Mystery Oil Smell

[Umby]

Hey guys.
I have a 93 hatch that I just dropped a SOHC ZC motor in with an Si trans. I picked up the motor from an IA member and drove it extensively while still in his car etc, etc...

Anyway, once I installed the motor I noticed that I picked up a faint smell of oil when I revved it up from the TB. I wanted to paint the valve cover anyway and figuring it was probably the VC gasket (even though there was no sign of leakage) I put a new on (OEM gasket, Hondabond, etc...)
I now have about 300 miles on the car and I'm still smelling what seems to be oil when I stop at a light etc...

I've checked the whole engine over top to bottom and everything is clean and dry and my oil level hasn't changed one bit. The smell itself seems to be coming up from around the exhaust manifold area but ???

Could I still be getting some burn off from the swap? Where are some places to check that maybe I wouldn't know to look? Any help would be MOST appreciated.

[Theycall_Metue]

if it wasnt too long ago then yes, you could have left some oil on the pipes or something and once the engine gets hot it burns the oil. if its somewhere that dont get too hot then it'll burn the oil slowly. when i changed my valve cover gasket, it took 3 days to burn the oil off my down pipe.
(just my opinion)

[hondaxpurt]

another possiblity: you have an exhaust leak at the header and that faint oil burning may be oil getting into the cylinders. drive it for awhile and check oil consumption. or your missing a leak somewhere

[LilToySupra]

would have to be burn off.... nothing else makes sence

[Umby]

Thanx for the answers. I'm going to give it a couple of days and see what's going on... Its a head scratcher for sure.

[Umby]

Here is just a thought... I painted the exhaust heat shield with some high-temo engine paint and I've noticed its already starting to "burn off." Could that posisbly be producing the smell in question?

[Patterson]

Here is just a thought... I painted the exhaust heat shield with some high-temo engine paint and I've noticed its already starting to "burn off." Could that posisbly be producing the smell in question?


yep, could very well be. i just put a zc in mine and it to has a smell to it. But i'm not worried since its a beater :D

[Umby]

Yeah. Mine is just a DD/beater as well but I can't stand pulling up somewhere and having that smell coming out

[Patterson]

pull up fast, jump out and run. you will never smell it :D

nah g/l with it. the motor that was in it before didn't blow up or smoke did it? some oil/other fluids could be chillin in the exaust. but i'm going to go with the paint for right now.

[Umby]

Lmfao... That's one way to do it