Smoke from oil dipstick and oil cap

[dbr]

Hello y'all,

So I changed my oil with 15W40 and oil pan gasket over the weekend. I then drove my fiat today for about 50 seconds (parking it) and went to check the oil dipstick. There was smoke coming out of both the oil dipstick and oil fill plug. Not a lot and not super dense, but still visible. What could be causing this? Could this be just oil vapor or smoke. I haven't been experiencing any other problems, except for a slight hard start when the car is cold. I am going to change my spark plugs today as well.

Thanks in advance.

by the way there is no smoke and barely any smell from the exhaust.

[baltobernie]

You didn't state the model year of your car, but unless it is a VERY early one, the likely culprit is a plugged crankcase ventilation system. The PCV valve is located under the intake manifold. Unlike modern cars, it is not periodically replaced, but must be removed and cleaned occasionally. The cycle for this is determined by how much blowby your engine produces; a fresh engine will need this serviced once in a blue moon, a worn motor will generate a lot of blowby. You can Search the forum for more specific information on servicing this valve. Note that the small rubber hose attached to this valve is a bear to remove and replace. It is also often deteriorated. Don't forget the "flame arrestor".

[dbr]

Thanks for the in-put baltobernie. I took it apart and it seemed to be leaking oil. Here is a photo of it. Do you experts see anything wrong. This is my first time doing this so I am not 100% sure what to look for, so I thought I would post a pic here. There is also oil sprinklings in the air flow boot.

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[bradartigue]

You're likely seeing the vapor that is always in your engine, especially when started cold, the only difference being you went looking for it.

If you already have those parts out then clean them - use carburetor spray cleaner or soak them all night in a barrel of that carburetor gunk.

[baltobernie]

I agree with Brad; I don't see anything amiss.

It is unclear from your original post when the smoke began appearing from the dipstick and filler cap. Are you just noticing it now, or did it begin after you changed the oil?