smelly gear oil

[Mike Robinson]

What specifically can smelly gear oil be a sign of? I have read that it could be from not changing the oil often enough but I have also read that one should consult a repair shop if the gear oil has a "burnt" smell. Why?<br /><br />Thanks in adavance.

 

[surlyjoe]

Re: smelly gear oil

LOL I thoght all gear oil stinks! the color is more important than the smell.

 

[OBJ]

Re: smelly gear oil

Hi Mike.<br /><br />Burnt smelly oil (usually black in color) tends to point to oil that has not been changed out for a long time. If it's accompanied with shards of metal, it usually means a bearing or gear is going south and will probably leave you stranded very soon and warrants a visit to the repair shop.<br /><br />Some wear material on the drain plug magnet or shiny flakes is normal. What you don't want to see is the heavy shards of metal. <br /><br />Gear lube doesn't smell good even when new and can darken up after a few uses. Regular checks of the gear lube is a good maint habit and can save a bunch of dollars over the life of the rig.

 

[DJ]

Re: smelly gear oil

Gear lube does indeed-STINK, even when new.<br /><br />Black means a change is due. Milky means you have a leak.<br /><br />DON"T FORGET TO CHANGE THE FILL/DRAIN PLUG SEALS, when servicing. MOST leaks are from those seals.

 

[mikeyzx2]

Re: smelly gear oil

I changed the lube in my Seahorse (8hp) back in the summer of '04 after I acquired it, cuz it needed it. I ran it a couple times and it was all nasty again, so I figured the leftover old stuff got mixed in so I went ahead and changed it and filled it up with the Merc high performance stuff (the blue-green stuff). Run it out again at the river for about an hour and it was black again, and stinky. Well tore it down and took it to my local wrench Scott and he inspected it and let me clean it out real good. No evidence of any heat or damage, in fact he said it looked pretty darn good, even the impeller was in good shape. <br /><br />Moral of the story is.....it gets dark and stinky pretty quick, just be on the lookout for metal shavings or pieces.

 

[R.Johnson]

Re: smelly gear oil

Black oil, with a high sulphar smell generally mean's the oil is overheated. If this happen's in a short lenght of time, something in that gearcase is running to tight. Depending on the size of the engine, the gearcase is sprung, or it is not shimmed correctly.As has been said! all gear oil smell's, but if you can smell rotten egg's clear across the shop, you have a problem.

 

[mikeyzx2]

Re: smelly gear oil

No sulfur smells here! If I do smell it, it's cuz I brought it home from work. I work with stuff that at times smells so bad that it could gag you.

 

[Cricket Too]

Re: smelly gear oil

mikeyzx2..Is that what that stuff is, (bluish-greenish stuff), Merc L/U lube? I bought a 115 Johnny off of a shop by me last season and when I changed the L/U oil before winter, the blue-green stuff came out. I had never seen it before and didn't know what it was, but when I thought about it, the shop I bought it off of sells a lot of Merc products and engines so I figured it must me Merc lube and they color it blue to be different, but never really found out. That stuff didn't smell bad at all, not like normal gear lube that will make you sick. It smelled kind of like plastic, so I figurd it was probably synthetic, maybe it was since you say it is high performance.

 

[Mike Robinson]

Re: smelly gear oil

DJ, I have a 1994 Johnson 150 and I checked for seals on the plugs but there didn't appear to be any, looked like metal ridges. Maybe I should check again. I wouldn't want to have to change it too often it cost me $55 for 4 liters of OMC synthetic gear oil! Can anyone suggest a less expensive substitute?<br /><br />Thanks for your responses. This site has helped me tremendously!!<br /><br />Mike Robinson

 

[OBJ]

Re: smelly gear oil

The drain and vent plugs will either take a "plastic" washer or oring. If the inside of the plug is cupped, an oring is needed..PN333572.<br /><br />If the inside of the plug is flat, it will take the washer...PN311598......any John/Rude dealer will carry both.<br /><br />If you can't find the washer, check the plug and vent holes. The washers will sometimes stick to the holes and not come out with the plug.<br /><br />You can use any good outboard gear lube in the lower unit. BRP recommends Ultra Hi-Vis or just plain Hi-Vis will work. Merc HP gear lubes can be used also. A quart of Ultra Hi-Vis is around $10 US. The new BRP HPF-XR gear lube runs about $11.39 a quart US dollars.<br /><br />You don't have to run synthetics in the gear case.

 

[mikeyzx2]

Re: smelly gear oil

Cricket, it's the Mercury High Performance Gear Lube +, runs about 10 bucks a quart. The fella that owns the shop says it's kind of overkill, but I get it because I have the J/E lower unit pump that screws onto the top. Alot easier than those darn squirt tubes. It's a bluish green color, the other types I've used looked like a light motor oil. I haven't seen the Hi-Vis, so I don't know the color.

 

[Cricket Too]

Re: smelly gear oil

mikeyzx2...Thanks for the info. Yeah I just replaced it with the BRP Hi-Vis. You know you can get the BRP oils in the quart bottle that the pump screws onto also, that's what I always use, haven't used the squirt tubes in years, and I think most aftermarket brands have the same type quart. I get the BRP Hi-Vis for about $7 a quart at the BRP dealer by me, after market stuff is about $5. Take it easy.

 

[mikeyzx2]

Re: smelly gear oil

I would get the Hi-Vis, but he's mainly a Merc/Yamaha dealer, but he does carry an assortment of BRP stuff. He's doing alot of moving right now in prep for opening new shop next door so I haven't seen everything he carries, so I may have missed it. I don't mind paying a couple bucks more for the Merc lube, since he's let me work on my motors in his shop and helped me a couple times for nothing.

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: smelly gear oil

Smelly Gearlube...... Well, I remember that many years back, I don't recall just how many but it had to be over 20 or 30 years ago, possibly more, that OMC had a gearlube that had a terrible odor. Terrible really isn't the word.... it was really foul!<br /><br />Perhaps it wasn't real smelly right out of the container but rather after running a few hours, I don't recall which.<br /><br />Anyway, changing that gearlube became something that I would have liked to avoid whenever possible but of course avoidance of that chore wasn't in the cards.<br /><br />At one point in time while at a huge boat show at the colosseum in New York, I spotted Lew Epell who was head of the technical (engine) department at the time and posed the question to him as to why that gearlube smelled so bad.<br /><br />His response was that whale sperm oil was used in the fomulation of the oil. He didnt elaborate on the subject and I was fully aware that this was a man who knew what he was talking about so naturally I accepted his statement as gospel.<br /><br />However, since then, I have always wondered just exactly how in the world did they ever get that whale to **********!<br /><br />The word's a no no and will of course be edited out automatically but with a little imagination....... (grin) No Offense Intended.

 

[Mike Robinson]

Re: smelly gear oil

I would think that was Sperm Whale oil not "whale sperm oil"

 

[mikeyzx2]

Re: smelly gear oil

I'm wearing gloves next time........