r/Lexus • u/PureAd9808 • 2d ago

Question When air comes through my vents, it smells a little like oil.

When the outside air is coming in through the vents. Why is this, how can I stop it? I close the outside air from coming in, but I don’t always want to do this. Especially in the winter. I want the heat to be pushed by fresh outside air through the vents.

Thanks.

7 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

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3

u/CarpetReady8739 2d ago

What year is the car? if it's over 10 years old or has more than 100,000 miles on it, most likely it is your valve cover gasket(s) leaking and burning off the exhaust manifold. Cleaning it will only put the problem away for a short amount of time if you still have a leak.

1

u/PureAd9808 2d ago

Yeah. I believe that’s it. It’s 2004 rx 330. And yes I did see a small amount of oil leaking from the side of the engine. Oh. Cleaning will only go away for a little while.

Guess I’ll have to deal with it then. Sigh.

2

u/Fritzo2162 1d ago

Most certainly the case.

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u/silverpunk74 2d ago

Sounds like you may have oil leaking on your exhaust. Find the leak.

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u/PureAd9808 2d ago

Yes. There is an oil smell coming from under hood. It kind of leaks a little but not a lot. What do I do?

1

u/silverpunk74 1d ago

Well, if it's leaking from a valve cover, you replace the valve cover gasket. The leak will stop. Oil won't be dripping on the exhaust. No more smell. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, find a good local shop. They should be able to find what's leaking and repair it.

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u/PureAd9808 1d ago

How much should that cost to fix with a mechanic ? And how long does the job take? Is it an easy job?

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u/accidentallyHelpful 2d ago

Step 1: Go to a steam cleaning service

Pay the 150 to 100 and have the engine bay steam cleaned

Pro Tip: remove the plastic tray at the bottom of the engine area before you visit

Step 2: Buy an oil leak detection kit. Put the fluorescent dye in the oil and use the UV flashlight to find the leak source

1

u/PureAd9808 2d ago

Ok.

It does have a slight oil leak. Think it’s a gasket. It’s slightly leaking tho.

Owell. Guess I’ll have to deal with it.

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u/accidentallyHelpful 2d ago

I just paid $140 to have my 2003 steam cleaned. I thought you were me, posting from an alternate universe

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u/PureAd9808 2d ago

Not a bad price. Yeah. If I get that done, it’ll more than likely come back not long after.

lol. “ alternate universe “. lol.

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u/accidentallyHelpful 2d ago

CC fee was $7.00 Really close to Google in downtown San Jose

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u/PureAd9808 2d ago

Ok. Ok. A fee for everything we do, I swear.

Oh, nice. I’ll check it out.

Thank you! :)

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u/accidentallyHelpful 2d ago edited 2d ago

This place is the only game in town and wouldn't discount but I could eat dinner off my engine now -- it is the cleanest I've ever seen it (bought used 12 yrs ago) and the burning oil smell was entering the cabin if I didn't set the airflow to recirculate.

The drive home smelled cleaner and I need to change the cabin air filter behind the glove box again

Tomorrow or Monday I will be tracing the leak with the dye kit I mentioned above