Shelf life of opened bottle

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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 so I have left overs.
 
well from the very second the oil bottle is opened it starts collecting moisture out of the air in the oil. so really you only have abot a months maybe a little longer, only cuz the oil collects everything not just moisture out of the air.
 
Originally Posted By: Petrou
well from the very second the oil bottle is opened it starts collecting moisture out of the air in the oil. so really you only have abot a months maybe a little longer, only cuz the oil collects everything not just moisture out of the air.



If that's true the moisture would burn off after a few minutes at operating temperature.
I've topped up with oil that's been opened for several years and I'm currently running SH rated syn from about 1996 or 1997. My car is humming along wonderfully.

I really believe that milk goes bad but motor oil doesn't. The problem is that newer and tougher standards make older oil obsolete.
 
Originally Posted By: Petrou
well from the very second the oil bottle is opened it starts collecting moisture out of the air in the oil. so really you only have abot a months maybe a little longer, only cuz the oil collects everything not just moisture out of the air.


He asked about a bottle at room temp inside with the cap on. An oil in these conditions are not going to absorb a lot of moisture as they are hydrophobic. I'm not sure what else it will collect from the air, sure the ingredients are slowly going to oxidize but it is going to last much longer than a month.
 
this is no polyunsaturated vegetable oil that will go rancid, this is a heavily hydrotreated product, that will last longer in the bottle, that the car into whosever crankcase it is destined to go into. there is no shelf life expiry date, even when opened. just put the cap back on, and use when needed.
 
I agree with pbm that it will become obsolete before it goes bad. After all, motor oil is a product formulated to be stable at high temperatures exposed to the air.

Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air, not oil.
 
Originally Posted By: labman
I agree with pbm that it will become obsolete before it goes bad. After all, motor oil is a product formulated to be stable at high temperatures exposed to the air.

Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air, not oil.


so how long does brake fluid last??? I have a huge bottle that is maybe 5yrs old that I use all the time for top-offs...I keep the lid on tight and in a chemical pantry in the garage...Never had an issue. Again, I keep the lid on tight.
 
Originally Posted By: Captain_Klink
this is no polyunsaturated vegetable oil that will go rancid, this is a heavily hydrotreated product, that will last longer in the bottle, that the car into whosever crankcase it is destined to go into. there is no shelf life expiry date, even when opened. just put the cap back on, and use when needed.


No Expire Date? I heard on the internet that all oil will expire on 2012. Along with everything else.
Actually I agree with the Captain..I don't think it will ever go bad.
 
Originally Posted By: Nyquist
Mobil and Pennzoil have said in e-mails that opened bottles are good for about a year.


Because they want to sell as much oil as possible.
 
Originally Posted By: FastSUV
Originally Posted By: labman
I agree with pbm that it will become obsolete before it goes bad. After all, motor oil is a product formulated to be stable at high temperatures exposed to the air.

Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air, not oil.


so how long does brake fluid last??? I have a huge bottle that is maybe 5yrs old that I use all the time for top-offs...I keep the lid on tight and in a chemical pantry in the garage...Never had an issue. Again, I keep the lid on tight.


I think the problems with moisture in brake fluid are exaggerated. Brake lines rust from the outside and caliper pistons rust or corrode between the seal and boot untouched by the brake fluid. As for actually boiling, quite rare.

I never take the cap off my MC for years at a time.
 
Originally Posted By: FastSUV
Dino oil is already 100 million years old anyway!


Exactly! I think it will survive a few years in my garage.

John
 
I know the actual oil will be fine because yeah, dino oil is like eleventy billion years old anyway. It is the add pack that I worry about having an expiration date.
 
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