Motor Oil as A Lubricant

[Wester]

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

 

[MarquisMatsugae]

No problem .
No chain wear.
Lasts a long time.
Sorted.

 

[fossyant]

It works just fine, you know it's OK for a car spinning at 6000 rpm and those big chains inside - timing chains).

If using motor oil, try and decant into a dropper bottle, so only the oil is on the roller bushing. The only thing is
it's probably a little lighter than some 'wet lubes', but like any oil, it will need re-applying after a wet ride.

 

[PK99]

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.

 

[steve50]

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.

I would strongly dispute the claim in bold, I use motor oil on my chain and have never had a "squeaky" chain, I follow the guide given by another member on cc, give the chain a good soaking with the oil, allow to penetrate, run the lubricated chain backwards through rags to remove excess oil. You only need the oil on the pins and rollers , oil on the outside of the chain is a just a waste. You are of course always going to get the purists who will insist that you should only ever use chain lube on your bike chain.

 

[S-Express]

"Household" oil, such as 3 in 1, is a vegetable oil and is acidic.

Not strictly true, as it is mineral based.

To answer the question though - of course motor oil will not cause chain wear. I wouldn't hold out much hope for the world's internal combustion engines if it did.

 

[screenman]

Olive oil is great on salads, it may also lubricate a chain.

I would not hesitate to use engine oil on a chain, if I did not have something more convenient at hand.

 

[Ian H]

Olive oil is great on salads, it may also lubricate a chain.

I would not hesitate to use engine oil, if I did not have something more convenient at hand.

On your salad?

 

[TheDoctor]

The only problem I can see with engine oil is that the default container is large enough for a huuuuuuge fleet. For several millennia!
Chain oil from Wilko or Poundland seems to work nicely, but I'm sure any runny-ish oil would be fine.

 

[screenman]

On your salad?

I could claim you messed with my post instead I will admit to being a numpty.

 

[MichaelW2]

I have used engine oil once when no other oil was available. You easily salvage enough oil from an empty can from a garage. It does attract dirt more than modern bike lubes and I worry if it turns into grinding paste.

 

[steve50]

I have used engine oil once when no other oil was available. You easily salvage enough oil from an empty can from a garage. It does attract dirt more than modern bike lubes and I worry if it turns into grinding paste.

Not if you clean the excess oil from the chain prior to riding the bike. I have done several 30 mile+ rides since the last time I lubed my chain,if I wipe my fingers along the chain I get dirty grey oil on my fingers but it is not gritty.

 

[gbb]

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.

 

[steve50]

I use 10w 40 motor oil, as above make sure you clean the excess off practically leaving the outside of the chain dry, i have never had any oil throw onto the rear wheel.

 

[simongt]

"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...)

Has the formula been changed then - ? Back in the days when hub gears and axles had a wee flip top lube port in the middle, most of us used 3 in 1 'cos that's all that was available - !
Although a while ago, when one of my sons was skint, he lubed his bike chain with sun lotion oil - !