Oil Odor

I have a 1995 Ford Escort, 1.9L Engine.

I have been getting the odor of oil burning off the engine every morning after I get to work for the past couple weeks.

I replaced the oil filler cap after seeing oil leaking out around it. The dealership thought that maybe pressure was building up in the crankcase which they said would cause it to leak up around the oil filler cap, but after I replaced the cap no more oil has leaked out, I also changed the oil. I do not see any oil leaking out around the valve cover gasket.

The engine does not show any signs of having a problem. No indicator lights are on and the engine light is not on. The car pulls the long hills I go up to get to and from work with no trouble what so ever, in fact the car walks up the hills. A little smoke comes out the exhaust, but with the engine having over 172,000 miles it is to be expected.

Is there anything else I should check/look for??

Now clean your engine. The oil that leaked out and was burning, could still be there and burning.

Smoke out the exhaust? There's your smell.

The PCV valve could be bad. The only 'vent' on a modern-day engine is through the PCV valve. If it was stuck shut then there would be too much pressure inside the engine and it might blow by a seal somewhere. I would start with Jet-Lee's advice though and clean the engine real good. Next time you go for a drive and you smell it then stop, raise the hood and see if you can see where it is coming from. If you set your heater/AC controls on the 'recirculate' setting then you shouldn't smell anything because the fumes shouldn't be able to get in your car. This could also be a transmission leak too. Look for puddles where you park.