Chain lube

[His Dudeness]

[quote author=joebloggs link=topic=20030.msg231467#msg231467 date=1462617432]
I don't buy the metal in old engine oil theory, if, as its suggested, the oil is full of metal particles it would destroy your engine in seconds, sure its thiner but still far better at lubrication than most chain lubes.

I've also used a rag soaked in oil in the past, wrapped the rag around the chain and slowly rotated the wheel, I found that not only covered the chain in oil but also wiped off any dirt and dust that had built up on the links. Bloody messy though lol

Engine oil has several functions: lube, gather and neutralize combustion tar, acids that build up etc. Used engine oil has degraded lubrication qualities and is full of dirt and acid. That's why it is changed. Good for painting wooden fences, but not good for lubricating anything anymore.


New thick engine oil (20w60), or new SAE90 oil is good, but I'd never recommend using used engine oil.
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All correct but the fact is the oil that you drained out was protecting your engine just fine right up until you drained it. It would not be as good as fresh new oil but it was working well enough up until you drained it that the engine wasn't suffering any major wear. Right? So will it protect a drive chain for a few days? Yes of course it will. Would new gear oil be better? Yes. But does used engine oil work fine? Yes