Oil drip with oil smells like gasoline

On a 2006 PT Cruiser, there is no direct means for gasoline to enter the crank case, so there should be no liquid gasoline there. Now, you will get a typical crankcase vapor smell (for lack of a better description), especially with higher mileage engines. These are hydrocarbons that have a distinctive smell.
Now; if you suspect gasoline in your crankcase, then take a quart sample of your oil and allow it to sit, sealed and undisturbed for several hours or all night. If there is gasoline, or water, then it will segregate accordingly.
Things to check:
When was the oil last changed?
When was the PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) Valve last changed? If this is clogged, the result will be a strong hydrocarbon smell that will increase in intensity since it cannot vent properly. I would lean more in this direction.

There are a number of possibilities here. Oil that is very old (high mileage) will become hydrocarbon contaminated over time. This can have a gasoline-like smell. There could be a problem with the piston rings allowing fuel the run down the cylinder walls into the crankcase. This can also occur in an engine that has a misfiring cylinder since the fuel is not being burned. Lastly, a leaky fuel injector can be flooding a cylinder, either when running, or after vehicle shutdown and before the fuel pressure bleeds off. This fuel will lay in the cylinder and eventually leaking into the crankcase, contaminating the oil.

clean the engine and check where it is coming from. Is it at the front of the rear> do you smell burning oil when you switch off the engine? Clean an area under the engine compartment and see where the oil is dripping from and get back to us. Typical places for leaks are the valve cover gasket, oil filter housing bracket.

I bought a 2000 RL used, with some factory warranty remaining, and then bought an extended warranty. While hnder warranty, car began to smell up my garage from fumes from oil dripping onto hot exhaust. Not enough oil at that point to show up on garage floor. Complained to dealer about the odor but Acura Master Mechanic (said he) couldn't find source of odor (although I told him I suspected an oil leak because I had prior experience with oil leaks and resultant smells on another car). On the next service visit after the extended warranty expired, same master mechanic said my RL's rear main oil seal was leaking onto exhaust causing odor. And the dealer wanted north of $1000 to fix it. I declined. Leak has steadily gotten worse - now visible drops on garage floor. An independent repair shop quoted $650 plus the cost of replacing expensive, special Honda transmission fluid. Took my complaint all the way up the chain to the head of Honda in Japan, but got no assistance. No more Honda products for me.

First advice: do not park the car in the garage until you've found the cause of the smell and fixed the leak. It takes very little gasoline vapour in a confined space to form an explosive mixture which could be detonated by a small static spark.

If your vehicle has done a high mileage then it is time that the oil rings are worn out. If on the other hand there was a poor maintenance schedule , like changing of engine oil within a correct mileage, then you engine can be damaged.
the oil comes over to the combustion chamber to burn off , in such case you will get smoke in the exhaust.
If there is oil dripping due to any damage the oil levels can drop.
finally an oil seal along the drive shafts, the transmission side can also reduce oil.
so check this out.

A small amount of oil could be leaking from valve cover on to hot manifold, the oil would burn off leaving a oil smell that could permiate car interior.

If it's the org. engine it will has over 85,000 miles on it.
It's normal to has valve stem seal/oil seal on the head to leak oil into the cyclinder on high mileage engine.
The smoke you see is the motor oil drop from the valve stem seals. The oil drops land on the top of the cyclinders and it create black smoke at start up.

The inexpensive fix is to start using high mileage oil with seal conditioner.
This will help soften the rubber seals and help reduce internal oil leak.


The correct fix is to wait until it's time for a head gasket replacement and let the professional CRC/service the head.

Complete head service is the only method to stop this internal oil drip problem.

If the problem started right out of the blue, it might be wise to check the oil filter. Some times when turning the filter on a small leak in the canister can happen. Where did the oil land on the cardboard?

rear end oil seal ,a common fault but its expensive to repair although the seal only costs coppers as the gearbox has to come completely out and this will involve dropping the sub frame as well.no short cuts here ,iam afraid ,how bad is the leak ??try some autobox laek sealer additive and put it in the engine oil.also if and when you have it repaired check for a ball bearing blancking plug in end of oil gallery its a possibility ??seen it before .whats the mileage of this vehicle as it sounds like a high mileage reps cars