Snowmobile question...Exhaust smells almost nice...new breed of sleds...or oil...or.?

[Tim Frank]

I work at a ski area during the winter and have noticed a new smell this year...not really unpleasant, just new and odd.
If I had to describe it it would be like a mixture of dryer exhaust and deep fat form a fryer.

I finally realised that it is from the snowmobiles used by the area...all new machines.
Since it is just my curiosity rather than of any importance I keep forgetting to ask one of the maintenance gang what is different with these new machines...or whether they are using a different oil (maybe synthetic??)....or ??

Any of you snowmobilers recognise what I am babbling about?

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Snowmobile question...Exhaust smells almost nice...new breed of sleds...or oil...

I would suspect they have update to the new greener 4 stroke machines, which have a completely different aroma to them, I know my local ski area did a couple of years ago, and they are far nicer to be around then the older 2 stroke models, I also know there were some companies experimenting with Bio-Diesel models, I don't know that they have come to the market yet..

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Snowmobile question...Exhaust smells almost nice...new breed of sleds...or oil...

D'oh.
Never even thought of a jump to 4-stroke....that might be exactly it. Thanks.
I'll check it out further and report back.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Snowmobile question...Exhaust smells almost nice...new breed of sleds...or oil...

Hummmmmmm I know there are several ways to refine used cooking oil from deep fat fryers into diesel fuel but I wonder if maybe they are experimenting on using it for two stroke oil......that would explain the smell, cost savings to the ski area due to the bulk amount of two stroke oil needed and better for the environment. Lots of off the wall ideas coming out these days to cut costs as well as be innovative in green energy. Can you ask around Tim? It would be a pretty cool idea. By the way Converting cooking oil into diesel fuel can be done in your garage and the setup is fairly inexpensive, less then $2000 if I remember right, when you consider the cost of fuel these days and the fact that restaurants are more then happy to give away the oil they normally pay to dispose of, all you really need after that is lye I believe, you can make up your investment fairly quickly.

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: Snowmobile question...Exhaust smells almost nice...new breed of sleds...or oil...

Probably just Klotz or some other fragrant oil, most are still 2 stroke and lots of babies like to complain about smelling like 2 stroke. I'm old school and like smelling it and cheap Citgo Sea and Snow oil is what I use. My machine my over oil a bit and smokes a lil bit.

 

[kmarine]

Re: Snowmobile question...Exhaust smells almost nice...new breed of sleds...or oil...

I have been using vanilla scented oil for years as arctic cat apv synthetic oil from arctic cat is sold in bulk by the dealer in 55 gal drums.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Snowmobile question...Exhaust smells almost nice...new breed of sleds...or oil...

Probably just Klotz or some other fragrant oil, most are still 2 stroke and lots of babies like to complain about smelling like 2 stroke. I'm old school and like smelling it and cheap Citgo Sea and Snow oil is what I use. My machine my over oil a bit and smokes a lil bit.

I wasn't complaining about the traditional 2-stroke smell at all. Doesn't bother me a bit.
I have what could best be called an, ummmmmm ...., "early generation machine" which like many of us in here, doesn't smell any better after 40 years...

I didn't even know that there are scented oils...gotta get out more.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Snowmobile question...Exhaust smells almost nice...new breed of sleds...or oil...

I have been using vanilla scented oil for years as arctic cat apv synthetic oil from arctic cat is sold in bulk by the dealer in 55 gal drums.

You know, there may have been a bit of vanilla in there.
Thanks.
I'll ask this week what they are burning in the sleds.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Snowmobile question...Exhaust smells almost nice...new breed of sleds...or oil...

In my area, beings we are close to Yellowstone, which mandates new technology machines, many people are trading in their old 2 stroker's and moving to the new 4 stroke machines, I see quite a few of now a days, I was talking to one of the local dealers and he said he is probably selling them 1 for 1 now a days, he said he sells at least one 4 stroke for each 2 stroke he sells.