Does your car smell like burning oil?

Engine oil is very critical to an engine operation. It is the "blood" of the engine. Engine oil keeps all of the internal moving components from making metal to metal contact. It reduces friction and collects engine contaminates.

Because of engine oil plays a huge role in a car's engine performance, it must be properly maintained. If you smell burning oil, have a trusted mechanic check for oil leaks immediately. The smell of burning oil usually is what it is, the oil is burning on a hot surface somewhere.

There are many factors that could cause oil to leak. Below are the top 2 culprit causes of oil leaks.

Old Engine: Extreme heat and cold cause the engine to expand and contract. This expansion and contraction may cause the engine gaskets to bend, warp, or even break. As the engine ages gaskets my fail and oil may leak out through the gasket openings.

Top View of An Oily Engine

Bottom View of An Oily Engine

Messy Oil Change: There are two major places where oil could drip or spill when you have an oil change done on your car. One place would be from where they pour the oil in. The second place would be from the oil filter. When they take out the old oil filter oil will rush out, and sometimes it skirts or splashes to the engine block. A lazy or busy mechanic usually will not clean out minor oil spills off the engine.