Why does gear oil stink?

LuvMyScoot · Post by **LuvMyScoot** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 3:13 am

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.

Post by **Lostmycage** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 3:26 am

Perfectly normal... wear some Nitrile gloves, it'll keep you from having to wash your hands a million times.

LuvMyScoot · Post by **LuvMyScoot** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 3:37 am

Lostmycage wrote:Perfectly normal... wear some Nitrile gloves, it'll keep you from having to wash your hands a million times.

Thanks. I thought I was filling the box with some sort of liquified skunk cabbage!

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.)

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 5:19 am

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 · Post by **LuvMyScoot** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 5:29 am

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....

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..."

Syd · Post by **Syd** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 5:35 am

Smell bad? Nah, it smells like protection.

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 12:38 pm

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."

Anachronism · Post by **Anachronism** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 1:06 pm

ATF fluid tastes pretty decent.

So does antifreeze, in an "I'm going blind" kind of way.

Post by **Lostmycage** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 1:25 pm

Anachronism wrote:ATF fluid tastes pretty decent.

So does antifreeze, in an "I'm going blind" kind of way.

Is that the evolution of Moonshine to Motorshine?

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 1:38 pm

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.

kneil67@yahoo.com · Post by **kneil67@yahoo.com** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 1:40 pm

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....

tasty hmmmhmmm

Cheshire · Post by **Cheshire** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 2:29 pm

Stench? Of what speakest thou? The is sweet, and fragrant, and none may pass without my permission!!

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 3:54 pm

LuvMyScoot wrote:
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....
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..."

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 mouth

LuvMyScoot · Post by **LuvMyScoot** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 10:42 pm

Kaos wrote:
LuvMyScoot wrote:
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....
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..."
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 mouth

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 · Post by **Kaos** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 5:27 am

LuvMyScoot wrote:
Kaos wrote:
LuvMyScoot 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..."
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 mouth
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.

Its just one more way my wife is convinced I'm a little bit crazy

Roose Hurro · Post by **Roose Hurro** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 6:12 am

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.

Just try not to lick your fingers.........

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Nickie McNichols · Post by **Nickie McNichols** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 8:34 pm

Because maybe it was made from whale blubber?

LuvMyScoot · Post by **LuvMyScoot** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 11:02 pm

Nickie McNichols wrote:Because maybe it was made from whale blubber?

How do you like your Fly Scooter? I really like the look of the La Vie.