# Used motor oil.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-motor-oil/433418
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 13, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-motor-oil/433418 "2008-01-13T22:49:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mextex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mextex)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-motor-oil/433418/1 "2008-01-13T22:49:34Z")
We have about 2 1/2 gallons of used motor oil every week, other than taking it for recycle what else could it be used for?
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-motor-oil/433418/2 "2008-01-13T22:55:14Z")
If you have oil heat, you can dump it in the tank and burn it. I wouldn’t exceed more than about 5-10% concentration, though, or your burner could suffer. You probably don’t want to do anything else with it, though, since it’s considered hazardous waste and used motor oil has been linked to cancer in animal studies.
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### Author:  [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2008, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-motor-oil/433418/3 "2008-01-13T23:14:07Z")
Other than oil heat, recycling is the only legal disposal method in the United States. The days of just dumping it out back are long gone.
Filters need to be recycled also.
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### Author:  [@Mextex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mextex)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2008, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-motor-oil/433418/4 "2008-01-13T23:17:56Z")
Another reason i wish i was not in Texas.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2008, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-motor-oil/433418/5 "2008-01-14T00:01:38Z")
Hmmmm.
Maybe you could buy a 1970’s-vintage Mercedes diesel and use it for fuel?
Anyone know if that would work?
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2008, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-motor-oil/433418/6 "2008-01-14T00:10:32Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Slant]
Maybe you could buy a 1970’s-vintage Mercedes diesel and use it for fuel?
Anyone know if that would work?
[/QUOTE]
I suppose you could use it as a Diesel fuel additive, even in a modern Diesel engine, but I wouldn’t know for sure how much you could get away with without risking engine damage; I’m not sure you could manage to burn 2 1/2 gallons of it a week, unless you do quite a bit of driving. Also, used engine oil contains a lot of particulate matter, so you’d better have a pretty good fuel filter.
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### Author:  [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2008, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-motor-oil/433418/7 "2008-01-14T01:14:03Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.]
If you have oil heat, you can dump it in the tank and burn it. I wouldn’t exceed more than about 5-10% concentration, though, or your burner could suffer. You probably don’t want to do anything else with it, though, since it’s considered hazardous waste and used motor oil has been linked to cancer in animal studies.
[/QUOTE]
There are furnaces set up to burn it. A lot of farmers and mechanics have them. Find someone with one of these and make their day.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2008, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-motor-oil/433418/8 "2008-01-14T01:16:55Z")
[QUOTE=Magiver]
There are furnaces set up to burn it. A lot of farmers and mechanics have them. Find someone with one of these and make their day.
[/QUOTE]
You could probably modify a standard #2 oil burner to use it straight, too. You’d need some good filtration and a different nozzle orifice size–I’m not sure if you’d need to go smaller or larger on that, though. I’d guess smaller, since used motor oil is less viscous than #2 fuel oil.
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2008, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-motor-oil/433418/9 "2008-01-14T01:43:32Z")
So what are you doing that you have so much used oil?
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### Author:  [@Mextex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mextex)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2008, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-motor-oil/433418/10 "2008-01-14T06:50:38Z")
We have 2 generators that run 24/7 and we change the oil every week.