Shelf life of ATF?

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I picked up 5 quarts of Honda ATF DW1 from an individual for next to nothing. Looking at the bottles (which have never been opened), the silver has a faint reddish color showing through, almost like the ATF bleeding through the plastic? It's hard to describe. Now I've made myself paranoid - could this stuff be so old that it's not good anymore? I opened one, and the fluid looks and smells just like any other I have purchased for the dealer (at triple the price).

Any ideas? Thanks!
 
Quart bottles of oils (atf included) don't seem to seal well.

I bought something like 20 quarts of Maxlife ATF when a local Pep Boys was going out of business.
Most of them were pretty dusty, but that was 10 years ago.
I used up the last of the Maxlife ATF a few weeks ago, it is Dex III approved, and the 2004 Nissan Xterra is running like a champ.

I still have 5 quarts of Pennzoil Mercon V that I need to use up.
Will probably take me a few years as I am down to 1 Ford that uses Mercon V.

BTW, this fluid was stored in an attached garage in north Texas.
If it's in a bottle with a lid, and kept in an ok environment, it will last almost forever.
 
My bottles of DW-1 I ordered from a Honda dealership online Bernardi Honda (that presumably sees high volume of sales of the fluid) has the same thing. Every single quart I received has the same thing.

I chalked it up to a thin and flexible bottle design. After the quart is empty, try squeezing the bottle. Actually you can just squeeze the bottle while it's unopened, it's way more flexible and the walls are much thinner than other quarts I've used for things like engine oil that are far more rigid.
 
The red color in ATF is dye. It's an industry standard to distinguish it from regular motor oil. Dye will color anything that is the slightest bit porous, that it comes into contact with over time...... Like the plastic bottles ATF is packaged in. It's the reason why Laundromats have signs everywhere saying, "No Dye!" Over time it will color the plastic agitators and rubber parts in the machines. This can then transfer into your clothes. Especially during long duration hot wash cycles. If you use dye in your home washing machine, you should run the machine empty through several COLD rinse cycles afterward, in order to prevent this kind of color contamination of the plastic parts.
 
Originally Posted By: podan
I picked up 5 quarts of Honda ATF DW1 from an individual for next to nothing. Looking at the bottles (which have never been opened), the silver has a faint reddish color showing through, almost like the ATF bleeding through the plastic? It's hard to describe. Now I've made myself paranoid - could this stuff be so old that it's not good anymore? I opened one, and the fluid looks and smells just like any other I have purchased for the dealer (at triple the price).

Any ideas? Thanks!


your paranoid...go see a shrink.
 
It's garbage, mail it to me!
grin.gif


Originally Posted By: billt460
The red color in ATF is dye. Dye will color anything that is the slightest bit porous,


100% correct
 
I'll use it for you and let you know! I'd bet that if it can handle being in the transmission for 60,000 miles or 5 years, it'll be fine sitting on a shelf for much longer.
 
Shelf life ? What does the expiration date on the bottle say ? Oh wait, there's isn't one....
 
IMHO, ATF and engine oils are good for at least 2 years of shelf life with no major degradation.
I got 2 years worth of oil and up to 2 years worth of ATF on hand. I don't feel there is need to have more that 2 years worth of those on hand.
The reasons I stock - I buy then price is low and to bring stock up to 2 years supply.
 
If a lubricant is in a sealed container from the factory and if it is kept in a moderate temperature environment, say 70 degrees, is it safe to assume that it has an indefinite shelf life?
 
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