Oiling the chain with used engine oil

Ok guys theres quite a bit about this on various other threads but no really straight answer. Is there any reason why used engine shouldnt be used to lube the chain instead of other specialist chain lubes?

[mister c]

No.
The only difference with old engine oil & chain oil is that chain oil has an anti fling agent in it & it tends to stay on the chain for longer.
I use old engine oil & have done for about 12 -18 months. It does need to be done regularly if you use it in wet weather. I do mine once a week at least.

[jambo]

People will come along and disagree with me but the simple answer is I use it for the entire life of my chains.

Up until you dropped it out of the engine it was apparently good to lubricate pistions and valves at 14,000rpm (ok, 10,000 on an SV). I fail to believe that the act of removing it from the engine stops it being an effective lubricant

Jambo

A lot of scottoiler users swear by it in their oilers.

Originally Posted by jambo

Up until you dropped it out of the engine it was apparently good to lubricate pistions and valves at 14,000rpm (ok, 10,000 on an SV). I fail to believe that the act of removing it from the engine stops it being an effective lubricant

I use goose fat as that is a lubricant too

[ophic]

Originally Posted by mister c

No.
The only difference with old engine oil & chain oil is that chain oil has an anti fling agent in it & it tends to stay on the chain for longer.

Less fling means less to clean off the bike. But it's also really hard to clean off cos it's sticky. You can't win

Originally Posted by jambo

People will come along and disagree with me but the simple answer is I use it for the entire life of my chains.

Up until you dropped it out of the engine it was apparently good to lubricate pistions and valves at 14,000rpm (ok, 10,000 on an SV). I fail to believe that the act of removing it from the engine stops it being an effective lubricant

Jambo

+1

[johnnyrod]

Engine oil is a great lubricant but inside the engine there's a constant supply of it, like a Scottoiler. Unless you have that, it'll fling off quickly and be gone. Engine oil is made to pump easily, chain lube is made to cling like a limpet.

I don't doubt its lubrication qualities, but use dedicated chain lube to avoid fling.

With regard to cleaning what does come off, Mr Sheen works wonders.

Buy a Scottoiler and fill it with cheap chainsaw oil. Simples