# Question- used motor oil



## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

What are some uses for used oil? Is it worth keeping around or should I haul it off to a disposal place? Thanks.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

You can filter used motor oil and use it as a lubricant on various mechanical things around the house or shop. I don't change the oil in my passenger vehicles anymore but I do in my small engines. The last time I changed my lawn mower oil, I filtered it through an old t-shirt and used it to lube the gears on my hose reels. 

Having a gallon or so of filtered/used motor oil for various uses would be nice. 

I also suspect that if you have gallons and gallons of used oil, you could always boil it up in a large vat and pour it on any bad guys who attempt to storm Casa de Arklatex?


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## slewfoot (Nov 6, 2013)

Same as slippy, I do not do my own cars anymore but when I do the mower I filter a qt. and keep it for things that start squeaking. Makes a good rust inhibitor on hand tools just put a little on and rub it in good.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Phony tree huggers are not all wrong. Used oil is a hazard . It can and does contaminate water supplies ,damage you do not see with your eyes. It can be recycled and reused . It can be burned for heat in well made oil burners .
Most cases best to just recycle it. If you store it it can just become a big problem for you latter on.


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## Mish (Nov 5, 2013)

Don't mind what the two goofballs look like...Coke can lantern


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## Tennessee (Feb 1, 2014)

The best way to recycle old oil is to run it through a centrifuge then you can reuse in in your car. We centrifuge all our turbine lift oil. These centrifuges can be had for under $200


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

I use mine to lube the chain on a chainsaw. I have one of those auto lube systems that spits out chain lube like it is going out of style. Chainlube is my single largest operating expense on my chainsaw, greater than all other expenses combined.

I figure if it is slippery enough in my fingers, then it is good enough for 20 seconds on my chain.

Warning: remember to pour it through a coffee filter so there are no solids to plug up the chainsaw. A blockage is not going to destroy your saw because you would notice the oil not coming out, but it will save you the time it takes to unblock the chainsaw.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

Good one Slip! 

That's part of the problem I am running into. Just changed the oil in my pickup and realized that I have almost 5 gallons of the stuff. Guess I need to find a big pot to boil it in, just in case...


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

tinkerhell said:


> I use mine to lube the chain on a chainsaw. I have one of those auto lube systems that spits out chain lube like it is going out of style. Chainlube is my single largest operating expense on my chainsaw, greater than all other expenses combined.
> 
> I figure if it is slippery enough in my fingers, then it is good enough for 20 seconds on my chain.
> 
> Warning: remember to pour it through a coffee filter so there are no solids to plug up the chainsaw. A blockage is not going to destroy your saw because you would notice the oil not coming out, but it will save you the time it takes to unblock the chainsaw.


Bar oil... never thought of that one. Thanks!


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Nobody touches my cars after they put regular oil in my diesel, at the dealership. What difference is there, says the tech, we use the same oil in all the vehicles. At a Chev dealer. NEVER again... Plus a relative almost broke their back slipping on the oil puddle in the garage after an oil change. Tech didn't tighten the drain plug and the oil leaked out over night. Luckily she came straight home so no engine damage.

Waste oil is used at my place for bonfire starter. Undercoating equipment and vehicles. Strained and run in furnace for heat. Can be strained and run in my old diesel trucks as fuel. Neighbor runs my old synthetic oil in his tractors. Chain oil for dirt bikes and saws etc.


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## slewfoot (Nov 6, 2013)

I have one of these type but about 50 years or so old, inherited it from my father. I put the used oil in it.


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## MI.oldguy (Apr 18, 2013)

I recycle it.I change the oil in everything we own.some went to the bar oil bottle 50/50.the rest goes to the auto parts store.


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## SecretPrepper (Mar 25, 2014)

Lots of uses mentioned above. To add to the centrifuge comment. The oil never goes bad as long as you don't overheat and burn it. The detergents are what go bad in your motor oil. Running it through a separator (centrifuge) can give you good oil for reuse. At 3 and 1/2 gallons per oil change in the truck I have all the used oil I need for bar oil and farm lube.


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## Stick (Sep 29, 2014)

I second Chain saw bar oil. When I was running thinning crews we had nearly a hundred Stihl chain saws. All vehicle used oil went into a 55 gallon drum, then into five gallon cans for use in the woods. Thirty guys cutting an acre a day used a lot of oil. No automatic oilers, no anti-vibration, no helmets or ear protection or gloves, even. OSHA would shut us down today if we tried that.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

I have seen used motor oil used to paint barns. It preserves the wood surprizingly well.


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

My grandpa would use it for "fly dip" in the dogs.


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## shootbrownelk (Jul 9, 2014)

I knew a guy who had a used oil drip system he plumbed up in his wood burner. It really adds the BTU's but it stinks like you figure burning oil would. It's a pollutant as well and O'bummer will be pounding on your door PDQ. If you're out in B.F.E. it wouldn't draw attention.


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

I have a 55gal barrel I pour mine into. I have a friend with an old diesel who makes his own fuel. When this barrel gets full, he will get it. 

And I do have a couple oil cans I put used motor oil in for lubing random stuff around the house. It comes surprisingly handy having some around.


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## Roaddawg (Mar 28, 2015)

I use it to paint on non treated wood outside. It will give longer life the wood that is exposed to the weather. I am building a frame of old lumber to set a vinyl shed on and instead of spending the extra on treated lumber, I'm just giving it a couple of coats of old motor oil.

My x brother in law and I used motor oil on 6x6 timbers when building a retaining wall over 25 years ago and we coated them with motor oil and they still look like new. We used about 110 old RR Ties with creosote and the last 40 or so we just plain sawed 6x6's coated with oil. It's great against the elements and bugs shy away from it as well. Just don't let the Eco jerks find out. The wood will suck the oil right up.


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

An old trick used in ww-2 to clean motor oil and reuse it. You need two buckets a stool and long rag. 
Set one bucket on a stool the other on the floor, pour old motor oil in top bucket and dip about 3/4 of towel in dirty motor oil, hang the soaked towel from the top dirt oil to the clean bucket below. Capillary action will pull the oil from the top bucket to the bottom bucket and the particles in the oil will be trapped in the rag.


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## tango (Apr 12, 2013)

I take mine to the auto parts store and dump it in the recycle drum, where it belongs.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Caution: Used motor oil contains Lead, nitric and sulfuric acids, and a host of other compounds that can enter your body through the skin. It can destroy mucous membranes and connective tissues (ligaments and tendons). The compounds attack your kidneys and liver over time and the lead attacks the brain. Be careful!

ALWAYS wear eye protection and nitrile or neoprene gloves when handling used engine oil.


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## SecretPrepper (Mar 25, 2014)

We mixed used motor oil and diesiel then put it on a post wrapped with burlap. We would build a hog trap around the post after they started rubbing on it. It worked way better than corn. No ***** tripping your trap.


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## redhawk (May 7, 2014)

I recycle 99% of mine, but I save a little to mix with some play sand in a 5 gallon bucket, then I just use it to dip/dunk my garden tools ie: pitchfork, turning fork, shovels etc. The sand cleans any residual dirt and the oil protects the metal and helps to keep them from rust...JM2C


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

used motor oil=ahh recycle-unless you have an actual oil fired heater/stove don't waste your time I have tried to find uses everything from oiling guns to weed killer -it sucks and makes a mess-burn it in a unorthodox way and it puts off some bad fumes and stinks to the sky,


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Old diesel engine can run on motor oil, particularly old military diesels.


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## aboole71 (2 mo ago)

I figure if it is slippery enough in my fingers, then it is good enough for 20 seconds on my chain.


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## aboole71 (2 mo ago)

My grandpa would use it for "fly dip" in the dogs.


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