Survey: Does gear oil smell TERRIBLE to you or just so-so?

[smonska]

Much in the way some people taste broccoli as being very bitter due to a gene that makes them taste certain compound differently, and some people don't taste it as bitter at all, I hear some people go into intense revulsion at the smell of old or even new gear oil, but it has never bothered me, I would describe its odor as mild. An uncle I was talking to said he has the same experience. I wonder if maybe the (in)sensitivity to whatever compound makes gear oil smell bad to some is genetic? My sense of smell is otherwise normal and functional.

 

[dogememe]

It's gross. New gear oil is nasty but after it's used it's just such a bad smell.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I perceive it as a very distinct and unpleasant smell, but not to the point where it would make me throw up. Cilantro is another polarizing item from a taste/smell perspective.

 

[RichR]

It don't taste any better than it smells either

 

[Leo99]

No one told me it stinks. My old Rav4 has a transfer case leak so I decided to do a drain and fill and start with fresh fluid. Was a little hungover after some Saturday night boozing at home and Sunday morning crawled under to drain the fluid. OMG. I thought I was going to puke but held it together. Fresh fluid is bad but old fluid with 240k miles on it stinks worse. And since the leak got a little worse over time, the whole garage would have this smell,

 

[AJB0009]

Originally Posted by Quattro Pete

I perceive it as a very distinct and unpleasant smell, but not to the point where it would make me throw up. Cilantro is another polarizing item from a taste/smell perspective.

+1

 

[Lyman]

I have smelled some that was pretty bad. Others not bad at all. I guess it depends on what type it is or how it's made.

 

[wkcars]

The versatrak fluid was terrible smelled like rotten onions made me almost throw up each time changing it.

 

[71Chevyguy]

Gear oil does smell awful to me for sure. The worst smell ever, for me at least, is GM 3800 supercharger oil. That is some foul smelling stuff! I am not that sensitive to bad smells but that stuff will at least make your eyes water. As for the gear oil, I have def smelled different levels of bad depending on formula and manufacturer. I imagine as in everything else, the formulas vary.

 

[Donald]

Its not cologne.

 

[LubricatusObsess]

I love the smell of chlorine / sulfur / phosphorous additives in the morning! They smell like - gear oil being changed! P.S. - I think used ATF oil smells awful.

 

[Anduril]

Not terrible but it's the worst of the oils I've smelled. But my wife says I'm weird since I think ATF smells good.

 

[XCIDMigs]

you guys need to buy the newer GM version which has a grape smell added to it. https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-10-4016-75W-90-Synthetic-Axle/dp/B000QGOX1A It was very odd first time i used it. Also that SC OEM oil is made with something animal based, I swear the old GM LSD additive said on the bottle itself it was a "whale oil" product.... https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1667734

 

[philipp10]

I love the small of 90 wt in the morning......

 

[Kawiguy454]

In the navy back in the 80's was like being trapped inside a thermos bottle full of various heavy oils and fluids. Any bad dreams of the experiences include the smell memory permeating. Going somewhere with those smells also trips those memories.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I have a lease car so - if it blows up with fuel dilution, so be it. I don't think the spouse has done any dipstick sniffing for years. But I will say on the Subaru last oil change, there was a bit of a fuel smell but not a concerning amount and no thousands of little rainbow bubbles all over the oil surface in drain pan. -Ken

 

[ironman_gq]

Worst I smelled came out of an old CJ5 that spent the last 20 years crawling through the mud with little maintenance. The inside of the diff housing looked like the inside of a taco bell toilet an hour after bar close and the smell can only be described as soggy dead animal and rotten onions. I swear the sulfur stink off of that oil could gag a maggot. Never encountered a fluid that smelled quite like that before, new gear oil doesn't bother me and even well used gear oil isn't bad, that stuff had gone really bad.

 

[DGXR]

It's definitely not a pleasant smell, but it doesn't bother me much either. When I get a whiff of it during maintenance, it just reminds me not to smell it any more than necessary.

 

[LubricatusObsess]

Originally Posted by Kawiguy454

In the navy back in the 80's was like being trapped inside a thermos bottle full of various heavy oils and fluids. Any bad dreams of the experiences include the smell memory permeating. Going somewhere with those smells also trips those memories.

MIL-F-17111 hydraulic oil, baby! Basically naptha with VII improver. Nothing stinks quite like it, or is as slippery. Was used in all the Naval gun mounts and missile launchers.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

Factory Toyota gear oil (75w85) reeks after 60k; I found this out Friday when changing the front and rear diffs. The new stuff, RedLine, was bad but not nearly as bad as old. I'm looking forward to the transfer case in 75w, on Friday. Blech.