First oil change smells like gas

This is a reminder of how many good folks we have on this forum. I appreciate your thoughtful words and kindness. Same goes for everyone else who's pitching in ideas. I really do appreciate it.

I think it's highly likely that as several folks have mentioned, the gas odor is coming from the unused fuel from combustion. I'm assuming that gas turns this oil black when mixed and maybe it indicates that 680 miles isn't quite enough time for a proper break-in. Most of my driving was highway so maybe that had something to do with it.

I've seen a couple of other Tacoma owners with loose spark plugs from the factory. That's something I'll definitely consider and check on this week. I did want to document this so anyone else in the future having the same issue can have something to compare. The truck is running great, (minus terrible MPG) and no codes so I'll keep sniffing the dipstick and driving it like I normally would. I'll report back my Blackstone results and any other developments. I'm just glad that I got the oil replaced so it's further proof that an oil change after the break-in might be a good idea. Although it is really strange that a line of engines in the factory, all being identical would have such drastic results after 1000 miles of driving. I understand that various factors can change the results but not like this. Weird

Going to hit some trails tomorrow in the Daniel Boone Bluegrass Byway. Figured it's time to stop nursing it and get this truck a little dirty. I can't drive around the mall everyday

 

the rings probably haven't fully seated yet which may contribute to the dirty oil. If you are past the break-in period you need to really push the engine to get those rings to seat. high rpm acceleration and hard engine braking.

 

Imo, worst thing one can do is baby a new engine with synthetic oil. You need short wo blasts to build cylinder pressure. I have a sneaky suspicion this is a reason why some of these 3.5 tacoma's run better than others. I didn't baby mine, and a buddy did, being ever so careful to spare the skinny pedal for a few thousand miles. The difference in performance at 10k miles between the 2 trucks was very noticeable.

 

1. The average wage for people in the US is 55k. Average sale price for a 23 Tacoma is 43K. That represents a sizable investment for most people.
2. Given that it is a sizable investment for most people, and one that usually lasts a very long time, it doesn't seem unwarranted for someone to be concerned about unusual maintenance behavior.
4. Except proving there's an issue to the dealer can be a challenge (sorry that's normal), and the impacts of something being and issue may not manifest until after the warranty period, leaving you holding the bag. That's happened to me on multiple occasions.

 

reasonable comparison, but if i made 55k a year ,i would go with corolla hybrid in black

 

It's all relative to cost of living. Making 55K in GA is the same as making 250k in CA. That's not a hard number, but you get the idea. Either person could more than likely swing 43K for a Tacoma.

 

where's point #3 ?

 

Hes been reported for skipping

 

Wasnt really a point of contention. He was stating a fact. Sorry..

3. LIAR!!!

 

i think we are playing”fill in the blanks”

 

As a Mechanical Engineer, I couldn't agree with item number 4 more! Seriously, I agree with all that you posted. I crack up when I hear/see people bemoaning what Engineers do when designing cars/trucks. If it was so easy, why aren't they Automotive Engineers? Everyone and their brother seems to know more than the men and women who actually designed and tested the truck. Is it the perfect truck to all people? No; it was never meant to be. It was designed to appeal to the masses. And it does that job just fine. Ricky Rockcrawler or Mikey Mudbog might disagree, but then they're the guys who buy an "over the counter" truck, beat the daylights out of it by subjecting it to things it was never designed to do, and then bitch and moan when it breaks. And then they suddenly become Engineers, stating how this is wrong/that was designed poorly/this needs to be this way/that is not needed....and the list goes on and on.
This is not to say that there aren't fantastic vehicle builders who have never cracked an Engineering textbook, far from it. However, those guys are typically building one offs; not vehicles meant to be daily drivers 365 days a year (with reliability a major factor in the design).

 

Amazingly engineered doesn't mean amazingly built. Robots and people making $20 an hour are the ones making the vehicles. Things go awry.

 

Good answer, but here is a more granular look at truck buyers:



When I was young, just starting out, I could barely afford my 10 year old vehicle, I only dreamt of a new one.

 

Lol right.
I just wish one of these people would try to make something from a blank sheet of paper.

 

Meh, it's under warranty, if it's broke let them fix it.

 

Following this thread because I have a similar issue with my New 23 Off Road. 1600 miles and the dipstick smells like gas. However, oil color is normal and so is fuel economy. Please update because I’m a bit worried too. Planning on taking all the steps you are. Gonna be doing my oil change hopefully tomorrow and I have a black stone test kit on the way.

Have you noticed any difference since changing your oil??

 

I'll bet the rings haven't fully seated yet only having g 1600 miles with synthetic oil. I've seen on a friends dyno when rebuilding a new engine, he always use's a dino motor oil with a good zinc content when breaking them in. He had one customer with a fairly fresh engine that was filled with a synthetic when it was first ran. His dyno showed the engines hp was down. He switched over to regular motor oil, and beat the piss out of it on the dyno till the hp numbers began coming up.The customer was told the rings likely never seated using the synthetic it was brought in with.

 

Any news to share yet? Did you get the Blackstone report? Just curious. TIA!

 

Not yet. I submitted the sample back on June 23rd and I thought it would have been processed already. This is my first time using their service and I just used their pre-paid envelope and I didn't think to take a picture of the tracking number so I can't verify it's been received but I'm sure they're just running a bit behind due to 4th of July. I keep checking my in-box but nothing from Blackstone Labs yet...

I will update the moment I receive the results. Thanks for checking in