Why does gear oil stink?
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- LuvMyScoot
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Why does gear oil stink?
I changed my oil today, engine and gear. This is the first time I've changed the gear oil (was previously done at the dealer) and when I removed the seal on the bottle of gear oil (yes, the very same one I left out all winter) I pretty much immediately noticed that the stuff stinks. Looks like honey, smells like, well, you know. Engine oil doesn't stink like that. Is this normal? FYI: It's Valvoline 85W-140.
- Lostmycage
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Perfectly normal... wear some Nitrile gloves, it'll keep you from having to wash your hands a million times.
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- LuvMyScoot
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Thanks. I thought I was filling the box with some sort of liquified skunk cabbage!Lostmycage wrote:Perfectly normal... wear some Nitrile gloves, it'll keep you from having to wash your hands a million times.
PS (I always wear gloves to protect my soft, white, girly hands. Ha! I actually wear them for the same reason you stated...not having to wash a gazillion times. I don't think they're Nitrile, though. They're just the same surgical gloves I wear when I work at the animal shelter. They haven't melted yet so I guess they're up to the task.)
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Haven't stopped laughing long enough yet to imagine just how you know that. "Hmmm, it smells really bad but it just looks sooooo good. I wonder..."Kaos wrote:Yep perfectly normal. I'm also sorry to report that it tastes even worse still. Don't try it. You won't like it... Just trust me... seriously....
- charlie55
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Perfectly normal.
Here's a blurb from the Valvoline website that explains the source of the odor in differential gear oils, and I would imagine that it applies here as well:
"A final note is that all differential gear oils possess a particular odor that may or may not appeal to your senses. Sulfur compounds used in extreme pressure lubricants smell either like rotten eggs, or worse depending on additive concentration. A good call is to wear clothes you can throw away and not get any gear oil anywhere you don't want to smell it for a while. This applies in particular to the interior of the vehicle. If for some odd reason you like the smell of rotten eggs, you'll absolutely love the smell of gear oil. If not, then take the proper precautions to avoid the lingering reminder of a gear oil change."
Here's a blurb from the Valvoline website that explains the source of the odor in differential gear oils, and I would imagine that it applies here as well:
"A final note is that all differential gear oils possess a particular odor that may or may not appeal to your senses. Sulfur compounds used in extreme pressure lubricants smell either like rotten eggs, or worse depending on additive concentration. A good call is to wear clothes you can throw away and not get any gear oil anywhere you don't want to smell it for a while. This applies in particular to the interior of the vehicle. If for some odd reason you like the smell of rotten eggs, you'll absolutely love the smell of gear oil. If not, then take the proper precautions to avoid the lingering reminder of a gear oil change."
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- Lostmycage
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Is that the evolution of Moonshine to Motorshine?Anachronism wrote:ATF fluid tastes pretty decent.
So does antifreeze, in an "I'm going blind" kind of way.
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- Kaos
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I worked in an oil change shop when I was younger for a while, I had an over full rear differential on a truck blow 75-140w gear oil all over my face. That was fun to try and get outa my hair and mouthLuvMyScoot wrote:Haven't stopped laughing long enough yet to imagine just how you know that. "Hmmm, it smells really bad but it just looks sooooo good. I wonder..."Kaos wrote:Yep perfectly normal. I'm also sorry to report that it tastes even worse still. Don't try it. You won't like it... Just trust me... seriously....
- LuvMyScoot
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You know someones love of machines is real if he gets gear oil blown all over his face and yet continues to work on things with engines.Kaos wrote:I worked in an oil change shop when I was younger for a while, I had an over full rear differential on a truck blow 75-140w gear oil all over my face. That was fun to try and get outa my hair and mouthLuvMyScoot wrote:Haven't stopped laughing long enough yet to imagine just how you know that. "Hmmm, it smells really bad but it just looks sooooo good. I wonder..."Kaos wrote:Yep perfectly normal. I'm also sorry to report that it tastes even worse still. Don't try it. You won't like it... Just trust me... seriously....
- Kaos
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Its just one more way my wife is convinced I'm a little bit crazyLuvMyScoot wrote:You know someones love of machines is real if he gets gear oil blown all over his face and yet continues to work on things with engines.Kaos wrote:I worked in an oil change shop when I was younger for a while, I had an over full rear differential on a truck blow 75-140w gear oil all over my face. That was fun to try and get outa my hair and mouthLuvMyScoot wrote: Haven't stopped laughing long enough yet to imagine just how you know that. "Hmmm, it smells really bad but it just looks sooooo good. I wonder..."
- Roose Hurro
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Just try not to lick your fingers.........charlie55 wrote:Taste, smell, and mess included, the worst weekend I've ever had tinkering with a car or scoot has been far more enjoyable than the best year I've ever had at any of my jobs.
Dirty fingernails = mental tranquility.
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- LuvMyScoot
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