I have a 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis with 68K miles. Sometimes I smell engine oil in the cabin and outside when I get out. This is usually when idling and when I come to a stop. I don't see a leak and the car does not seem to be losing oil when I check the dipstick. Took it to my mechanic and of course the car didn't emit any smell when they had it and they found no leaks either. This does not happen every time but often enough to make me wonder if there is a problem. Any ideas what is going on?

Thank you for your reply. I checked on this and the breather tube is secure so that must not be it. I checked around looking for anything loose that I could reach but didn't find anything. The oil smell does not smell burned, it just smells like motor oil that is hot like it should be. My engine temp is great when this happens so I am at a loss. My biggest concern is that something small could turn into something big and expensive to fix. Thank you for your reply. I checked on this and the breather tube is secure so that must not be it. I checked around looking for anything loose that I could reach but didn't find anything. The oil smell does not smell burned, it just smells like motor oil that is hot like it should be. My engine temp is great when this happens so I am at a loss. My biggest concern is that something small could turn into something big and expensive to fix.