"Stinking Spider" (Hot Gear Oil Smell)...

[JeffreyOlson@domain.elided]

Use Shell Spirax HD gear oil, 85W90!  

Just look in the phone book for the nearest Shell Oil 
distributor.  It's very common and inexpensive.  Also 
THE stuff specified by Alfa Romeo!

I tried various Redline products in different Alfa Romeo 
Spiders and ALWAYS developed small leaks.  Although the 
products performed well, the leaks and expense were not 
worth it.  The gearbox shifts well warm or cold and does 
not leak with the Shell Spirax HD.

I just had the clutch replaced in a '85 Graduate and 
found BOTH inner shift boots were torn.  The most inner 
one is responsible for keeping the gear oil from leaking 
out of the transmission around the shift rod.

I very unintentionally overfilled the gearbox one time 
and had a few drops leak out of the vent onto the garage 
floor for a few days.

The transmission takes 3.8 pints/1.85 liters

The differntial takes 3.0 pints/1.4 liters

Jeff

Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2002 01:17:59 EDT
From: Nsaldana21@domain.elided
Subject: Re: "Stinking Spider" (Hot Gear Oil Smell)

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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