"sweet" smell in oil...

[sdude2k2000]

What would make fresh oil smell "sweet" when sniffed? Just a curiosity question because when I changed the oil in the MX-5 today to Pennzoil Ultra, I did my typical sniff as you would do when you open a new package of coffee, it had a very sweet aroma... much like green GC back in the day. I then opened up a half-used quart of Pennzoil Platinum for comparison, and it definitely lacked the smell.

Is it esters? A special additive? Some kid put a life saver in it without me looking?

 

[DieselTech]

could be the ester, I know redline has a nice tasty smell to it.

 

[dgee]

i think you might have poured some apple juice into your engine

 

[JT1]

Gah, what a bunch of oil sniffers!

J/k I will always remember the first time I cracked open a jug of Maxlife 10w30, what a pleasent smell.

Idk if there are any syntec (ab)users here, but next time you get a chance give it a whiff, smells just like sweet baby rays bbq sauce.

 

[4ever4d]

You guys are nuts, but i love BITOG !

 

[DieselTech]

Originally Posted By: JT1
Gah, what a bunch of oil sniffers!

J/k I will always remember the first time I cracked open a jug of Maxlife 10w30, what a pleasent smell.

Idk if there are any syntec (ab)users here, but next time you get a chance give it a whiff, smells just like sweet baby rays bbq sauce.


LOL I have 2 bottles of sweet baby rays in the fridge

 

[Ben99GT]

PP has that sweet smell, it's just not as strong as PU. They both almost smell edible.

M1 smells bitter, Red Line smells real bitter.

Esters aren't supposed to have any scent.

 

[DieselTech]

I love the smell of redline 75-140

 

[sxg6]

Based off of the information below, if the oil smells "sweet" at room temperature, it's probably an additive package component.

Originally Posted By: MolaKule
No base oil, when at room temperature, has a smell. All base oils come from the refinery water white and clear.

Now when heated, mineral oils have this faint sulfur smell, PAO's no smell, and Esters have this "fatty" smell to them, because they are made of fatty acids and alcohols. The only esters that have "fruity" smells are those used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Esters used in motor oils have little smell to them.

Additives and "odor-fiers" is what gives a formulated oil its smell.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/posts/729319/



Originally Posted By: MolaKule
I use a high quality Ca additive and it does have a slight but faint fruity odor. Now my wife thinks I'm a little weird as well.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/posts/729319/

Originally Posted By: MolaKule

Now when you heat the base oils, the esters definately smell sweet, while the PAO smells more like mineral oil. In any case, I would not breath the volatized vapors of any fluids.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/posts/729319/