Reuse oil that has 500 miles on it, safe?

[Ride_Red]

I've reused oil before. I had a leaky oil filter on my motorcycle that needed to be changed. I cleaned out the pan and cleaned around the filter and drain plug. Drained the oil into the clean pan, replaced the filter and poured the oil back into the engine. No problems.
You just need to keep it in a clean container if you're going to save it for later use.

 

[Carlostrece]

I've reused oil before. I had a leaky oil filter on my motorcycle that needed to be changed. I cleaned out the pan and cleaned around the filter and drain plug. Drained the oil into the clean pan, replaced the filter and poured the oil back into the engine. No problems.
You just need to keep it in a clean container if you're going to save it for later use.

Agreed. My mechanic did the same with almost new oil from one of my Jeeps. I don't recall why he had to drain the oil, but it happened soon after it had been changed. So he drained and reused the oil. This happened at around 35-40K miles. That Jeep never had any problems from it. It was the same Jeep I later sold to a friend who got 410K out of the original engine without a rebuild.

 

[subyski]

I've taken very very low mileage motor oil and put it in a 5qt jug using a funnel and a paper coffee filter. I pour a little at a time and let it gravity feed into the jug. Typical paper coffee filters are 20 microns.

 

[Carlostrece]

I've taken very very low mileage motor oil and put it in a 5qt jug using a funnel and a paper coffee filter. I pour a little at a time and let it gravity feed into the jug. Typical paper coffee filters are 20 microns.

You made a great post!

There probably wouldn't be any foreign contaminents if the oil was drained into a clean pan, stored in a clean jug, and poured through a clean funnel. However, if there are any foreign contaminents, the coffee filter would remove them. I love it!

If coffee filters are indeed around 20 microns @ 99%, that would remove any signifigant foreign contaminents (if there are any). That's perfect!

Also, a 20 micron filter isn't excessively fine. So it won't remove good oil additives. Also, it won't take excessively long for motor oil to go through the filter, but it will need some time. How much time did it take for you?

You have a great system for reusing sljghtly used oil. Even if coffee filters are not exactly 20 microns, they're close enough and a great idea!

I'm going to research if coffee filters are around 20 microns because I'm curious. Regardless of the exact microns filtration of a coffee filter, you're idea is excellent and the best homemade oil filtration idea I ever heard!

 

[Carlostrece]

My certified mechanic (at a shop), my cousin (a shade tree mechanic), and I have all 3 of us reused slightly used motor oil motor oil without problems. We pour it through 3 or 4 layers of cheese-cloth, which stains it adequately.

One of my vehicles this was done on at around 60K miles lasted 410K miles (with no rebuild). IMO that proves that draining slightly used oil into a clean pan, using a clean funnel, and filtering through 3-4 layers of cheese-cloth works adequately.

However, @subyski's coffee filter idea is better than cheese-cloth.

As a nearly equivalent alternative to a coffee filter, you could strain oil through 1 layer of white paper towel. When I ran out of coffee filters for making coffee, I used 1 layer of white paper towel to make a homemade coffee filter. The coffee tasted normal with no grounds or grit. It worked well for making coffee.

So I'm confident that one layer of white paper towel could replace a coffee filter for straining oil. However, a coffee filter is a more convenient shape for straining liquids.

 

[altaylar]

I was going to say no, but then read that you drive 1K miles in a week. Assuming you did not contaminated it outside of the engine (a dirty tube or container), it should be perfectly okay storing it for 5 weeks and then using it for another 5 weeks or so

 

[wlk]

I've reused 600mile oil w Ceratec in it. Ran it through fine mesh cloth and no issues. Catch pan was super clean as this was planned not just hurried.
OP send it

 

[gfh77665]

Unless you have an exotic like a Lamborghini or Bentley, I would filter and reuse. Even if you were completely paranoid about contamination, use a quart or two each oil change until. That further limits any contamination.

 

[Hootbro]

Had a neighbor back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s that would change the oil in his Corvette every 6 months with Mobil 1. At most, that oil had a couple hundred miles in between. I used his old oil and a fresh Fram filter in my Toyota PU with the 22RE engine and never missed a beat. I did this for close to 3 years before I moved away. Money was tight back then.

 

[IndyIan]

Use it, I like coffee filter plan if you think you got some grit in it.
I put in some 50hr(2nd break oil change) 5W40 RT6 tractor oil into my old Neon for its last change, as it was coming off the road soon and being put into field car duty. It did a few 1000km on the road and then a couple years "in the field".
It was funny because it did have a bit of a diesel exhaust smell, even though it didn't really burn much oil at all.

 

[walterjay]

Re-use it. I used to drain oil out of my car at about 4K and re-use it in a friends car that had no money. Never an issue.

 

[Patman]

Had a neighbor back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s that would change the oil in his Corvette every 6 months with Mobil 1. At most, that oil had a couple hundred miles in between. I used his old oil and a fresh Fram filter in my Toyota PU with the 22RE engine and never missed a beat. I did this for close to 3 years before I moved away. Money was tight back then.

We call that reused oil Mobil 2

 

[Glenda W.]

You can share toothbrushes too! Just rinse

 

[gfh77665]

Had a neighbor back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s that would change the oil in his Corvette every 6 months with Mobil 1. At most, that oil had a couple hundred miles in between. I used his old oil and a fresh Fram filter in my Toyota PU with the 22RE engine and never missed a beat. I did this for close to 3 years before I moved away. Money was tight back then.

Mobil 2 for the win!

 

[SimpleSyrup]

I've taken very very low mileage motor oil and put it in a 5qt jug using a funnel and a paper coffee filter. I pour a little at a time and let it gravity feed into the jug. Typical paper coffee filters are 20 microns.

Was this effort worth saving $21?

 

[Hootbro]

Was this effort worth saving $21?

Obviously it did in the moment or he would not have done it. Not like he took off work and lost wages to do it.

 

[Plumb Bob]

Reuse it for another 500 miles, then you'll have a better baseline.

 

[Carlostrece]

Was this effort worth saving $21?

Sure. Why not? He wasn't paying himself wages to strain it. It just maybe added 20 min to his oil change time. At that rate he was saving a dollar per extra minute spent, which equates to $60 an hour tax free.

 

[PontiacHO]

Lawn equipment oil…