Hey guys, I have a 4 week old Rancher w/ 32 hours on it. It is my first ATV so I don't know if this is normal or not.
Ok, I changed my oil at 20 hours for the first time and noticed it smelled like paint. Smelled like it had some gas in it. The first 20 hours I failed to turn the gas valve off after every riding so I could see how gas could have leaked down through the cylinder. So I changed my oil and ever since have turned the valve off when I park the Rancher. The oil smelt normal when I put it in.
Well, now 12 riding hours later, it is smelling like gas again. The level of the oil is the same. My buddies Timberwolve's oil smells normal so I am wondering if there is something wrong with mine.
Any input or advice? Anyone else had experience w/ this? Probably just a normal smell but I really wouldn't know. What do you think? Thanks allot.

 

One sure way to find out is to sample the oil and send for analysis.

www.usoil.com

 

yea, my oil smells gassy too, sometimes like rotten eggs too..lol

 

When I changed my oil...it would stink atrociously!! I couldn't stand closer than 10 feet!! Didn't notice gas smell. Are you sure it's the oil, not something else around?

 

If the oil smells gassy it usually means blow by. Which is unburned gas flowing past the piston and into the crankcase. This is also commonly found on automobiles to, usually it's due to a bad piston ring.

2000 SCRAMBLER 400 2X4

SCRAMDADDY400

 

Could it be running a little rich? That might cause a little excess gas to get in the oil.
Also, since you are still in the break-in period, the rings may not be sealing off as well as they will after the engine gets broken in. Just some guesses.
If the oil level isn't getting higher and the oil doesn't look thin, it probably isn't enough gas in it to hurt anything. But since it is new, I would call your dealer and see what they say.

 

You may have a float problem in the carb. If it doesnt seat properly the fuel will keep filling in the float bowl, and run into the cylinder. Gas will run right past your rings and land in the oil. This would also explain why it stops when the petcock is closed. A little leak may not be all that noticable in performance but in essance, your running pretty rich.

Some causes for float failure are:

1- just a bad seat or damaged needle.

2- Float height not set right.

3- a ruptured float that filled with fuel and is now to heavy to float properly.

I recommend pulling the carb and visually inspecting the needle and seat. If they look good, gently remove the float and shake it. If it's empty and seems dry inside it's most likely fine. Last but not least check the height and bend the tab accordingly. I hope this helps. MUD

 

Problem Solved, I think...
I went to a different dealer the other day and told him of my problem. After telling him my problem I asked him if he had any Honda ATV's running the same honda oil as I put in the Rancher and he pointed me to a Recon. It was a used model and the oil in it smelt exactly the same. The guy said that this is a normal smell. He said that the oil will smell like normal car oil when put in, but once it is used the smell will change and the oil will have kind of a sticky feel to it due to the transmission additive. This would explain why my buddies Timberwolf's oil smelled normal to me because he was running regular Castrol 10W 40 w/ no trans. additive. This seems like a reasonable explanation to me so I won't worry about it anymore. Thanks for your helpful responces.