Methanol and oil contamination.

[Dr Goggles]

I was just wondering after a post on the DLRA site...

Alcohols are bi-polar solvents , they can dissolve in oils via hydrogen bonds and they also have an ionic end on the molecule meaning they can dissolve in water so they act like a detergent and bond oils to water...as you'll know the short way to get water out of your fuel system is to put some metho in your fuel tank(!!!!!!) the short way to get water into your oil is to use alcohol as a fuel....

The contamination , is it reversible by heating the oil....or does the methanol have an irreversible effect on the oil?

would it be possible to just heat the oil til the water and alcohol had boiled off?

any chemists out there?

[Dean Los Angeles]

We racers tend to dumb things down to a simple level we can understand.

"Water in oil" always sounds so simple. You started off the sentence with a decent description of the chemical action that gets you there, then end it by wanting to reverse it without considering the chemical reaction going the other way.

What you have is a complex brew of chemicals, some water, some not. Dump the oil. It isn't worth trusting.

[529]

This is a good question.

The limit to my chemistry is the observation that baby poop probably doesn't make good oil so I generally change mine after every run. Which is about how long it takes my motor to make 10 qts of new oil look like the aftereffect of a bad night in Mexico.

[Blue]

Simple answer:

Alcohol motor = change oil often.

Longer answer, yes, methanol is a hygroscopic solvent.  It attracts water and dissolves oil.  In a methanol motor, it is only a matter of time and mixture before the oil is contaminated to the point that it's time to change it.

I've heard of some expensive "Purple" synthetic that can be drained out, left to stand, and will settle out contaminants and alcohol.  Then the good oil is poured off and can be re-used.

[Dr Goggles]

We racers tend to dumb things down to a simple level we can understand.

"Water in oil" always sounds so simple. You started off the sentence with a decent description of the chemical action that gets you there, then end it by wanting to reverse it without considering the chemical reaction going the other way.

What you have is a complex brew of chemicals, some water, some not. Dump the oil. It isn't worth trusting.

yes, but,...it is just a solution isn't it?.....to drive a reaction If there is a "reaction" in the opposite direction you need to add energy....that's heat....The oil has been emulsified...meth has a b.p of about 75deg C or so....water at 100 so wouldn't it be a case of heating it all until the temp began to rise over say 105 C ?..at which point you'd know the water and Methanol would have boiled off....OR are there compounds created that alter the b.p and/or permanently affect the chem' comp' of the oil.?......

has anyone ever made mayonnaise?........

[hawkwind]

Doc ,personally I return the puke back into the same container the oil came out of , leave it in a cool dry place for 12 months or so ,at which time the meth/water has seperated from the oil ,pour off the clear liquid , reuse the oilagain in my work vehicles , no ill effects to date
cheers

[Dean Los Angeles]

permanently affect the chem' comp' of the oil

BINGO!

[Stainless1]

Come on guys, oil is probably the cheapest thing you buy for racing....With that said

Doc ,personally I return the puke back into the same container the oil came out of , leave it in a cool dry place for 12 months or so ,at which time the meth/water has seperated from the oil ,pour off the clear liquid , reuse the oilagain in my work vehicles , no ill effects to date
cheers

We typically reused the used race car oil in the Salt Coach although occasionally we had to run it through a paint strainer to get the chunks out....

[Speed Limit 1000]

Come on guys, oil is probably the cheapest thing you buy for racing....With that said

We typically reused the used race car oil in the Salt Coach although occasionally we had to run it through a paint strainer to get the chunks out....


[/quote]
As Stainless said, used oil in the old Salt Coach, no problem, in our race motors only new oil.

[Loose Goose-Terry#1]

  Used oil works great when reclaimed and used in an oil burning furnace back here where it is cold  HELPS ON HEATING BILLS TOO!
Terry,
Tightwad, MO