300m oil changes and burnt oil smell

Discussion in 'Chrysler 300' started by MoPar Man, Aug 10, 2009.

  1. MoPar Man

    MoPar Man Guest

    I recently had the oil changed in my '00 300m on the same day as a 200
    mile trip (followed by a 200 mile return trip 2 days later).

    Every time after the oil is changed, I always seem to small some
    burnt-oil like some oil dripped onto an exhast manifold or pipe. The
    smell was particularly bad after this 400 mile round trip. I only smell
    it when the car has come to a stop (like a red light) after a long
    extended highway drive. It takes a week or two for the smell to go away
    (I guess for the oil to completely burn off).

    The oil is changed at a Chrysler dealership (I've never done it myself
    on this car).

    Is there something specific to changing the oil on a 300m that lends
    itself to oil leaking or dripping onto or into areas that later either
    get hot, or the oil can later migrate (by wind caused by high-speed
    driving) onto hot surfaces such as exhaust pipes, etc ?

    PS: Highway fuel economy, as indicated by the overhead digital display,
    gave readings between 29 to 32 mpg during cruise-control over flat
    ground at about 70 mph. My impression is that the highway fuel economy
    of this car is increasing slowly over time. Years ago, I would have
    seen 26 to 28 mpg for a similar drive.
     
    MoPar Man, Aug 10, 2009
    #1
  2. MoPar Man

    Steve Stone Guest

    My wife has a 2000 3ooM.
    I bought it new for her in April 2000.
    Car has 23,000 miles.
    Always garaged.
    Just replaced the factory tires due to age, not wear.
    I change the oil. I use Mobil 1.
    There is nothing challenging about changing the filter or draining the
    oil on this car.
    I might drip a little on cross members under the engine but nothing on
    the exhaust system,
    unless the shop you use is sloppy pouring oil into the top of the engine.

    Do you check your fluid levels weekly?
    Perhaps something is leaking
    or has been overfilled and overflows onto hot surfaces during extended
    road trips?

    Steve
     
    Steve Stone, Aug 10, 2009
    #2
  3. MoPar Man

    Josh S Guest

    I suspect oil is being spilled on you engine when it is refilled. A
    funnel is necessary to fill this engine to avoid spilling oil on it.

    My '04 300M with 73k kms (45k miles) gets a long trip average of about 8
    L/100 (35 mpg Imp, 29 mpg US) at 110 kph (70mph).
    Only 8.3 L/100 on Oregon's ethanol polluted fuel.
     
    Josh S, Aug 10, 2009
    #3
  4. MoPar Man

    Bill Putney Guest

    Almost certainly that is the problem. I change my own, and the couple
    of times I did spill a little bit, it has smelled for a while. On that
    engine, if you do spill any while filling, it is guaranteed to end up
    directly on the exhaust.
     
    Bill Putney, Aug 10, 2009
    #4
  5. MoPar Man

    MoPar Man Guest

    At this particular Chrysler dealership (and I suspect it's the same at
    many others) their oil-change bay is equipped with some sort of
    over-head oil hose that is operated by a hand-lever at the end of the
    hose (looks very similar to the air line that a gas station would have
    when you need to add more air to your tires). They just remove the oil
    cap and stick this hose into the opening and squeeze the trigger. There
    might be some sort of metering mechanism at the other end that insures a
    certain quantity of oil gets pumped.

    They don't open individual quarts or even a gallon container of oil and
    pour it in - it always just comes pumped in from an overhead hose.
    I'm assuming that on my Canadian 300m, that when I switch between
    measurement units, that what I see are metric and US, not metric and
    UK/imperial. It's too bad that the metric display of fuel usage does
    not show at least 1 decimal place - I only see 1 digit for metric
    display (ie 7 L/100km or 8 L/100 km). And I have no idea if it switches
    from 7 to 8 when the real number is 7.49 or 7.99.

    But like I said, getting 29 to 32 mpg (and I'm assuming US gallons) is
    now fairly typical on flat terrain at 70 mph. In metric units, all I
    can report is either 7 or 8 L/100km - nothing more precise than that.

    And I'm still using the same K&N air filter that I bought about 8+ years
    ago when I replaced the original factory air filter. I clean and oil
    the K&N about twice a year. It still looks new.

    And I try to have my tires at 36 psi (cold). That probably helps.
     
    MoPar Man, Aug 11, 2009
    #5
  6. MoPar Man

    Josh S Guest

    So they dribble some oil when removing the hose.
    I dropped some down the side when adding oil, the smell was bad for a
    while.
    My 2004 CDN 300M shows one decimal point for metric.
     
    Josh S, Aug 11, 2009
    #6
  7. MoPar Man

    MoPar Man Guest

    I would have thought that any "dribble" from the filler cap opening
    would have been burned away after 400 miles and 10 hours on the highway.
    Interesting. I wonder if that's a function of the electronics in the
    overhead module, or one of the computers somewhere else in the car. If
    it's the overhead module, I wonder if I can get the module from a 2004
    car from a junk yard and transplant it into my 2000 car. Or maybe
    there's a way to reprogram my computer/module?

    Where is Glen / Maxpower? He seems to have disappeared from this
    newsgroup.
     
    MoPar Man, Aug 11, 2009
    #7
  8. MoPar Man

    MoPar Man Guest

    She obviously doesn't drive much.

    By the way, your timing belt is 9+ years old, but has a ridiculously low
    amount of miles on it.

    What would Bill say about changing your timing belt?
    Yea, mine is garaged every night.
    I was under the impression that exposure to sunlight and ozone is what
    ages tires, not necessarily the passage of time.
    Well, I've changed my front sway bar bushings twice, the outer tierods
    once, the electric door lock/latch on both rear doors, the front brake
    pads 2 or 3 times (and rotors once or twice), put in a new set of spark
    plugs, and changed one defective coil-pack. But for $35 and 1/2 hour of
    my time waiting for the job to get done, it's not worth the hassle of
    messing around under the engine and collecting the used oil into a
    suitable container that I can throw into the garbage without the wife
    noticing and forcing me to take it to a "proper" oil recycling depot.
    I seem to have this burnt-oil smell for a week or two after an oil
    change, but perhaps only when I have an oil change a few days before a 2
    or 4-hour highway trip.
    No. I pretty much never check the oil. I maybe checked it once or
    twice a year for the first 5 years. Maybe I've checked the tranny fluid
    level 2 or 3 times in 10 years.

    I just went and looked at the current oil level. It's about 1/8" above
    the full mark.
    NEVER any leaks under the car. Of any sort of fluid. NEVER.
    Well, if it's 1/8" above the full mark right now, then what are the odds
    that it was way higher than that right after the oil change, to the
    point it came out of the dipstick tube?
     
    MoPar Man, Aug 11, 2009
    #8
  9. MoPar Man

    Bill Putney Guest

    Go to either www.dodgeintrepid.net or www.lhforums.net. There's a guy
    there named Ross who posts as Torontofirecaptain who is *the* world's
    leading expert on the various electronic computers and modules on the
    the LH cars. He knows what years of what item are compatible with what
    years of cars - there may be no restrictions on moving the overhead
    module among the different year vehicles, or maybe there are - but Ross
    will know.

    He also has a DRBIII scan tool and knows if possibly yours can be
    reprogramed or if you simply need a new console. The consoles are cheap
    to buy used - under $75. In fact Ross has a side business of selling LH
    car parts - I've done business with him several times, and he has an
    impeccable reputation and respect in the LH car community on the various
    LH enthusiast web sites. Or you can pick one up yourself from a yard
    if you care to spend the time looking for he right one. But Ross
    probably has several of what you would need sitting on the shelf.

    Here's his latest Buy/Sell/Trade thread - notice that he prefers email
    instead of PM: http://www.lhforums.net/forums/showthread.php?t=8031

    His personal site for selling LH parts:
    http://www3.sympatico.ca/ross.wakefield/Inventory header.htm

    Discuss with him if you want an OTIS or an EVIC - they are two different
    versions of the overhead console.
     
    Bill Putney, Aug 11, 2009
    #9
  10. MoPar Man

    Steve Stone Guest

    Well, if it's 1/8" above the full mark right now, then what are the odds
    Not sure of this on the 300M, but in the past I have owned vehicles that
    had breather tubes attached to the tranny that would blow fluid out of
    them as it warmed up if you overfilled the tranny and stomped on the
    gas. In my case this was a 1985 Ford product. Great smoke screen on the
    interstate!
     
    Steve Stone, Aug 11, 2009
    #10
  11. MoPar Man

    Bill Putney Guest

    There is in fact a TSB on the M and other LH cars for that - fix
    involves replacing differential level check plug with a fitting that has
    a vent tube on it. But I doubt this is the problem in this case. I
    think oil is being spilled on the exhaust - it doesn't take much to
    create the smell, and, as said before, if you do spill while filling, it
    is guaranteed to go onto the exhaust.
     
    Bill Putney, Aug 11, 2009
    #11
  12. MoPar Man

    Bill Putney Guest

    I know that post was a few weeks ago, but I recently realized why any
    drops that spill on the exhaust when filling don't burn off quickly: The
    exhaust in that area is covered by a heat shield - so the oil is
    actually getting spilled on the heat shield, not the actual pipe - the
    heat shield gets just hot enough to make it smell like burnt oil, but
    *not* hot enough to burn it off quickly, so it takes a few days of driving.

    Last time I changed the oil in my 3.2 (same engine as 3.5, just smaller
    bore), I spilled a few drops (even with a small funnel, these 4 and 5
    qt. jugs that all the oil companies have gone to are almost impossible
    to pour without some dripping). Had to put up with the smell for 3 or 4
    days of occasional driving. It finally went away. Next time that
    happens, I will probably immediately spray a bunch of brake parts
    cleaner onto the heat shield and have done with it. Or get a larger
    funnel and try not to spill it.
     
    Bill Putney, Aug 28, 2009
    #12
Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments (here). After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.