Motor Oil as A Lubricant

[mrandmrspoves]

I used engine oil for ages...from a lubrication perspective, no problem. The only negative I found was oil throwing terribly onto the back wheel...however hard I tried to wipe excess off. That said, it was 5w30 IIRC which is really quite thin.
Currently using chainsaw oil...and I still get a modest amount of oil throw onto the back wheel.

I have used engine oil for years and have never had oil throw. I think you are probably over oiling or spinning at a much faster cadence than I do. (The latter is quite likely! )

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I experimented with this "engine oil attracts dirt" thing. I placed a petri dish of engine oil next to a petri dish of dirt and left it overnight. In a control I placed a petri dish of oil nex to an empty petri dish and the next morning neither of the oils were contaminated with anytihing. Mty conclusion is that if you attach a petri dish to your drivetrain, it will remain clean forever.

 

[John the Monkey]

I like Weldtite's TF2, and Green Oil. The old Finish Line Ceramic "Pro Road" was excellent stuff too.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Sheldon Brown says:

While it's hard to say which lubricants are best for chains, some lubricants are real no-nos:

• Automotive motor oil contains detergent, to wash away combustion products, and is made to be renewed constantly under pressure from the motor's oil pump. I [John Allen] rode once with someone who had used it the day before, and her chain was already squeaking.
• "Household" oil, such as 3 in 1, is a vegetable oil and is acidic. It tends to gum up. (It's really bad news inside internal hub gears, too...)
• WD-40 and other thin sprays are intended more as solvents than lubricants. They evaporate quickly.

Aaaah, the old detergent story. I love that one. You claim that something has some detergent in it and voila, that item never gets dirty. I wish they would weave some detergent into my socks and genetically implant some detergent into dogs, that way it will arrive home after a muddy walk completely clean.

And then there's the (new to me) acidic oil story. I'm off to the lab to invent an oil-based battery. What's at hand? A bit of lead from the roof....OK, witness the birth of the Lead 3-in-1 battery. You read it here first.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I have been using motor oil as a lubricant for my bicycle chain for a few years and it seems to do a good job only it can collect some dirt which can be washed off . But I have just read that motor oil can cause chain wear which I do not believe . Your views on the subject

It would be fun if you could provide a link to that claim. It may be full of other irresistible bits of wisdom too.

 

[steve50]

Lubricating the chain with hot 90W gear lube works but it is also efficient fly paper, collecting plenty of hardpack between sprockets and on the outside of the chain. Motor oil is far better, but motorcycle chain and chainsaw lubricants are better yet, because they have volatile solvents that allow good penetration for their relatively viscous lubricant
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/chain-care.html

 

[cardiac case]

If long chain polymers are added to modern oil does this make it better for lubing long chains ?

 

[S-Express]

Lubricating the chain with hot 90W gear lube works

How do you keep the oil hot once its on the chain?

 

[Yellow Saddle]

If long chain polymers are added to modern oil does this make it better for lubing long chains ?

Is a duck's arse watertight?

 

[Drago]

A slight variation on this - I use gear oil. It's literally several thousands of times cheaper than branded chain lube, doesn't fling, and has decent anti-fling properties. Only downside is it hums a bit, but if you don't go round sniffing chains (best stick to seats) then that's not a problem. No undue issues with collecting crud.

 

[S-Express]

If long chain polymers are added to modern oil does this make it better for lubing long chains ?

Yes, but it won't work on chains with less than 100 links though.

 

[steve50]

How do you keep the oil hot once its on the chain?

are you serious

 

[steve50]

Is a duck's arse watertight?

Have you ever seen a duck fart?

 

[S-Express]

are you serious

Yes - because if the oil cools once it's on the chain, then you might as well not have bothered heating it in the first place..

 

[steve50]

Yes - because if the oil cools once it's on the chain, then you might as well not have bothered heating it in the first place..

The idea is to heat the gear oil (is very thick) to a temperature where it becomes quite fluid, you then drop your chain into the heated oil which will then penetrate the pins and rollers of the chain. Remove chain from the cooled oil and wipe off excess leaving the now cooled thickened oil in the pins and rollers. It works great but any excess oil that works its way onto the outside of the chain acts like fly paper and clogs up with dirt and debris very quickly.