[Blue]

Waited 5 weeks for delivery of a 2020 Ascent. Happened to check the oil level using the dipstick on day 3 of ownership and noticed a smell of gasoline from the oil. The dealership changed the oil and filter and am now monitoring it and waiting to hear from Subaru manufacturer. Disappointing and uncertain how much damage this could cause to the engine e.g piston seals/wear from diluted oil etc...

 

[Robert.Mauro]

The engine will have some level of gas smell when new, and, it had break-in oil in it from the factory.

 

[Blue]

Thanks for the reply Robert. Any idea how long the gas smell in the oil takes to go away?

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Thanks for the reply Robert. Any idea how long the gas smell in the oil takes to go away?

No idea. I checked mine at some point, but 6,000 miles is a blur to me. I drive a TON of miles. So, I don't remember when it was, sorry.

Last time I checked was on my big road trip, and it had the faintest smell one would expect from a gasoline engine running very thin oil - not the strong smell some people have complained about. I'd just keep an eye on the oil level, and have the dealership keep an eye on the smell.

So, I'd suggest not presuming there's something wrong, but also not presuming there's not.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2118972878214872

One cause is:

3. Frequent Short Distance Driving
A small amount of gas will always end up in the oil pan. It is supposed to vapor out from the engine oil when the oil temperature is high, and it becomes high when you drive the vehicle for a long distance.

For a short distance driving, the engine oil does not get hot enough to smoke out the mixed gasoline. The result is an oil pan filled with gasoline. If you drive for shorter distances a lot, you should change the engine oil and filter sooner than the manufacturer’s recommended schedule

.

Your car went throw a little bit of short distance driving and a dyno test to 70 mph before it left Indiana, so, currently, with such short ownership, most of what it's had is short distance driving.

5 Reasons Why Your Oil Smells Like Gas - CAR FROM JAPAN

Oil smells like gas means a great amount of gas is mixed into the oil. Learn how bad the problem is and why this happens to avoid a bigger trouble.

carfromjapan.com

 

[Lumasand]

No idea. I checked mine at some point, but 6,000 miles is a blur to me. I drive a TON of miles. So, I don't remember when it was, sorry.

Last time I checked was on my big road trip, and it had the faintest smell one would expect from a gasoline engine running very thin oil - not the strong smell some people have complained about. I'd just keep an eye on the oil level, and have the dealership keep an eye on the smell.

So, I'd suggest not presuming there's something wrong, but also not presuming there's not.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2118972878214872

One cause is:
.

Your car went throw a little bit of short distance driving and a dyno test to 70 mph before it left Indiana, so, currently, with such short ownership, most of what it's had is short distance driving.

5 Reasons Why Your Oil Smells Like Gas - CAR FROM JAPAN

Oil smells like gas means a great amount of gas is mixed into the oil. Learn how bad the problem is and why this happens to avoid a bigger trouble.

carfromjapan.com

I'm at about 4500 miles, with an oil change about 1k ago. Just noticed the gas smell on my dipstick as well. It's not as bad as other people are saying as I knew what I was looking for, but it was pretty distinct. Dipstick was at full when the engine is cold, not sure if its overfilled at this point

 

[Robert.Mauro]

I'm at about 4500 miles, with an oil change about 1k ago. Just noticed the gas smell on my dipstick as well. It's not as bad as other people are saying as I knew what I was looking for, but it was pretty distinct. Dipstick was at full when the engine is cold, not sure if its overfilled at this point

Dipstick should be about full. Temperature isn't the test issue. The car should sit for about five minutes after driving so most or all of the oil returns to the sump.

There's always some exhaust blow by in a car. There's always a slight smell of "gas". The PCV ("positive crankcase ventilation") valve is what removes those gasses (gasses = vapor state exhaust, not gasoline). But the oil still takes up some slight gas smell. The gasses travel through the crankcase to the PCV valve for extraction.

It's when the oil level is rising because of actual unburnt gas slipping through somewhere that there's a problem.

 

[Rabshell]

Dipstick should be about full. Temperature isn't the test issue. The car should sit for about five minutes after driving so most or all of the oil returns to the sump.

There's always some exhaust blow by in a car. There's always a slight smell of "gas". The PCV ("positive crankcase ventilation") valve is what removes those gasses (gasses = vapor state exhaust, not gasoline). But the oil still takes up some slight gas smell. The gasses travel through the crankcase to the PCV valve for extraction.

It's when the oil level is rising because of actual unburnt gas slipping through somewhere that there's a problem.

My 2020 Ascent with 700 miles shows an oil level about .5” above full. Car sat overnight, did not tip the dipstick before reading. Our 2019 Crosstrek with 1,500 miles, same thing. Should I request comment from the Dealer?

 

[packout]

I would

 

[RobertD]

My 2020 Ascent with 700 miles shows an oil level about .5” above full. Car sat overnight, did not tip the dipstick before reading. Our 2019 Crosstrek with 1,500 miles, same thing. Should I request comment from the Dealer?

Depends on where the oil was filled to when it was changed. The Ascent takes 4.8 quarts so if the oil change put in 5 quarts it could be reading high. Also due to manufacturing tolerances the little line on the dip stick may be off. It is always best to know the beginning oil level when comparing to the current oil level.

 

[steve76]

I have a 2019 that at 800 miles was in the dealership shop due to increase in oil level from when I bought it brand new. Was in the shop for 28 days with lot's of different tests and finally SOA authorized replacement of high pressure injector pump that was leaking down into the crankcase. Since then at 4000 miles, the repair resolved the increase in oil level on dip stick. SOA and dealership were great to work with however, I don't think I will keep this car more than a few years and if I do decide soon to keep it, will get an extended service contract. Originally, oil level was spot on when I took it home new and at 800 miles, it rose to about a half inch above fill mark.

 

[Merope]

Very interesting! I was wondering what route fuel could take to get into the crankcase. So they use a camshaft driven mechanical fuel pump. I thought perhaps it might be electric, but evidently not.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Very interesting! I was wondering what route fuel could take to get into the crankcase. So they use a camshaft driven mechanical fuel pump. I thought perhaps it might be electric, but evidently not.

Yep, electrically controlled, mechanically driven.
High Pressure fuel pump, engine mounted:

• https://parts.subaru.com/p/Subaru_2019_Ascent/PUMP-ASSY-FUEL-HIGH-PRESSURE/73184505/16625AA110.html
• Scroll 1/3 way down to see a similar one on the FA20 (we have the FA24DIT):
  
  

  Tearing Down and Assessing the FA20 & 4U-GSE - The Modified Lifestyle | Revvolution

  Every week this build gets more and more interesting as we dive deeper into the inner workings of the BRZ. For this installment, we peel back the l...

  www.revvolution.com
• Looks kinda like this.

Electric fuel pump in the rear:

• https://parts.ramseysubaru.net/a/Subaru__Ascent/72846133__7484819/FUEL-TANK-FUEL-PUMP/W11-421-03.html

High pressure fuel injectors, sensors and rail on the engine.

• https://parts.subaru.com/a/Subaru_2019_Ascent/72845933__7484851/INTAKE-MANIFOLD-FUEL-INJECTOR/W11-050-04.html

 

[Merope]

^^^ Cool links. Thanks.

 

[Rabshell]

Depends on where the oil was filled to when it was changed. The Ascent takes 4.8 quarts so if the oil change put in 5 quarts it could be reading high. Also due to manufacturing tolerances the little line on the dip stick may be off. It is always best to know the beginning oil level when comparing to the current oil level.

Had my Ascent back to the Dealership today for the high oil level. They agreed it was way too high, drained the oil and filled it with fresh oil. Told me it was prob high from new which tells me the pre delivery checklist wasn’t done right.

 

[RobertD]

Had my Ascent back to the Dealership today for the high oil level. They agreed it was way too high, drained the oil and filled it with fresh oil. Told me it was prob high from new which tells me the pre delivery checklist wasn’t done right.

That’s good. Hopefully they went over the delivery checklist a second time to make sure all is well.

 

[Merope]

Seems odd to me that it would come overfilled from the factory as they almost certainly use automatic metering pumps to fill it, but who knows. Maybe the wrong engine type was selected or something. As long as it was only too much oil and not oil diluted with gas it should be good.

 

[radiowc]

Mine new delivery oil level also above 3/4 above full. So I drain the excessive back to full mark. About 32oz I took out. Not sure why they over filled it.