Alright, first maintenance thread for the 3.6r. 2018 Outback 3.6r Oil was changed 3500 miles ago by dealer prior to me purchasing. So the other day I decided to take a look under the hood, check fluid levels ect. I removed the oil fill cap and noticed a little bit of residue underneath. I look at it closer, and I can smell fuel. Pull the dipstick, same smell. I know this could be many different things, stuck injector, bad piston rings, short trips ect. I'm not panicking just yet though. In the picture you can see what I'm talking about, some is light reflection. Once the engine cools overnight, that buildup isn't there. I also suspect that the dealership that I bought it from had the car idling a lot. Milage reader said 15mpg when I bought it. I'm going to get the oil changed soon, and hopefully no more fuel smell. If the smell persists, what's the best way to find a stuck injector? Just pull plugs and inspect? Thanks all!
How many miles are on it? Might send a sample of that oil to be tested. That will help you judge the fuel content, and might show evidence of other wear.
Only 34k. When I saw the grey film, I thought head gasket. But being a 3.6 with low miles, that's highly unlikely. Others on the Outback forum mentioned oil/water emulsion, saying it can smell like fuel. Once I change the oil, I'll get a sample to Blackstone labs to see for sure.
Port injected, thankfully. I ended up driving around for a bit yesterday, oil temp never got above 205F, but the residue under the cap wasn't there. Still could kinda smell what could have been fuel, but I think it was water/oil emulsion. Once I get a sample to Blackstone, we'll know for sure.
