Expert: Josh Fields - 6/9/2006

Question
My 1989 325i, has gas coming from the intake manifold and going into my air cleaner component. There is also gas in my Oil pan. Can you please help me with this?

Answer
Michael,

 Could you be more descriptive, what exactly to you mean you have "gas coming from the intake manifold going into my air cleaner".  Does the engine run?  the gas in the oil pan isn't too crazy, because it sounds like you might have an injector stuck open, and it's constantly spraying fuel in the cylinders.  When the engine is cut off, the fuel keeps spraying out till all the pressure is gone, and it eventually runs past the piston and down into the oil pan.  The gas-soaked air filter is another story.  The engine is "supposed" to have vacuum through there, so there shouldn't be any way for gas to go back out.  It would be like using a vacuum cleaner to suck up some dust, then having the vacuum cleaner change and start pushing air back out the hose like a leaf blower.  See it should only work one way, and it actually sounds like your engine is spinning backwards or something.  Breathing in the exhaust and spraying fuel/air back through the intake.

 Give some more details about how the engine runs etc... and we'll go from there.

 Thanks,
 Josh