New Suzuki DF60A_Oil smells on gas

[odidedi]

Hi, just bought a new DF60A. Starts, idles and runs really nice. Decided to make one oil change before 20-hr braking-in time. Oil looks older than I expected. It is opaque (murky but not milky) and dark. It smells on GAS. On the stick it looks nice. After just one run (3 miles very little idle, 4500-5000 rpm cruse) the new oil smells on gas and is opaque (non-transparent in a bottle). Did not change filter but drained it well. Shall I be concerned? Thanks.

[noelm007]

by "smells on gas" I guess you mean the oil smells like petrol/gas? if that is the case, then take it back for a warranty check, the oil should not smell like gas.

[odidedi]

Thanks. What I meant is: "the oil smells OF gas" (Eng. is my second language) because, talking about outboards, if it smells LIKE gas I am sure it IS gas. Seriously, my dilemma is coming from reading various forums in which some people say (1) go back to service, oil should not ever smell like gas while others say (2) it is normal that oil smells of gas because on idle and trolling engine runs rich so some gas will mix with oil. I changed oil on my cars million times and it never smelled on gas (though I never put my nose down in the pan either). Yet, even if one is using it gently, the outboard runs either on low speed/lots of gas (fast troll or out-of-hole) or at high RPMs like race cars (crusing) so I thought maybe it is normal for oil to get fouled and smelly much faster. Read lots of stuff but mostly just opinions. The reason I am writing is to maybe avoid making 2 trips to the dealership 50 miles away and have my boat away for 3-4 weeks just because I am maybe only paranoid about my new and expensive engine. (Do not have much faith in dealers anyway who use zinc self-drilling screws without any sealer when installing accessories on a $16,000 boat.)

[Chumbiwumba]

Take it back to the dealer for inspection. There is a certain amount of gas odor that is present in oil especially old oil. During power transitions the engine control can momentarily run rich and some of this fuel can blow by the rings during the power stroke. Generally they are designed to run lean except at start up. Gas dilutes oil which reduces its ability to protect your engine and cool it. Here are some of the possible faults:

Faulty low pressure fuel pump. The diaphragm could be leaking gas into the cylinder head cover.

Faulty temperature sensor:. This tells the ecm that the engine is cold and runs it in the rich mode all the time. Evidence of this is black spark plugs and smelly oil. The exhaust will also reek of gas. This is the analog equivalent of running with the choke on all the time.

Fouled fuel injector. A minute piece of crud can keep it from seating and it drools between cycles. Evidence is black fouled plugs and even wet smelly plugs.

Is there gas in the air intake? That could be due to flooding from the fuel vapor separator which is a mini gas tank with an over flow to your intake plenum. If the float valve is faulty that could lead to flooding.

The dealer will check the engine control module for trouble codes, but sensors are what are what are usually on the menu. Not injectors or pumps they are analog devices.

Talk to the spark plugs but take it to the dealer. They got your money. This is their problem.

[odidedi]

Thank you guys for the effort to write the replies. I will take this more seriously. Still, since it does not seem to be too serious (oil does not appear diluted and motor runs fine) I will do one more oil/filter change and make a light run on the lake to see how it looks/smells afterward. Thanks again.

[mitch]

i would also be taking up the issue of some clown using zinc screws on your new 16000 boat they should be stainless .

also you will most likely get a warning buzzer when you engine hits the 20 hour service check you operators manual on how to reset .

most likely fuel smell in oil will go away once you start running at higher revs after break in period

[odidedi]

UPDATE: Replaced filter and put new Penzoil SAE 10W-40 conventional (20hr oil light came on meanwhile). Two trips on the lake. Drained oil in glass bottle: No gasoline odor. Maybe just a faint trace. Oil looks homogeneous but darker than I thought it will be and significantly darker than a new one (not dark on the finger - just when looking at a thick layer in the glass bottle).
MY CONCLUSION: Read on web some commentaries on oil in Japanese cars in which they say FACTORY OIL IN NEW JAPANESE ENGINES smells like petroleum/paint thinner. Maybe that is what I took for gasoline odor. As for the darkness of the oil, it is most probably normal. On the dipstick or finger it looks brand new. As I said before, never smelled or looked into old oil this close before.
Anyway, hope this story may be useful info to someone experiencing strong odor in oil after just 20 hrs or less into break in period. Thanks for the useful replies.