Was changing my oil in my truck (1990 pickup w/ 22re engine) this afternoon and noticed that the oil had the smell of gasoline in it. Any ideas?

Thanks.

 

might be a bad injector id hold off driving it tell you figure it out

 

Do you drive it often? Long trips or short? What type thermostat? There are a lot of variables.Does it run well or way rich?

 

I drive it to and from work 5 days a week, about 20 miles each way. It has been running fine, although about a week ago I noticed it sputtering a bit on the highway right after I put some gas in the tank. As soon as that gas was gone, the sputter went away, so I attributed it to some bad fuel. As far as the thermostat goes, I'm not certain. I have not touched it in the 5 years I have owned the truck.

Thanks for your input.

 

Oil creates hydrocarbons(HC) as it breaks down. If it was 3K mile+ oil that was well overdue to be changed, i would change oil and filter and run it for a few miles, check it again.

Though It's possible you have a leaky injector that lets fuel drip into cylinder when it's not running, and maybe seep past rings, and into the crankcase.

There are lots of variables and possibilities...

 

A rich running condition lets unburned fuel passed the rings....

-So does a miss fire
-So does bad gas
-So does a leaking Cold Start injector
-So does a leaking Fuel injector

Also the more worn the piston rings are the more fuel and combustion gases "blow-by" the rings even when and or if the engine is operating fine.
(High Mileage Engine)

Stuck open thermostat.
Faulty Coolant Temperature sensor.
Incorrect Burn time(Ignition timing/spark plugs)