heat up gear oil in microwave?

[racsan]

hello, bitter cold here, 7 degrees...need to add gear oil to my front diff. (has a leaking pinion seal) wondered about using the microwave to heat the oil up so it doesnt take 20 min to get it out of the bottle and into the differential...good idea? bad idea?...its in a plastic bottle so i dont see why it wouldnt work...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Be carefull, if it can't vent it could blow up. If it can vent it will probably make your popcorn and burritos taste funny for awhile.

I would set it in front of a vent for awhile and let it get warmed up that way.

 

[kunar]

i definitely wouldnt put that rank oil in a microwave i intended to use for food. heat up a pan of water and drop it in there for a while.

 

[superds]

I would personally refrain from using the microwave, although I can't cite a specific reason other than not trusting it to work without breaking down the molecular structure of the oil (no proof, just my uneducated guess). I would either do what 85 said and put it in front of a heater or put the gear oil bottle in a bucket/pot of hot water.

 

[Mac]

Pan of water, hair dryer, heat gun. No way of telling if that plastic bottle wont melt in a micro wave.
Dave

 

[Mark_88]

Yeah, that stuff stinks as it is and not sure heating it in your microwave would be safe or a good idea due to the possible lingering stench or possible alteration of the oil properties.

I keep thicker oils in the house over night when I plan to use them in cold weather and that helps quite a bit. Also warm up the engine (or drive it to heat up the diff) whenever possible.

The water method would probably work best, once it hits the cold air you might have only a few minutes to get it poured before it slows down...maybe wrap it in a blanket or something to help retain the heat...some of that foil insulation might help...

 

[ab_slack]

I concur with don't try the microwave.

Microwaves operate by directly stimulating molecules. Different frequencies excite different types of molecules. For food they set it up to excite water. You got any water in that gear lube?

This doesn't mean it won't excite other types of molecules. While many plastics aren't affected some are. So between there being a good chance it won't heat the oil well and there being a chance the container will absorb some and cause a mess, I say avoid it.

Instead sit it in a pot of water.

Even after you get it hot there is the problem that when you put it in the diff that it will cool quickly and it is going to be hard to tell when you got the right level.

 

[racsan]

....i ended up just letting the bottle sit on a heat register and warm up, the idea of the microwave smelling of hypoid oil kept lingering in my mind...its bad enough it retains the smell of popcorn...by the time i got the truck up on ramps the oil had warmed enough to pour out well.

 

[Kowboy]

If you are married, this group has more than likely saved you from way more grief than anyone has ever envisioned.

 

[kryptonitecb]

No one thought about the effects of oil in microwave on a woman. I've gotten plenty of grief just for baking spray paint in an oven.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I547 using Tapatalk

 

[Doofy]

Hahaha! Think that's bad? Try explaining to the wife that you have been degreasing parts in the dishwasher. They have no sense of humor, at all!

 

[Mark_88]

LOL...I felt bad when I rinsed out my oil catch can in the laundry tub...fortunately, that scented soap helped to cover the awful smell that came back up the drain...

 

[adsm08]

Hahaha! Think that's bad? Try explaining to the wife that you have been degreasing parts in the dishwasher. They have no sense of humor, at all!

Yeah, apparently I am not allowed to use pots we use for food to boil nylon fuel line so it's easier to put barbed fittings in.

We had a big fight over that.

 

[Kowboy]

Now this is making my day. This here is funny and I'm not so sure that it is off topic. Thanks for the laughs.

 

[racsan]

If you are married, this group has more than likely saved you from way more grief than anyone has ever envisioned.

yes, i am married. i did ask her first...surprizingly she seemed open about it, heck a few weeks ago when my daughters blower motor for her heater quit, i brought it in the house and rebuilt it right there on the kitchen counter...she doesnt like that i keep the leaf blower in the kitchen during the winter...but lets me anyways. (the leaf blower is great for removing light powdery snow, but small 2 cycle engines dont start well when really cold) right now her biggest issue with me is my moms car, mom drove through high water christmas eve and hydrolocked the engine, 2012 mazda 3, 17K miles. #1 rod twisted, broke, flipped around and punched the oil pump off the bottom of the block, piston shows signs of fracturing. also put some holes in the pan. amazingly the block wasnt damaged. had to download a service manual off of the internet for torque specs. ive got it almost together, had to wait forever on parts (through mazda) wife hates me being gone evenings to work on it, tomorrow i should have it going again by 6. she'd have less of a problem if i had a garage and could be at home working on it, but its about 15 miles away at a aunts house.... i dont know why they didnt just turn it into insurance. the funniest thing was what my mom said after i told her what it would need to run again.."will my a/c still work?" ...really!, youve lunched a nearly new vehicle with less than 20K miles and your biggest concern is the a/c?....wow! granted theres other things the wifes been unhappy about, spray-painting small items in the house, rebuilding a carb on the kitchen table, polishing rims in the living room....with the drill and powerball. i guess its a wonder im STILL married! lol