{"id":24475,"date":"2021-03-30T23:57:49","date_gmt":"2021-03-31T06:57:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogv2prod.wpenginepowered.com\/blog\/?p=24475"},"modified":"2025-05-24T11:34:36","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T18:34:36","slug":"why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Is There Oil in My Air Filter Housing and Air Intake?"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><style>.kadence-column24475_ce87d9-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column24475_ce87d9-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column24475_ce87d9-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column24475_ce87d9-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column24475_ce87d9-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column24475_ce87d9-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column24475_ce87d9-b3{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column24475_ce87d9-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column24475_ce87d9-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column24475_ce87d9-b3 inner-column-1 qk-look-widget\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-row ultp-block-0eff1f  qk-main-wrap\"><div class=\"ultp-row-wrapper\"><div class=\"ultp-row-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-column ultp-block-b105c1\"><div class=\"ultp-column-wrapper\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading24475_8ac312-96, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading24475_8ac312-96[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading24475_8ac312-96\"]{text-align:center;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading24475_8ac312-96 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading24475_8ac312-96[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading24475_8ac312-96\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-family:Inter;font-weight:500;font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading24475_8ac312-96 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading24475_8ac312-96[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading24475_8ac312-96\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"kt-adv-heading24475_8ac312-96 summary-title wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading24475_8ac312-96\"><span>Summary<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Oil in the air intake or air filter housing almost always indicates a problem with your vehicle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Four common causes of oil in the air intake or air filter housing are a blocked or plugged positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system, piston ring and cylinder wall wear, sludge buildup, and turbocharger\/supercharger issues.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Uncommon causes may also crop up depending on your vehicle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>One day, as you&rsquo;re changing your car&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/air-filter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"air filter\">air filter<\/a>, you notice that there&rsquo;s oil in the air intake and the air filter housing. You start to worry and wonder whether there&rsquo;s something seriously wrong with your vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bad news is that oil in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/air-filters-and-intake-systems\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"air intake and\/or air filter\">air intake and\/or air filter<\/a> housing almost always indicates there&rsquo;s a problem with your car. Sometimes, the fix is relatively inexpensive and straightforward. In other instances, the engine may require extensive repairs to address the concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/new-car-air-filter-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"installing new car air filter\" class=\"wp-image-24520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/new-car-air-filter-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/new-car-air-filter-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/new-car-air-filter-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/new-car-air-filter-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/new-car-air-filter-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/new-car-air-filter.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oil in the air intake and\/or air filter housing almost always indicates there&rsquo;s a problem with your car.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Four Common Causes of Oil In the Air Intake and\/or Air Filter Housing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If your car has oil in the air intake and\/or air filter housing, you&rsquo;ll want to figure out what&rsquo;s causing the problem right away. Some of the most common causes for the concern include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"article-search-widget\">\n<div class=\"cp-search\">\n<div align=\"center\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cld.partsimg.com\/image\/upload\/w_auto,dpr_auto\/carparts\/logos\/badge_wordmark\/full_color\/CP_LOGO_COLOUR_RGB\" alt=\"CarParts.com\" width=\"300\" height=\"56\">\n<\/div>\n<form id=\"cpsearchform\" name=\"cpsearchform\" action=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/search\" method=\"get\" target=\"_blank\" accept-charset=\"character_set\" aria-label=\"search CarParts.com\">\n    <input type=\"text\" class=\"keyword\" name=\"q\" placeholder=\"Search for parts on CarParts.com\" value=\"\" aria-label=\"Search CarParts.com\"><input type=\"submit\" class=\"btn-search\" value=\"Search\" aria-label=\"Search\">\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Blocked or Plugged PCV System<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In many cases, oil in the air filter housing and\/or air intake has something to do (either directly or indirectly) with the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The PCV system vents crankcase vapors&mdash;blow-by gases that sneak past the piston rings&mdash;from the crankcase to prevent excessive pressure and moisture build-up. Most PCV systems do this by using a valve (though some use a calibrated orifice instead) to regulate airflow through the crankcase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the PCV valve opens, fresh air enters the crankcase through a breather hose, which is attached to the air intake. That fresh air is then pulled through the crankcase, creating a scavenging effect that draws blow-by vapors through the PCV valve and into the intake manifold. From there, the vapors enter the engine where they&rsquo;re burned as part of the normal combustion process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the PCV system becomes obstructed, the oily blow-by vapors begin to build-up and eventually get pushed back into the air intake and\/or air filter housing. In many cases, the PCV valve or calibrated orifice is the root cause of the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n    <div class=\"ai-summary-widget\">\n\n        <div class=\"ai-summary-grid\">\n\n            <div>\n                <div class=\"ai-avatar\">\n                    <figure>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cld.partsimg.com\/image\/upload\/q_auto,dpr_auto,f_auto\/carparts\/blog\/widgets\/ai-summary\/ai-bot\" alt=\"AI robot\">\n                    <\/figure>\n                    <span>ELI5<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <div>\n                <p>Your car's engine makes little puffs of dirty air, like when you burp after drinking soda. There's a special tube, like a straw, that sucks those dirty puffs back into the engine to get burned up so they don't cause trouble. This is called the PCV system. But if that special straw gets clogged with yucky stuff, like when your straw gets blocked by a thick smoothie, the dirty puffs can't go where they're supposed to. Instead, they might go backward into the place where the clean air goes into the engine, making it oily. So, a blocked straw for the engine's burps can make the air it breathes get messy!<\/p>    \n            <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"ai-summary-tooltip\">   \n            <p>Not everyone is an auto repair expert. <strong>ELI5 (&ldquo;Explain Like I&rsquo;m Five&rdquo;)<\/strong> provides layperson-friendly explanations of complex automotive concepts, systems, &amp; parts, so you can fully understand their importance. Great for casual car owners and DIY beginners! Powered by AI.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Piston Ring and Cylinder Wall Wear<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The PCV system is designed to vent the blow-by vapors that sneak past the piston rings. But when the blow-by becomes excessive&mdash;due to worn piston rings or damaged cylinder walls&mdash;the PCV system gets overwhelmed. Consequently, the oily blow-by vapors build-up to the point that they get forced into the air intake and\/or air filter housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/air-filter-housing-oil-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"air filter housing oil\" class=\"wp-image-24522\" style=\"width:1024px;height:683px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/air-filter-housing-oil-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/air-filter-housing-oil-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/air-filter-housing-oil-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/air-filter-housing-oil-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/air-filter-housing-oil-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/air-filter-housing-oil.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Infrequent service can cause engine oil to turn into a gelatinous goo, called sludge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sludge Build-Up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Infrequent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/how-to-change-your-engine-air-filter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"service\">service<\/a> can cause engine oil to turn into a gelatinous goo, called sludge. Eventually, that sludge can clog the engine oil passages that are part of the PCV system, resulting in excessive blow-by and an oily residue in the air intake and\/or air filter housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Turbocharger\/Supercharger Issues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you&rsquo;re dealing with a turbocharged or supercharged engine, a small amount of oil in the air intake is usually considered normal. But an excessive accumulation of oil indicates a problem, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/bad-turbo-symptoms-plus-faq\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"faulty turbocharger\">faulty turbocharger<\/a>\/supercharger seals or an obstructed turbocharger return line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don&rsquo;t Overlook Uncommon Causes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to potential causes of oil in the air intake, the list above is not all-inclusive. Cars can be tricky, and the source of the issue often varies from vehicle to vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, on certain Fords with 3.5L and 3.7L V6 engines, oil can enter the air filter housing due to a poor valve cover design. The fix is to replace the original valve cover with an updated version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, if you <em>significantly<\/em> overfill your car&rsquo;s crankcase with oil&mdash;to the point that it&rsquo;s several quarts overfull&mdash;excess oil can get pushed back up through the PCV system and into the air intake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because there are so many possibilities, you (or your mechanic) should always perform a thorough diagnosis to pinpoint the exact cause of the concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"722\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/mechanic-inspecting-vehicle-crankcase-1024x722.jpg\" alt=\"mechanic inspecting vehicle crankcase\" class=\"wp-image-24524\" style=\"width:1024px;height:722px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/mechanic-inspecting-vehicle-crankcase-1024x722.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/mechanic-inspecting-vehicle-crankcase-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/mechanic-inspecting-vehicle-crankcase-768x542.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/mechanic-inspecting-vehicle-crankcase-150x106.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/mechanic-inspecting-vehicle-crankcase.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">If you significantly overfill your car&rsquo;s crankcase with oil&mdash;to the point that it&rsquo;s several quarts overfull&mdash;excess oil can get pushed back up through the PCV system and into the air intake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Products Mentioned in this Guide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"reusable-productlink\">\n\n<!-- start of editable content -->\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/air-filter\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Air Filter\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cld.partsimg.com\/image\/upload\/d_noimage.jpg,h_200,w_200,c_pad,f_auto,q_auto,dpr_auto,e_sharpen\/images\/repc317104_1\">\n<strong>Air Filter<\/strong>\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/pcv-valve\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"PCV Valve\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cld.partsimg.com\/image\/upload\/d_noimage.jpg,h_200,w_200,c_pad,f_auto,q_auto,dpr_auto,e_sharpen\/images\/ra54110002_1\">\n<strong>PCV Valve<\/strong>\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/piston-ring-set\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Piston Ring Set\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cld.partsimg.com\/image\/upload\/d_noimage.jpg,h_200,w_200,c_pad,f_auto,q_auto,dpr_auto,e_sharpen\/images\/repc381403_1\">\n<strong>Piston Ring Set<\/strong>\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/turbocharger\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Turbocharger\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cld.partsimg.com\/image\/upload\/d_noimage.jpg,h_200,w_200,c_pad,f_auto,q_auto,dpr_auto,e_sharpen\/images\/repm290101_1\">\n<strong>Turbocharger<\/strong>\n<\/a>\n\n<!-- end of editable content -->\n\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>One day, as you&rsquo;re changing your car&rsquo;s air filter, you notice that there&rsquo;s oil in the air intake and the&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1643,"featured_media":24519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3753,52],"tags":[1276],"ppma_author":[2622],"class_list":{"0":"post-24475","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cooling-system","8":"category-diy","9":"tag-air-filter-2","10":"entry"},"acf":{"adrotate_specific_mobile_ad":"","adrotate_specific_desktop_ad":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Is There Oil in My Air Filter Housing and Air Intake? - In The Garage with CarParts.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If your car has oil in the air intake and\/or air filter housing, you\u2019ll want to figure out what\u2019s causing the problem. Here&#039;s a guide.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Is There Oil in My Air Filter Housing and Air Intake? - In The Garage with CarParts.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If your car has oil in the air intake and\/or air filter housing, you\u2019ll want to figure out what\u2019s causing the problem. Here&#039;s a guide.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"In The Garage with CarParts.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-31T06:57:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-24T18:34:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/mechanic-installing-new-air-filter-1024x683.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mia Bevacqua, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mia Bevacqua, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\\\/\"},\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"$id\":\"1643\",\"name\":\"Mia Bevacqua\",\"jobTitle\":\"ASE Master Automobile Technician\",\"description\":\"Mia Bevacqua has over 14 years of experience in the auto industry and holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in Advanced Automotive Systems. Certifications include ASE Master Automobile Technician, Master Medium\\\/Heavy Truck Technician, L1, L2, L3, and L4 Advanced Level Specialist. Mia loves fixer-upper oddballs, like her 1987 Cavalier Z-24 and 1998 Astro Van AWD.\",\"knowsAbout\":\"Auto Repair, Car Maintenance, Auto Parts, Car Reviews\",\"publishingPrinciples\":\"\\\/blog\\\/our-team\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/miabevacqua\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/mia-bevacqua-55b3a485\"}],\"headline\":\"Why Is There Oil in My Air Filter Housing and Air Intake?\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-31T06:57:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-24T18:34:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":781,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/mechanic-installing-new-air-filter.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"air-filter\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Cooling System\",\"DIY\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\\\/\",\"name\":\"Why Is There Oil in My Air Filter Housing and Air Intake? - In The Garage with CarParts.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/mechanic-installing-new-air-filter.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-31T06:57:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-24T18:34:36+00:00\",\"description\":\"If your car has oil in the air intake and\\\/or air filter housing, you\u2019ll want to figure out what\u2019s causing the problem. Here's a guide.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/mechanic-installing-new-air-filter.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/mechanic-installing-new-air-filter.jpg\",\"width\":1500,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"mechanic installing new air filter\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"In The Garage with CarParts.com\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"CarParts.com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/cp-itg-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/cp-itg-logo.png\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":398,\"caption\":\"CarParts.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/carpartscom\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/carpartscom\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/carpartscom\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@CarPartscomOfficial\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/24fe92f285c72928a6fcb1acb4120275\",\"name\":\"Mia Bevacqua\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/mia-bevacqua-chief-mechanic.png941b63fd087354398e10f659516b809a\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/mia-bevacqua-chief-mechanic.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/mia-bevacqua-chief-mechanic.png\",\"caption\":\"Mia Bevacqua\"},\"description\":\"Mia Bevacqua has over 14 years of experience in the auto industry and holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in Advanced Automotive Systems. Certifications include ASE Master Automobile Technician, Master Medium\\\/Heavy Truck Technician, L1, L2, L3, and L4 Advanced Level Specialist. Mia loves fixer-upper oddballs, like her 1987 Cavalier Z-24 and 1998 Astro Van AWD.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/miabevacqua\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/mia-bevacqua-55b3a485\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/miabevacqua\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why Is There Oil in My Air Filter Housing and Air Intake? - In The Garage with CarParts.com","description":"If your car has oil in the air intake and\/or air filter housing, you\u2019ll want to figure out what\u2019s causing the problem. Here's a guide.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why Is There Oil in My Air Filter Housing and Air Intake? - In The Garage with CarParts.com","og_description":"If your car has oil in the air intake and\/or air filter housing, you\u2019ll want to figure out what\u2019s causing the problem. Here's a guide.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/","og_site_name":"In The Garage with CarParts.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom","article_published_time":"2021-03-31T06:57:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-05-24T18:34:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":683,"url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/mechanic-installing-new-air-filter-1024x683.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mia Bevacqua, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@carpartscom","twitter_site":"@carpartscom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mia Bevacqua, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/"},"author":[{"@type":"Person","$id":"1643","name":"Mia Bevacqua","jobTitle":"ASE Master Automobile Technician","description":"Mia Bevacqua has over 14 years of experience in the auto industry and holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in Advanced Automotive Systems. Certifications include ASE Master Automobile Technician, Master Medium\/Heavy Truck Technician, L1, L2, L3, and L4 Advanced Level Specialist. Mia loves fixer-upper oddballs, like her 1987 Cavalier Z-24 and 1998 Astro Van AWD.","knowsAbout":"Auto Repair, Car Maintenance, Auto Parts, Car Reviews","publishingPrinciples":"\/blog\/our-team\/","url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/author\/miabevacqua","sameAs":"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mia-bevacqua-55b3a485"}],"headline":"Why Is There Oil in My Air Filter Housing and Air Intake?","datePublished":"2021-03-31T06:57:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-24T18:34:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/"},"wordCount":781,"commentCount":1,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/mechanic-installing-new-air-filter.jpg","keywords":["air-filter"],"articleSection":["Cooling System","DIY"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/","url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/","name":"Why Is There Oil in My Air Filter Housing and Air Intake? - In The Garage with CarParts.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/mechanic-installing-new-air-filter.jpg","datePublished":"2021-03-31T06:57:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-24T18:34:36+00:00","description":"If your car has oil in the air intake and\/or air filter housing, you\u2019ll want to figure out what\u2019s causing the problem. Here's a guide.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/why-is-there-oil-in-my-air-filter-housing-and-air-intake\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/mechanic-installing-new-air-filter.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/mechanic-installing-new-air-filter.jpg","width":1500,"height":1000,"caption":"mechanic installing new air filter"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/","name":"In The Garage with CarParts.com","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"CarParts.com","url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/cp-itg-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/cp-itg-logo.png","width":2048,"height":398,"caption":"CarParts.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom","https:\/\/x.com\/carpartscom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/carpartscom","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@CarPartscomOfficial\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/24fe92f285c72928a6fcb1acb4120275","name":"Mia Bevacqua","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/mia-bevacqua-chief-mechanic.png941b63fd087354398e10f659516b809a","url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/mia-bevacqua-chief-mechanic.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/mia-bevacqua-chief-mechanic.png","caption":"Mia Bevacqua"},"description":"Mia Bevacqua has over 14 years of experience in the auto industry and holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in Advanced Automotive Systems. Certifications include ASE Master Automobile Technician, Master Medium\/Heavy Truck Technician, L1, L2, L3, and L4 Advanced Level Specialist. Mia loves fixer-upper oddballs, like her 1987 Cavalier Z-24 and 1998 Astro Van AWD.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/author\/miabevacqua","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mia-bevacqua-55b3a485"],"url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/author\/miabevacqua\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/mechanic-installing-new-air-filter.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/mechanic-installing-new-air-filter.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Mia Bevacqua, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician","author_link":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/author\/miabevacqua\/"},"authors":[{"term_id":2622,"user_id":1643,"is_guest":0,"slug":"miabevacqua","display_name":"Mia Bevacqua, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/mia-bevacqua-chief-mechanic.png","url2x":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/mia-bevacqua-chief-mechanic.png"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1643"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24475"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=24475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}