Can quality of fresh motor oil be judged by smell?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Aug 14, 2014
Messages
16
Location
United Kingdom
Apologies if this is a stupid question. Someone told me this years ago but I never gave it much thought at the time. I compared two brands of oil. One brand has little to no odour while the other has a strong petroleum type smell. They are both semi-synthetic oils priced at the lower end of the market.

I haven't mentioned the brand names as I know this may well be nonsense and I wouldn't want to imply anything negative about a product without justification.

Cheers
 
You might be able to infer some clues about the composition and additive package, but nothing substantially useful in determining which oil is "better."

For example- I've noticed that RP HPS oils (the ones that have the Synerlec additive package listed on the label) smell a little bit like grease, presumably because of the sulfurized ester content. But I wouldn't blindly ASSume that any oil that smells a little like a grease has the same additive package.
 
It's motor oil that basically has an almost indefinite shelf life if store properly and not milk that goes sour after two weeks.

Smell is not gonna tell you anything.
 
Originally Posted By: Hootbro
It's motor oil that basically has an almost indefinite shelf life if store properly and not milk that goes sour after two weeks.

Smell is not gonna tell you anything.



I smell every bottles use and enjoy the different smells. I may have issues..
27.gif
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Originally Posted By: Hootbro
It's motor oil that basically has an almost indefinite shelf life if store properly and not milk that goes sour after two weeks.

Smell is not gonna tell you anything.



I smell every bottles use and enjoy the different smells. I may have issues..
27.gif



That is ok, we all have issues of some sort. Just so long you are not drawing conclusions of suitability from it.
 
Originally Posted By: Hootbro
Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Originally Posted By: Hootbro
It's motor oil that basically has an almost indefinite shelf life if store properly and not milk that goes sour after two weeks.

Smell is not gonna tell you anything.



I smell every bottles use and enjoy the different smells. I may have issues..
27.gif




That is ok, we all have issues of some sort. Just so long you are not drawing conclusions of suitability from it.


You're a BITOGer, right? Nuff said.
smile.gif
 
Last edited:
Redline has a gear oil smell.
Klotz has a gear oil and cherries smell.
People here say Royal Purple has a gear oil smell.
Mass marketed oil has almost no smell.
 
Originally Posted By: kozanoglu
Taste testing is a must for ultimate quality check.
Yup, it's a part of the initiation of BITOG, once you've been here for 2 years or 2,000 posts, BITOG mails you a package with various oils and a BITOG shot glass. With those oils you have to take a shot of each to retain your membership.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: kozanoglu
Taste testing is a must for ultimate quality check.
Yup, it's a part of the initiation of BITOG, once you've been here for 2 years or 2,000 posts, BITOG mails you a package with various oils and a BITOG shot glass. With those oils you have to take a shot of each to retain your membership.



Uh oh... I'm getting close to meeting the criteria.
shocked.gif
 
I think all new oil smells about the same.

I also think the majority of all used oil smells about the same.

So I would say "NO".
 
The old RP Synerlec oil to me smelled rubbery,like atf. Same with phm and M1HM,they both smell "rubbery" to me.
 
I wish I had a better oil nose. When I smell used oil after more than 1k miles it all smells like fuel to me. And this is with a new Corolla with 10k that has little to no fuel in the oil via testing. Still smells indistinguishably like gasoline. So my nose has no oil contaminant usefulness.

Now when it comes to coolant. I can detect it easily. Easier than other folks. Not the quality of course just the smell. My buddy showed me his car and I caught a whiff underhood..... Two days later he called and found a pinhole weep on a hose. Another time I smelled it inca in on an old Cutlass and a week later the heater core let loose.

The most interesting smell is of Toyota WS automatic transmission fluid. It literally smells like a mustard. Like a potent horseradish mustard.
 
Sulfur based EP additives have a distinctive smell.

They have a stronger, slightly different smell after the additives are activated in used.

By "distinctive" I mean "looker room to armpit level offensive".
 
Valvoline oils always smell so good!

Amsoil OE reaks of something horrible, and smells the same as Mobil Super synthetic.

Looking at PQIA the two are nearly identical in additive package and Noack.. Makes me wonder if amsoil is buying the same additive package and similar stocks to blend OE.
 
Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Originally Posted By: Hootbro
It's motor oil that basically has an almost indefinite shelf life if store properly and not milk that goes sour after two weeks.

Smell is not gonna tell you anything.



I smell every bottles use and enjoy the different smells. I may have issues..
27.gif


We all have issues !
 
I think the answer to the OP's question would have to be "no" with the note that an oil that smells "bad" is probably bad ... Oil is subject to degradation by bacteria.

I don't recommend smelling of any unknown substance and using proper technique when sniffing known substances because damage to the nose and breathing can result.

But there are certain products that are positively and quicky identified by smell. It would not surprise me to learn some could identify say, Mobil1 or RotellaT by smell alone.
 
Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Originally Posted By: Hootbro
It's motor oil that basically has an almost indefinite shelf life if store properly and not milk that goes sour after two weeks.

Smell is not gonna tell you anything.



I smell every bottles use and enjoy the different smells. I may have issues..
27.gif



You are not alone.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top