Left over car fluids

jmccracken1214

jmccracken1214

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What do you guys do with fluids once you don't need them anymore?
I have a 1/2 quarry of conventional 10w30, 1.5qt of synthetic 10w30. 1 qt of synthetic 5w30 and some oreilly prem. Atf (dex2,3 and mercon)

I always hate to throw out anything that isn't bad, but it's been sitting in garage for a while and the only oil I need for current cars is 5w-20 and 0w-20.

Any good uses for any of this?
 
Use the motor oil in something that won't care, like small engine stuff, or for top ups between oil changes, the small percentage of dif viscosity won't matter.

Atf makes a pretty good penetrating oil and cleaner/preserver of ferrous metals.

I mix my remnants and use as gun oil/gp light oil, but you probably don't need a gallon.
 
I used to carry my old oil to Advance auto. They had a tank in the back of the store that you could pour it into. Just take a rag with you to clean up incase of drips. They never charged. If you live where there is a small county dump site with the rollback dumpsters, some have tanks for motor oil and used cooking oil.

I'll second the ATF penetrating lube. I was given a large old vise that had been outside for years. I mixed up acetone and ATF and kept it wet for a few days in a covered plastic tub. It eventually crept in and I was able to break the parts loose. After that it cleaned up nicely.
 
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Left over fluids, as opposed to used fluids?

I have a bottle I drain the dregs of my Mobile 1 into for use on my guns.

But my opinion is that if you have left over fluids just hanging around taking up space and whatnot, just take them to the local AutoZone, Advance, or whatever and dump them in their collection facilities and be done with it.

Or give them to someone else who can use them.

I'm all about keeping some things that might be useful, but I don't go crazy over it with left over fluids.

Also, keep an eye on your fluids that have been opened...for example, unused brake fluid in opened bottles will eventually absorb moisture, and that's not good. So if you have old cans of brake fluid which the seal has been broken on, just get rid of it.
 
All of it works just fine as chain lube in your chainsaw.
 
Spray on your dirt driveway to keep the dust down. Spray around your wood fence posts to keep the rot away. Hose it on your farm equipment to keep the rust off. . Pour it in the ditch, the rain will zoom right off your land... There's lots of ways to get rid of it.










:eek: :D
 
If they are still sealed, take them to walmart and see if you can get some store credit to buy ammo.
 
If you crack the seal on the atf, I wouldn't mind having some. If you need a place to dump the oil, there's a country collection center you pass on the way to my place.
 
jmccracken1214 said:
The oil and atf are unused. I dont drain my oil and keep it around lol.

Im not that weird.
Click to expand...

We had a drum in our garage when I was growing up. That's where all our used oil from oil changes went.

When it got filled, one of my uncles would come over and he and Dad would load it up in his pickup. He had an oil spreader he used on the gravel road he lived on, to help keep the dust down.
 
Most small engines are air cooled and run at 100 degree plus normal operating temps than your car or truck. Sure, the engine on your ridin' mower is less expensive to replace but the oil is pretty important.
Im around equipment daily and see blown headgaskets, cooked, and grenaded engines on the regular. Some oil is better than no oil, but run oil formulated for the specific equipment and it can save you a grand or two on a repower engine.
Or don't, just throwing it out there for those that don't know.

For the left over oil, you could give it to a shop or garage that has a recycled oil heater.
 
Up north the service garage had parts store attached, they took all used oil to fuel the heater, 'motor oil is motor oil' Theo used to say.
That place was always nice and toasty in the winter.
 
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