Re: "Stinking Spider" (Hot Gear Oil Smell)

[Nsaldana21@domain.elided]

I have experiance the same problem.  Both my inner and outer boot 
disintegrated.  Gear oil all over the tranny tunnel.  Replaced the boot and 
ensured the boot clamp for the outer boot was tightened adequately. (The 
original boot clamp is very light duty and feels like it will break when 
tightened.)  I also replaced the insulation and restored the center console 
with almost everything new including the leather boot.  The gear oil smell 
was still present after the repair.  Drained the REDLINE gear oil (tranny and 
diff) and replaced with generic gear oil 85W-90 and the smell went away.  Not 
completely but a very tiny hint of oil smell.  The smell will not completely 
go away because the tranny has two vents.  This is specially noticeable when 
the engine and tranny are hot after one hour of more of driving.  I have 
talked to a few people with the same complaint about REDLINE oil smell.

About the tranny noise:  I too heard the grinding noise when the center 
console and boot were removed.  I think this noise was due to using REDLINE 
75W-90.  The oil was very viscous.  When I used 85W-90 the sound became 
subdued.  Check the oil level. (Unless you can raise the car level and access 
the filler plug, bring your car to a trustworthy oil changer and watch what 
they do.)   Improper tranny oil level will cause above normal gear noise.  
You may want to try REDLINE MT-90 oil.  I have not tried MT-90.  Let me know 
if the smell is present with MT-90.

Jason writes:

"Just finished re-installing my tranny after a rebuild and 
clutch job that took slightly over 2 years. Before I 
pulled the tranny there was a nice sludge of gear oil 
seeping down the passenger side of the tranny tunnel onto 
the floorboards. I assumed it was coming from the torn 
boots and seeping under the metal "helmet" thing on the 
tranny tunnel. The car smelled like hot gear oil before 
and it does still despite the fact that I removed the oil 
soaked sound deadening material and fiber matting material 
on the tranny tunnel and floorboards. I cleaned everything 
well with oil eater. The smell comes into my nostrils only 
when I stop, and since I have no top on right now I assume 
it could be comming from outside, but I can't be sure.

The tranny is not leaking anything based on my very clean 
garage floor.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Is it possible it's 
just leftover crud on the underside of the car? Could it 
be the diff? Is there a vent on the diff that could be the 
source? 

Side note: Before I buttoned the boots up on the shiter 
housing I drove a few miles to make sure all was shifting 
correctly. I noticed a whirring noise coming from the 
right hand (passenger) vent on the shifter housing and not 
the left. I could stop the sound by putting my finger over 
the vent, and I can't hear it at all now that the boots 
are installed. It's curious the left hand one had no 
sound. This may be of no consequence, but I thought I'd 
mention it.

Thanks,

Jason Glover
'76 Spider"
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