burnt oil smell

[Twistedmetal]

Hello to all,

I just joined the forum, I have a 2012 45th SS. I just had my first oil change, and have been getting the same burnt oil smell that is all over this thread. I took it back tothe mechanic and put her back on the lift, checked the plug, the gasget, the manifold cleaned her up......all was well, still getting the smell!!!!! please help, I would much rather be smelling my new leather than this burnt oil smell!!

[dookie454]

I posted on the other thread but I just changed my oil and now have the oil smell. It is definately fresh oil being burnt off of a hot surface like a manifold.. This is a different smell than an engine burning it internally.

It has to be due to one of two things:
1). Oil leaked from the filter during changeing into something like a groove or channel and is burning off over time,
2). Oil splashed from removing the drain plug... I had to wipe oil off of a cross member or some bar under there after... This bar kept the wet look after wiping down so maybe it's spilling oil when moving/accelerating, worse when hot since the oil thins out?

I've got about 500 miles since my oil change.. It's getting better/less... consistent with oil trapped and leaking out when hot/over time.

I'll try to get under there and look closer.

[Hannibal]

There are relief cuts in that cross member directly under the pan. If oil gets in there, it could be running out and blowing back on to the cats. I'd run a rag up in those relief cut channels to see if any residual oil is laying in there.

[dookie454]

Originally Posted by Hannibal

There are relief cuts in that cross member directly under the pan. If oil gets in there, it could be running out and blowing back on to the cats. I'd run a rag up in those relief cut channels to see if any residual oil is laying in there.

I had allot of oil all over that crossmember, I think it was directly hit by the oil stream when I pulled the plug... That has to be it.

[roccomaro69]

mine was the same way after only 20 miles of driving on a brand new special order 2010 camaro! after a couple run thrus with the dealership with no success i gave up and took a $5000 dollar hit and dumped that pos! got a 2012 f150 and NEVER looked back. those camaros are kinda pretty but thats about all they got going for em... buying mine was a very, very bad experience and has turned a life long chevy guy to a ford guy! no one should ever have to smell burning oil coming thru the vents on the same day having spent close to $40,000 on a new car!

[Mikes SS]

ha ha I have a funny story for this...make sure you do not overfill the oil, it will smell like you are burning it. I have a buddy that changed his own oil and put in 9 quarts because the manual said 8.6..I guess he thought what does .4 of a quart matter? well he got the burnt oil smell shortly after post oil change drive and thought he might have spilled some...no leaks..few weeks went by and still the same smell, on a whim, he drained some oil, not sure how much, and the smell went away. I am not a cheapo, but I only put in 8 quarts and its been just fine on the dipstick.

[SC2150]

If you have a catchcan, over 1/2 the time when a dealer empties it they accidently OPEN the drain instead of close it after draining.....

[Jpb972]

Originally Posted by SC2150

If you have a catchcan, over 1/2 the time when a dealer empties it they accidently OPEN the drain instead of close it after draining.....

So I'm guessing the smell most of us are getting is blow by oil being burnt in the combustion chamber? It makes sense to me because I don't have a drop of oil anywhere and I get this smell on occasion. Will this go away after the car breaks in and rings seat? It's not too comforting that I have to add an aftermarket item such as a catch can to cover up what appears to be an obvious issue with the engine.

Where's the "GM Rep" on this one? You would think he would have an answer by now.

If I decide to try the catch can (bullshit if you ask me) what is the best one?

[GreyWind SSL99]

This really helped!!

Same thing is happening to me with my 2011.

I got my oil change about 2 weeks ago and every time I turned on the Heat, I would smell it. It's not bad, pretty faint. I think I might have seen some smoke coming from the cowl, but I may have been seeing things. I didn't get a chance to pop the hood then and check (in a hurry). Also did noticed that when I pushed the engine a little, the smell was a little more pronounced than when I was cruising.

When I rode into work this morning with the Heat on, I smelled it. When I rode home from work without the heat it, NEW CAR SMELL!

I check under the hood just now...all looked good... so hopefully it will go away...

[Jpb972]

Originally Posted by GreyWind SSL99

This really helped!!

Same thing is happening to me with my 2011.

I got my oil change about 2 weeks ago and every time I turned on the Heat, I would smell it. It's not bad, pretty faint. I think I might have seen some smoke coming from the cowl, but I may have been seeing things. I didn't get a chance to pop the hood then and check (in a hurry). Also did noticed that when I pushed the engine a little, the smell was a little more pronounced than when I was cruising.

When I rode into work this morning with the Heat on, I smelled it. When I rode home from work without the heat it, NEW CAR SMELL!

I check under the hood just now...all looked good... so hopefully it will go away...

FYI: I haven't smelled it since installing the catch can and zl1 oil separator.
Not yet anyway.