't get an oil analysis because that actually is a waste of money. To do an oil analysis on a daily driver is a waste. The oil analysis is more than what I pay for oil. So if I feel the oil is contaminated it just makes sense to change it. Especially seeing how you have to change it anyway to get the sample. And I have enough years working with oil to see when something is off with it. It's what I do for a living. And I'm not the only one who knows it's a waste.

https://parts.olathetoyota.com/blog/4680/is-oil-testing-worth-doing

I get samples done on the race engine in my truck, but on a daily proves nothing more than you had 40 bucks to waste. Again, I state. If you feel something is off about your oil, change it. Get it tested if you want, if that makes you feel better. But you have to change the oil to get the sample anyway, sooooo.

And anyone just dismissing over 15 years experience working in the lube industry because the believe that everyone needs to be oil sampling, and that I'm "not informed" is just being a pompous ass who just sounds like an arrogant vegan to me. I believe in sampling oil when it's needed. Not just so I can tell people they don't know what they are talking about.

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Design said:

Either approach will end up "wasting" money in the long term. One assumes something is wrong and seeks to remedy with a premature OCI. The other seeks to understand whether the condition is an actual problem (or simply a well-known side effect of TCDI).
I said doing samples on a daily driver with no signs of major problems is a waste. I even said that I do sample my race engines. So I didn't say they are always a waste. Just to be doing regularly on a daily driver. Just like the article I linked to.

The benefit of the UOAs we've collected here, is that we've debunked the myth (and the internet's corresponding paranoia) that there's something functionally wrong with these powertrains. The reality is that we've never come across a single sample where a high fuel ratio is leading to an increase in wear metals. That's not to say that Honda couldn't be managing fuel dilution better. It simply confirms that fuel in the oil does not adversely impact long term wear/reliability.

I agree that there's nothing wrong with changing prematurely. But to suggest that UOAs are a "waste," is like the pot calling the teakettle black.

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SHAYN3R said:

My last oil change, right after I had new oil put in, the oil was still dark. I think because of gas mixing in. This oil change I did an engine flush for an extra $20 and the oil is mint now, no gas smell. Something to consider for some.

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