Gas in oil??

moonstruck · May 6, 2008

I have a 10 year old gas Club Car golf cart that I use as a utility cart around the farm. I checked the oil today and it is way overfull and smells like gas. It seems to run fine and I have no idea how gas got in the oil. Could it be a bad gasket???

Thanks for any help.

MrJimi · May 6, 2008

Stuck float? dump the oil and gas and start over and don't blow your engine

Eagleview · May 6, 2008

Usually a leaking needle and seat in the carby , in conjunction with forgetting to turn the fuel tap off when parked if it is gravity fed . I do it sometimes with my water pumps , it does something to the govenors inside as they never run the same again . Replace the needle and seat , change the oil as stated and remember to turn off the fuel when parked . This will sound like a total lie but i swear it is true . I had the same thing happen while i was delivering a load of water to a customer . I started the pump and it was running rough and surging . I stopped it and turned off the fuel and removed the drain bung in the float bowl thinking it had some water in it . I then started it , still with the bung out to run it right out of fuel and it kept running!!!! Amazed i stopped it and removed the float bowl , float and needle . Out of shear curiosity i pulled the rope again and away it went !!!! You know it was still going after i pumped all the 2000 gallons of water out of the tank . It was running purely on the fuel in the crankcase , it was a sight to see it run while i had the carby parts sitting beside it .

dqdave1 · May 6, 2008

Too bad you could not film it. I put that right next to the big one that got away, just as I was pulling it into the boat! HONEST!

TOMMYHPX4X4 · May 6, 2008

yea that would have been something to see. to me if it was doing that the crank case would have gone up in a big poof. but like they say stuff happens.

Bird · May 6, 2008

It's been over 35 years ago when I had that happen with a Tecumseh engine on a lawnmower. I didn't know anything those things then, so I took it to a dealer and he told me the only way to fix it would be to replace the engine. So instead, I bought another lawnmower. I now suspect that he either knew as little as I did or just wanted to make a bigger sale than was necessary. But I had it happen to a little 3 hp Briggs & Stratton engine on a spray rig a few years ago and, as the others have said, just a small carburetor problem; easily fixed.

Eagleview · May 7, 2008

Thank you Bird , i was out on a "line" for a while with that one . Fish tales indeed , strewth.. But seriously they will suck the vapour from the crank case via the breather tube in the tappet cover (i think) and just run . So while it was running i pumped the tank out rather than take the load back home with me . It now flares when working , as running with the diluted oil has done something to the governor .

moonstruck · May 7, 2008

Thanks for the replies. I think I worked it out. I called a Club Car dealer in my area and he said he was 95% sure it was simply a clogged carberator drain line. I checked and yes it was stopped up. He said just cut it off past the clog, change the oil and filter and problem solved. I did and will keep check to see if it worked.