Storage of oil qurestion

[Huggyd]

Average consumer.
I tend to buy oil when it comes up on sale and I'll get enough for about ~3 oil changes.
So really that means I may have oil 6 to 9 months old sitting in the garage. The garage is not insulated and may dip to -20degC.
I read the Oil 101 that people seem to say needs updating and in it stats:
"Motor oil becomes permanently thicker with exposure to northerly winter type weather. This is more of a problem to mineral based oils. Waxes form. This is why it is a bad idea to even store a bottle of oil in a cold garage. It goes bad on the garage shelf just because it is exposed to the cold"

How true is this and should I be not using the oil I have that has been sitting in the garage?

 

[Nick1994]

Oil 101 is pretty out of date

I'd use it with confidence, although I probably wouldn't be storing it in a garage at -20 for too long anyways. As long as it hasn't been sitting in the cold for 8-10 years it's probably fine.

 

[Shannow]

It's not true...

It's not "permanently" damaged per se, but coming from the cold to room temperature won't make it come back.

Here's the best paper that I've found on it, that gives a decent description (Selby papers are nearly always well worth reading 20-30 times).

http://www.instituteofmaterials.com/wp-c...n-Formation.pdf

Quote:
Explanation of Oil Memory
A reasonable explanation of oil's "memory" and the need for preheating the sample is that the structure formed in oil gelation at lower temperatures is not easily dissassociated at temperatures up to and beyond ambient.

Such disassociation to essentially individual molecules can only occur at temperatures imparting sufficient energy to those molecules to completely break up the the molecular association originally leading to structure formation.


So what I take is that if the oil is allowed to get cold enough to gel (not freeze, not sure what that does), the gel "particles" stick together, even around ambient temps, and need to be brought back up to temperature to dissolve again...otherwise it does an even worse job on the next cooling cycle.

Get it warm/hot and it should "recover".

This problem isn't limited to storage, but happens in sumps too...the longer and colder, the more gel. A few warm days doesn't allow it to recover, and some examples exist of it not pumping after some extended periods of exposure.

 

[Rolla07]

Id use it after a good shake and going forth store it in the basement instead..thats what i do.

 

[marc1]

Never had an issue.... 35+ years of driving and maintaining my own vehicles. I do the same as you, buy oil on sale. The stash gets out of control occasionally and I end up using 5 year old oil. I don't heat my shop unless I am out working on things so the oil temp goes up and down. I have lived in places where my oil is stored with no garage heat in turn of the previous century out buildings so -35C dips.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Oil 101 is pretty out of date




Why is it even on the main page?

 

[Huggyd]

ok thanks.
good feedback

 

[Pontual]

Parafinic oils, tends to make parafin from wax aglutinations? Couod that be the explanation?

 

[ShotGun429]

Using 25 year old Mobil one 15w-50 with no concerns at all, in all our company cars and trucks. we had 150 cases left over. Oil doesnt go bad. We are a well known performance engine shop. We know.

 

[Manofsteel]

Ive wondered the same . I know the oil itself last forever but ive wondered if the additives will degrade with time.

 

[expat]

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Oil 101 is pretty out of date




Why is it even on the main page?



Really, I consider it an embarrassment to BITOG

How did it get on page one?

Many people here have differing options, they are discussed and scrutinized, new facts come to light and often (as in my case) ideas change.

Putting one members 'ideas' on the home page. Ideas that may suggest oils contrary to manufacturers recommendations, is in my view reckless arrogance.

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Oil 101 is pretty out of date




Why is it even on the main page?
Not a lot changes here on BITOG, I've been here for 3 years and not a single change has happened, it's all the same. They might have added a fuel section or something but aside from that, there hasn't been any changes (to the eye at least, maybe new servers or stability improvements).

 

[CT8]

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Oil 101 is pretty out of date




Why is it even on the main page?
It is not out of date ,the info is basically false and misleading.

 

[NissanMaxima]

Hi all:

I think the answer is "no" but are there any issues with unheated, attached garage storage of synthetic oil? I picked up a few jugs of Mobil 1 5w-30 on sale about 6 months ago and the sealed jugs have been on the concrete floor of my garage. It has been cold here this winter and the garage temperature definitely can go below freezing.

Thanks

 

[demarpaint]

According to Amsoil oil can be stored safely up to the pour point of the product. So I doubt -20C is going to be an issue.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Could condensation get in the bottle with drastic temperature swings?