I was inspecting a used car and the oil and the transmission dipstick smelled of exhaust (carbon monoxide?). What does this mean? Does it mean that the engine's gone bad and I should stay away from that car?
Welcome to Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange
Motor Vehicles Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for mechanics and DIY enthusiast owners of cars, trucks, and motorcycles. It's built and run by you as part of the Stack Exchange network of Q&A sites. With your help, we're working together to build a library of detailed answers to every question about motor vehicle maintenance or repair.
We're a little bit different from other sites. Here's how:
Ask questions, get answers, no distractions
This site is all about getting answers. It's not a discussion forum. There's no chit-chat.
Just questions...
...and answers.
up vote
Good answers are voted up and rise to the top.
The best answers show up first so that they are always easy to find.
accept
The person who asked can mark one answer as "accepted".
Accepting doesn't mean it's the best answer, it just means that it worked for the person who asked.
What does exhaust smell on oil and transmission dipstick mean?
up vote
14
down vote
favorite
2 Answers
up vote
4
down vote
accept
Smelling AT fluid is (or did ) give a good hint of the transmission general condition , but it requires experience. The clutches and bands have material like brake pads and if they slip, they heat very quickly although running in oil , and have a "burned" smell.
answered Oct 16 at 23:58
blacksmith37
1,4411 gold badge3 silver badges10 bronze badges
1,4411 gold badge3 silver badges10 bronze badges
up vote
3
down vote
If the motor oil has a distinct smell of exhaust fumes, it might also mean that the cylinder head gasket has become leaky. Transmission fluid should never smell of exhaust gases, but can get a certain burnt smell from the clutch pads.
answered Oct 17 at 12:35
WooShell
1804 bronze badges
1804 bronze badges
Get answers to practical, detailed questions
Focus on questions about an actual problem you have faced. Include details about what you have tried and exactly what you are trying to do.
Ask about...
- Specific issues with motor vehicle maintenance or repair
- Real problems or questions that you’ve encountered
Not all questions work well in our format. Avoid questions that are primarily opinion-based, or that are likely to generate discussion rather than answers.
Questions that need improvement may be closed until someone fixes them.
Don't ask about...
- Anything not directly related to motor vehicle maintenance or repair
- Questions that are primarily opinion-based
- Questions with too many possible answers or that would require an extremely long answer
Tags make it easy to find interesting questions
All questions are tagged with their subject areas. Each can have up to 5 tags, since a question might be related to several subjects.
Click any tag to see a list of questions with that tag, or go to the tag list to browse for topics that interest you.
What does exhaust smell on oil and transmission dipstick mean?
up vote
14
down vote
I was inspecting a used car and the oil and the transmission dipstick smelled of exhaust (carbon monoxide?). What does this mean? Does it mean that the engine's gone bad and I should stay away from that car?
asked Oct 16 at 21:22
Utku
1881 silver badge10 bronze badges
1881 silver badge10 bronze badges
You earn reputation when people vote on your posts
Your reputation score goes up when others vote up your questions, answers and edits.
+5
question voted up
+10
answer voted up
+15
answer is accepted
+2
edit approved
As you earn reputation, you'll unlock new privileges like the ability to vote, comment, and even edit other people's posts.
| Reputation | Privilege |
|---|---|
| 15 | Vote up |
| 50 | Leave comments |
| 125 | Vote down (costs 1 rep on answers) |
At the highest levels, you'll have access to special moderation tools. You'll be able to work alongside our community moderators to keep the site focused and helpful.
| 500 | Vote to close, reopen, or migrate questions |
|---|---|
| 1000 | Edit other people's posts |
| 2000 | Access to moderation tools |
Improve posts by editing or commenting
Our goal is to have the best answers to every question, so if you see questions or answers that can be improved, you can edit them.
Use edits to fix mistakes, improve formatting, or clarify the meaning of a post.
up vote
9
down vote
Smelling AT fluid is (or did ) give a good hint of the transmission general condition , but it requires experience. The clutches and bands have material like brake pads and if they slip, they heat very quickly although running in oil , and have a "burned" smell.
answered Oct 16 at 23:58
blacksmith37
1,4411 gold badge3 silver badges10 bronze badges
1,4411 gold badge3 silver badges10 bronze badges
Well, it comes from experience of working on cars and knowing what causes what when you have particular smells. It probably isn't going to work for the OP though since they thought they were smelling Carbon Monoxide. - Nelson Oct 18 at 10:13
Unlock badges for special achievements
Badges are special achievements you earn for participating on the site. They come in three levels: bronze, silver, and gold.
| Student | First question with score of 1 or more |
| Editor | First edit |
| Good Answer | Answer score of 25 or more |
| Civic Duty | Vote 300 or more times |
| Famous Question | Question with 10,000 views |
Sign up to get started
Signing up allows you to:
- Earn reputation when you help others with questions, answers and edits.
- Select favorite tags to customize your home page.
- Claim your first badge: Informed
Looking for more in-depth information on the site? Visit the Help Center
Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange is part of the Stack Exchange network
Like this site? Stack Exchange is a network of 174 Q&A sites just like it. Check out the full list of sites.
Use comments to ask for more information or clarify a question or answer.
You can always comment on your own questions and answers. Once you earn 50 reputation, you can comment on anybody's post.
Remember: we're all here to learn, so be friendly and helpful!