Does oil go bad after time?

[Shel_B]

This question has come up several times that I can recall. Mobil, I believe, has said that oil more than five years old should not be used. Some folks here believe otherwise, and that older oil is fine, and have used old oil.

Lake Speed, a well-known oil geek, has done some tests to see what happens to older oil. This video might just answer that question. If nothing else, perhaps it will generate some lively discussion.

 

[drtyler]

This question has come up several times that I can recall. Mobil, I believe, has said that oil more than five years old should not be used. Some folks here believe otherwise, and that older oil is fine, and have used old oil.

Lake Speed, a well-known oil geek, has done some tests to see what happens to older oil. This video might just answer that question. If nothing else, perhaps it will generate some lively discussion.

What was his conclusion?

 

[Pablo]

Repost

 

[CharBaby]

When I discovered BITOG and the "Product Rebates, Sales, Promotions" forum and then started buying oils of all grades
on closeout/discontinued/rebate etc., from reputable stores and continued building up quite a healthy oil stash of oil. And much of the oil was already a year old or older on the store shelves. Then I had it on hand myself for several years 'cause I had sooooo much oil. I mean, I may have had over 100 quarts at any one time.

I've used oil older than 5 years old in expensive vehicles/engines and never had an issue during that OCI.
It's not as though all I was using was old oil, it's just that I had so much oil on hand that some when way past 5 years.

 

[jim302]

What was his conclusion?

The main concern is that the additives and viscosity index improvers fall out of suspension, especially the anti-foam. He is submitting shaken and un-shaken bottles for oil analysis... it will be interesting to see the results of that.

Regardless of additives, old oil does not meet spec for newer engines... so that limits the practicality of using it unless you exclusively work on older engines.

 

[kschachn]

A few previous threads on this popular question, some of which "generate some lively discussion" that you're looking for.

The first link is a repeat of the video, some of the rest may also:

What is your opinion of OLD OIL?

Interesting topic: How old is too old for keeping oil around the shop, garage or tool shed out in the back yard? What is you opinion of additive fallout? Do you shake your containers before adding the oil to the engine?

bobistheoilguy.com

Motor oil shelf life

This question keeps getting brought up. so I figured I would post some links with info on it here. Several manufacturers give a shelf life for their motor oils. Some have no information available online that I have been able to find. Mobil gives a 5 year shelf life in their FAQ. Pennzoil...

bobistheoilguy.com

Oil Shelf Life

Hello, good people of BITOG forums. I work at Advance Auto Parts. We are the superstore that acts as the hub for our district. I noticed that on oil shelves in the back, we have some old bottles of Valvoline All Fleet Plus 15w-40 that are dated as far back as 2004. What are the chances that...

bobistheoilguy.com

Oil shelf life?

Does the Bitog community know How long an oil will be good for in a plastic jug, in an garage that the temp can go anywhere from -10 in extreme winter to 90 extreme heat summer fahrenheit? Is there really a shelf life? Has anybody tested the outcome of an oil that has sat on a shelf for 10...

bobistheoilguy.com

Does Oil have an expiry date?

hi all, as the title: Does Oil have an expiry date? reason i ask is since discounts come round and i like to stock up but wont use the oil for a year or 2. is it ok to use the oil then or is it not advised

bobistheoilguy.com

Valvoline date code? and shelf life?

I got some nextgen maxlife from pep boys, $2/qt. One of the date code is B2711H, the CS said it was manufactured in 2011. Another is O201H, the CS did not give me the answer. The oil is SN, so it could not be earlier than 2011? I will use it in 2015 and 2016, any issue using a 5 years old...

bobistheoilguy.com

Motor Oil Shelf Life

Hey guy’s, Found a quart of advance auto 5w30 conventional oil. Take a look at the date code… 10/27/2014, I would like to know if the oil can still be used?

bobistheoilguy.com

Shelf life of motor oils???

Hi Guys, I am a newbie on this forum, so please be gentle... A few days ago, I sent this email to Shell/Pennzoil Motor Oil: "About six years ago, I moved, and apparently, I misplaced 5 one quart bottles of Platinum Full Synthetic SAE 5 W 30 motor oil. I just found them a couple of days ago...

bobistheoilguy.com

Shelf life of today's synthetic oil

Does anyone have any insights on the shelf life of QSUD? I see WalMart has it on sale for $14.67 for a 5 quart jug. I just purchased a car, and it's the first time I have had a car in 7-8 years. I'm not sure how much I'll be driving but I'm guessing about 5K miles a year. I live in a...

bobistheoilguy.com

Mobil 1 expiration date

The 5qt jug I bought the other day had nothing stamped with ink just a few numbers stamped right into the plastic on the bottom of the jug. There was dust on the jug but it was the only one left. A jug of the same stuff at an auto parts place had a code stamped in ink on the front side at the...

bobistheoilguy.com

How long is the shelf life of oil?

Today I went to the local lube distibutor where I get my Chevron Supreme and bought a case of 5W-30 Chevron Supreme and a case of Chevron Dextron III ATF fluid. The Case of Chevron Supreme was over a year old with the bottles having a date of 1/2004. The ATF bottles said 7/2003. I'm assuming...

bobistheoilguy.com

Does Motor Oil Have A Shelf Life?

I know that motor oil may become obsolete if stored for a long time, because of technological change. For instance, SE grade oil is not used on any new Western or Asian automobile engine models as far as I know, but if you have a stock 1978 Toyota Corolla, it will work fine. But what if you...

bobistheoilguy.com

Shelf life of unopened/opened oil?

Hey guys! I'm just wondering what the shelf life is on opened and unopened oil is these days? Probably stored in a garage that sees big temp swings. Would a steady controlled room temp make any difference? Thank you!

bobistheoilguy.com

Castrol Syntec GTX - Shelf Life / Expire / Expiration

So, I always wondered if Castrol Syntec (mainly GC) ever expired. I just called Castrol USA and spoke to Carol (didn't get a last name). Their official paraphrased answer was, quote: "Castrol oils have no expiration date. However, we recommend using the oil within 5 years of the date printed...

bobistheoilguy.com

Shelf life of opened bottle

I have read on here that oil has a self life of several years if left in the bottle unopened. My question is how long will an oil generally stay fresh after the bottle has been opened if it is stored indoors at room temperature? It is common for me to not use an entire bottle for my application...

bobistheoilguy.com

Shelf life of opened oil?

I know we've discussed the fact that oil has about a 4-5 year lifespan in sealed containers, but what if it's open? What could go wrong with it if it's kept in a relatively stable environment (such as in your basement) I've got a bottle of Schaeffer Oil with about 3/4 of a quart in it, but I...

bobistheoilguy.com

Does unused oil go bad?

I was cleaning out my garage and found a case of quicksilver 25-40. its about six years old. Is it still good?

bobistheoilguy.com

Oil have expired date?

I bought the oil kit from advance auto parts store month ago and never had a time to change it. So today while I was pouring the new oil in the engine I saw expiration date for pennzoil gold high mileage oil 5w20. It inside the engine. Should I worry about it?

bobistheoilguy.com

Expration Date,Fuchs?

A few years ago I bought some Mobil 1 5W-30 ESP for my previous "d".On the bottles was an expiration date which,IIRC,was about four years after I bought them.Do high quality synthetic oils like Mobil 1 and Fuchs actually have a limited "shelf life"? I ask because I've got about 12 litres of...

bobistheoilguy.com

Oil shelf life

A couple months ago i bought 7QTS of Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 for my E60. I did the oil change as usual and the car has been working fine BUT i noticed that the production date of these bottles are JANUARY 21, 2010!! I remember shaking the bottles and checking if there was any additives or...

bobistheoilguy.com

Does synthetic oil have a shelf life?

I like the way Amsoil has been performing, but it's inconvenient and costly to keep getting one gallon jugs. Was thinking of buying a 30 gallon drum, but it would probably take me 3-4 yrs to use it up. Any problems storing it outside in extreme heat and cold?

bobistheoilguy.com

Castrol date code?

Anyone here know how do decipher Castrol's date codes? What would this one be: K201553 21:53 MDN01800 Thanks in advance!

bobistheoilguy.com

Expiration Dates.....on Products

so how many years After the expiration date on a product do you think is okay.....I have to check my Redline and Superlube tubs... Recent orders of grease from Loctite (marine antisieze and moly paste) had expiration dates. I buy my stuff in small batches except for Superlube, but I'm curious...

bobistheoilguy.com

Shelf life for Amsoil?

I was told by a tech at Redline that their oils don't have a shelf life, but have no knowledge of other brands. They are all probably ok for extended storage. I'm hoping so as I have a lot of the GC on hand.

bobistheoilguy.com

I have noticed a lot of oils now have dates

i see a lot of oils with dates on them. more now than ever whats up with that?

bobistheoilguy.com

Shelf life of opened and unopened oil in trunk

I always leave a quart or two in the trunk for emergencies. Currently, I have one sealed (foil unbroken) and one unsealed bottle of Castrol 0w30 full synthetic. Are they still good to use on the next change? They've been there for probably 6-10 months in temperatures between about +30C and -30C.

bobistheoilguy.com

Oil shelf life once opened?

I have a jug of Valvoline Premium Blue Extreme synthetic 5W40 this is over a year old. I only took one liter out to top up after an oil change. The oil is in a dry garage, not heated. I just want to confirm the oil is OK to use?

bobistheoilguy.com

cold motor oil storage?

hello brothers and sisiters! longtime reader, first time poster. i admit i use to just come to the website for info but now i have started building my oil supply. i am storing my oil in a garage that is not heated. is my oil going bad? where should motor oil be stored? the lows at night have...

bobistheoilguy.com

Can I use 20 year old Red Line oil?

I have 8 quarts of SAE 20W50 High Performance Motor Oil (all synthetic formula) left over from a 12 quart case I purchased from Red Line about 20 years ago. The label shows it meets API SG/SG/SF/CC/CD/CE. These bottles have been stored in non-climate controlled garages and pole buildings in MI...

bobistheoilguy.com

Valvoline MaxLife...Shelf life?

Hey guys, I've taken on my brothers 1994 Camaro 3.4L V6 as a project. It's in good condition overall, just some small stuff to fix. Anyway, I want to do an oil change first and I have 2 5 quart jugs of 10w30 Maxlife from December 2008. Do you think theyw ould still be good at this point? They're...

bobistheoilguy.com

 

[CharBaby]

A lot of the oil that Lake had on hand from his dad's shop was in excess of 10 yrs old and maybe some was 20 yrs old.

 

[Foxtrot08]

Ironically I probably have more experience with “old” oil than 99.5% of the industry. Certainly more than LS. As we’ve been doing lubricants for 105 years.

TL;DR - yes it goes bad. The 5 year mark is typically taken from the FAA shelf life for aircraft lubricants. Most of it depends a lot on storage conditions. Yes, certain things like greases will go bad first.

We’ve found oil over 60 years old in our warehouse. No; it was not good. Additives separated out.

Oil will last a long time. The performance degradation isn’t linear either.

Newer oils with solubility issues (like the ULV transmission products) will have a much shorter shelf life than older more “conventional” products.

 

[BrainThicknessVariation]

Oil never goes bad, especially the Dino juice variety. By the time it's extracted from the Earth's crust, it's already tens of millions of years old.

 

[dnewton3]

Both the topic and the LSJr video have been posted before.

Feel free to read any of the other multiple threads which already exist.

Locked.