It smells exactly like a lovely sulfur compound used as EP additive. You'd have trouble with hypoid gearing without it.
Survey: Does gear oil smell TERRIBLE to you or just so-so?
- Thread starter smonska
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Originally Posted by XCIDMigs
you guys need to buy the newer GM version which has a grape smell added to it.
GM gear oil has been grape scented for over two decades. In 1998, you could walk into any GM dealer and ask the parts counter for a quart of grape juice and they knew exactly what you were talking about.
Like Amsoil Severe Gear or Motul Motylgear, I'm beginning to think "New Grape Scent" is actually a trademarked name for the product: GM New Grape Scent 75W90.
you guys need to buy the newer GM version which has a grape smell added to it.
GM gear oil has been grape scented for over two decades. In 1998, you could walk into any GM dealer and ask the parts counter for a quart of grape juice and they knew exactly what you were talking about.
Like Amsoil Severe Gear or Motul Motylgear, I'm beginning to think "New Grape Scent" is actually a trademarked name for the product: GM New Grape Scent 75W90.
The smell lingers when you spill about 10 ounces on the driveway....the wife mentioned it for at least a week.
I actually like the smell of gear oil.....I love the smell of an auto shop, it brings back memories and I find it to be intoxicating, especially if there is a classic rock station on in the backround
Yes, it stinks, supposedly the stinker the better protection too.
Doesn't smell bad to me (wife hates it though and knows exactly what it is by smell), although I'm one of those weirdos that loves the smell of diesel, crude, and gasoline is OK. Seems like it smelled better when I was a kid.
I do all the Ford 8.8s in my shop (half our fleet) and they come in at the point the vehicles won't even move. Spider gear teeth completely sheared to the point the trucks won't budge. Most rears I rebuild haven't ever been serviced and the trucks are 20 years old now.
I've been working on jeeps since 03 and now on this small truck fleet so diff oil doesn't really get to me. But when I bring in one of these broke 8.8s and leave it overnight, you surely know as soon as you step foot in the shop (and it's a large shop at that). The guys all cuss me, I think it's pretty funny though, I guess since like I said, after this long it really doesn't bother me.
I've been working on jeeps since 03 and now on this small truck fleet so diff oil doesn't really get to me. But when I bring in one of these broke 8.8s and leave it overnight, you surely know as soon as you step foot in the shop (and it's a large shop at that). The guys all cuss me, I think it's pretty funny though, I guess since like I said, after this long it really doesn't bother me.
It doesn't smell good but it doesn't bother me as much as some chemicals either.
I long ago became accustomed to the smell. It doesn't bother me in the appropriate setting, such as in the garage.
I used to have an office that was right off of my Boss's race car garage. He was running some late model class, 600+HP 1/3rd mile circle track, so the cars never got up to a decent speed to help the rear end cool and they were routinely burning the oil. Monday mornings were always TERRIBLE. The smell coming out of those diff's was 100X worse than any gear lube I've ever smelled. After a season of this and finally burning up the gears in the diff, they added cooling. Still stunk on Monday mornings, but at least I could make it through the day in my office instead of wanting to just leave and not come back.
I don't go around sniffing it and am not about to use it as an aftershave, but I'm not repulsed by it either.
One of my worst experiences with it was picking up a trunk load of transmissions in my Lincoln, and one had been filled with gear oil. They all had been drained, but the gear oil one still had some leaking out and despite having them all bagged as well as on cardboard, I still managed to get some gear oil somewhere in the trunk. I think that stuck around for a couple of months, and in fact didn't really go away until summer "baked" it out.
One of my worst experiences with it was picking up a trunk load of transmissions in my Lincoln, and one had been filled with gear oil. They all had been drained, but the gear oil one still had some leaking out and despite having them all bagged as well as on cardboard, I still managed to get some gear oil somewhere in the trunk. I think that stuck around for a couple of months, and in fact didn't really go away until summer "baked" it out.
Valvoline MaxLife is pretty raunchy.
I had a bad Ford 8.8 pinion seal that I failed to fix.
Twice. Oil everywhere.
The gear oil smells pretty foul all on its own. Now bring the Ford xl-3 friction modifier to the party.
That stuff just just has its own super special funk.
Twice. Oil everywhere.
The gear oil smells pretty foul all on its own. Now bring the Ford xl-3 friction modifier to the party.
That stuff just just has its own super special funk.
The worst.
I assume the culprit is sulfur derivatives that are added as extreme-pressure/anti-wear additives?
I assume the culprit is sulfur derivatives that are added as extreme-pressure/anti-wear additives?
I don't mind the smell at all, honestly, smells like money to me. I work as a technician in industrial maintenance, so I've pretty much become immune to gear oil smell at this point. There is a special oil used in power roller type motors that is non-conductive and some have a purple tinge to it. The burnt oil smell is similar to the additive they put in natural gas. Every time one goes out, the old one gets the oil drained before scrapping it. We will get several calls on the radio for a gas smell and everybody gets in a panic.
Ahh, the smell of junkyard dirt in the afternoon!
Smell's like .... Finding a nice, "gently" used GM 8.2" Hotchkiss Pumpkin for my '65 Buick Wildcat !
Smell's like .... Finding a nice, "gently" used GM 8.2" Hotchkiss Pumpkin for my '65 Buick Wildcat !
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I always thought Amsoil MTG smelled kind've good! Has a really clean and pure smell.
I find the smell of both gear oil and ATF quite disgusting. As others have said, it's the sulphur additives in the gear oil that give it that distinctive odor. For reasons I cannot explain, the smell of ATF reminds me of organ meat (which I don't care for). I don't know what's in ATF that's not in motor oil that gives it that distinct pong.
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ATF to me has a rubbery smell.
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