Removing spilled gear lube

[fred d]

I hauled a t-19 trans home yesterday. In the driving process 90w gearlube spilled all over the bed of my truck ( I have a rubber mat with a plastic bed liner)

Last night I took it to the quarter wash and pulled the mat out on the ground. Washed both sides of the mat with the soap spray, then scrubbed it with the foaming brush, then rinsed it with clear water.

I sprayed the bed liner, then scrubbed it with the foamy brush, then rinsed it

I saw a lot of lube on the ground.

Today I went out to to Church and it looked & smelled like there was gearlube everywhere.

What is the best way to get rid of all of the lube( selling the truck is not an option )

 

[Hghgrad]

Purple power does a pretty decent job getting oils off.

 

[srmofo]

And that is why I tell my wife to stay out of those car washes.

 

[Cobra5150]

1. Drive to your local landfill.
2. Toss rubber mat. Lube has soaked in and will almost be impossible to get out.
3. Toss bed liner.
4. Go to your local accessories dealer and buy a new mat and bed liner.
No more smell.

 

[rlitman]

selling the truck is not an option :

Is arson? Clothespin for your nose and another for your passenger?

But seriously. I had to replace the carpet in my car the same reason. The stuff is insidious.

 

[bad_idea]

My father spilled a jug of gear lube in the trunk of my 79 Camaro once. It stunk the whole car up for months. Good luck.

BTW... Washing the mat in a car wash was a **** move.

 

[fred d]

BTW... Washing the mat in a car wash was a **** move.

He's that is where you get you screen name

 

[carcajou]

Only thing i found that works is gas and a good scrubbing. But you will trade the oil smell for a gas one for a few days.

 

[6768rogues]

Brake cleaner. If that doesn't remove it, nothing will.

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

BTW... Washing the mat in a car wash was a **** move.

Why is that?

 

[38Chevy454]

As stated, the gear oil has soaked into the rubber mat. A stronger solvent will help get the gear oil out, but then you have to deal with the solvent, but since it is lighter, it will evap out after a bit. Sunny day helps....

 

[zoomzoomjeff]

No suggestion to remove it, just that I feel your pain. I hauled home a transfer case from the junkyard in the back of my Jeep. Old nasty smelling trans case oil spilled all over the back. Never could get it ALL out. Just put a blanket over it and eventually the smell went away.

 

[Steevo]

You guys are making me all nostalgic for that **** smell of 90wt. . . . .

 

[Vincenthdfan]

Brake cleaner. If that doesn't remove it, nothing will.

This! ^^^^

Brake fluid works great for cleaning all kinds of petroleum messes and stains.

I use if for cleaning all sorts of messy stuff.

If you clean steel prior to welding though, make certain you dry it first...if you heat it into a cloud it creates Phosgene Gas which is super lethal!

 

[sean Buick 76]

Why is that?

Because now there is gear lube all over the carwash floor and the next people get to track it into thier vehicles....

 

[brucer]

take the mat and bedliner out and use a steam cleaner.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Park the truck with the nose down hill or jack up the rear end. Dump some Simple Green into the bed and start filling it up with hot water and let it soak.

Will it work ? I don't know but Simple Green and hot water do pretty good at removing oil.

 

[SteveCh]

I have not found a way to completely remove the odor [stink] of gear lube.

 

[G_P]

Dawn dish soap is also pretty dang good at breaking up and removing oils. If you have or can get an old kiddie pool fill it with hot water and Dawn soap and soak the rubber mat in it.

NUTTSGT's idea of filling up the bed with water and cleaner is a good idea providing there are no holes in the bedliner. Fill er up and get in there with a push broom and start scrubbing the liner.

A hot water pressure washer might help too.

 

[GreenNV]

Gear oil is immiscible with water and difficult to remove/dissolve especially in porous materials. It should not be drained into a public sewer system as it contains contaminates such as olefin sulfide which gives it the pungent smell.

You might want to put Fabreze to the test. Blindfold some neighbors, put them into the back of the truck after you sprayed it down with Fabreze and ask what they smell. If it works, send a video to the company and ask for some cash. You can then buy a new bed liner and mat.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Dawn dish soap is also pretty dang good at breaking up and removing oils. If you have or can get an old kiddie pool fill it with hot water and Dawn soap and soak the rubber mat in it.

NUTTSGT's idea of filling up the bed with water and cleaner is a good idea providing there are no holes in the bedliner. Fill er up and get in there with a push broom and start scrubbing the liner.

A hot water pressure washer might help too.

If you get inside there, be careful, that bed is liable to be slippery than goat snot in September.

 

[Knuckle Buster]

Over the years I've noticed that acid rain falls naturally. I've hauled about everything in the bed of my truck since 94 and never worried about oil spills from hauling engines, transmissions, etc. After a few natural rains and sun the oil just ''goes away''.

 

[john9]

With gear oil soaked into those rubber parts, it might be nearly impossible to remove the odor completely. Detergents and water can only help disperse the lube, the lube is not soluble in water and detergents alone won't be effective where the mess soaked in deep.

Brake cleaner can dissolve grease & oils, but because it flashes (evaporates) so fast it leaves a lot of residue behind. May work OK to use a fast solvent like that, and then quickly follow up with another wash to clean off the surface. But brake clean ain't cheap either.

The reason I'm chiming in here is to share what works for me lifting oil stains out, even though the technique is for concrete floors primarily and might not be practical for a large area of plastic liner or rubber matt.

Solvents (hydrocarbon type) can lift out and dissolve the gear lube (better than detergents), but fast drying solvents like brake cleaner just allow the oil to redeposit again.

What I use is kerosene and the kitty litter type of oil-dry compound -- the kerosene lifts the stain up & the kitty litter wicks it out.

On a concrete floor, this works better than anything else I've tried, even old stains can get lifted out. I'd consider trying this on the truck bed if it is practical, and can be done safely, and you really wanted to salvage the matt rather than replace.

John A

 

[bazzateer]

Had a load of gear oil spill in the rear of my old Previa. Picked up my son from his mother that weekend and as he got in the car he said "Your car smells nice Daddy!" That's my boy!

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

Because now there is gear lube all over the carwash floor and the next people get to track it into thier vehicles....

Oh. Right.

 

[fred d]

What about lacquer thinner

Will it flash too quickly as well