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Manual Transmission Fluid: What does it smell like?


Daedalus

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Well, I let a friend borrow my car since his was in an accident. Thought it would be nice since the wife is out of town and I can drive her car. He calls today and says that my car is leaking brake fluid.

 

His roomate (a subi guy), says that it's transmission fluid based on the smell. He also got under the car (i was in work clothes) and he said that there was a drip coming off my tranny's drain plug.

 

I left work, picked up the car, and took it to the stealership. I got a whiff of the puddle my car left and it smelled like Indian food. Actually a specific Indian spice called asafetida which kinda smells like a "dirty vagina" (seriously!).

 

I first noticed this when I flushed my brake fluid on Sunday. We thought it was just a small brake fluid smell. What ever it is, it's leaking from somewhere and it smells.

 

Any idea what it could be based on the smell?

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I haven't changed gear oil on the Legacy yet, but the 80w90 we use at work smells like total ass. If we do a teardown of a part, the whole room can stink.

 

Take a small taste of the fluid, brake fluid is sour tasting, gear oil should just smell.

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When was the tranny/diff. serviced last? It's possible that they didnt wipe down the trans after the re-fill. Also the front diff may be leaking a little where the axle-shafts go into the transmisssion if it was overfilled a little. You can definately tell gear oil as it really stinks. Kinda smells like natural gas(or the scent they put in natural gas for detection). Brake fliud should be clear and gear oil should be thick and a little yellowish if it's fresh or black and greasy if ti's been there a while. Let us know what you find.
Let's kick this pig!
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Gear fluid stinks and it is worse when it is old and burnt too. Definitely not a smell you'll forget.
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Did my transmission fluid change this afternoon not bad but I can't stand getting used gear oil on my hands at all.. the smell takes forever to go away and god forbid you spill it anyplace in the car you will have a hard time getting it out!
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the smell takes forever to go away and god forbid you spill it anyplace in the car you will have a hard time getting it out!

:whore:Makes me think of when I worked for a retail parts store and we spilled about a quart of gear oil inside of our one and only delivery truck. After scrubbing, shampooing, cleaning, air freshening, and even a new seat, it still reeked of gear lube. And it was 10x as bad on a humid PA summer day.;)

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