2-stroke oil and ammonia smell

[GMorg]

I don't where else to put this post, so I stuck it here.
I noticed that Valvoline multipurpose 2-stroke oil has a very strong ammonia-like smell. Since ammonia is very destinctive, I am confused as to the origin of the smell. The MSDS was not revealing. Does anyone here know why a 2-stroke oil would have a strong ammonia smell?

 

[den]

Are you sure its ammonnia and not a clorine smell?

 

[GMorg]

It seems very much like ammonia to me. I am not getting a chlorine smell as in hypochlorite.

 

[JAG]

I used a Lubromoly EP additive called Motor Protect and it too had an ammonia smell. The ingredients mention ammonium molybdate which is a form of "moly". Does this 2-stroke oil have moly in it?

 

[GMorg]

Since it is an "ashless" formulation, I had assumed that it did not contain any of the metals.

 

[JAG]

I'd assume that too now that I think of it.
The MSDS has this:
ALIPHATIC PETROLEUM DISTILLATES MINERAL SPIRITS
TRIMETHYLBENZENE
Which one of those might smell like ammonia? I doubt the first two are candidates. The Trimethylbenzene is said to have a "peculiar odor" here: http://www.state.nj.us/health/eoh/rtkweb/1928.pdf#search='trimethylbenzene odor'
Maybe that's it? It's said to be quite toxic so don't smell it too much!

 

[GMorg]

JAG,

You may have the answer. I found MSDSs for several other things (paint primer, herbicides) that contain trimethylbenzene. These MSDSs describe the product as having a faint ammonia odor. This statement was found on products that did not list any ingredients that contianed ammonia (nor other nitrogen R group).

 

[bruce381]

a lot of organic industry addiitves have nitrogen and have a "ammonical" odor.
in this case the dispersant I would guess.
bruce

 

[wileyE]

I was also told nitrogen when I inquired about it with a North Coast oil product I was buying.

 

[Scali62]

Mercury 2 stroke oil reeks of an ammonia smell, this oil also works as a wonderfull fiberglass cleaner first discovered when I overfilled the oil injection tank & a couple ounced dripped on the transom after tilting the engine.
I allways thought it was actually ammonia in there to keep the engine clean of soot ..?

 

[MolaKule]

Dispersants and low moleular weight PIB's, both components of 2-cycle oils, have strong ammonia smells.

 

[GMorg]

Thanks for the input guys. I didn't realize that dispersants were often nitrogenous - succinimide for example.

Again, thanks.

 

[blano]

The ammonia like oder is caused by the nitrogen based, ashless dispersent.