Is Oil Good After 70 Years? Project Farm finds out.

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I don't know if anyone else watched this, but Project Farm tests out a can of 1950's (SB/SC?) era Quaker State against a modern SN formulation.

https://youtu.be/-zHlxeu_yuM

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a BITOG member that sent him the vintage QS can in that crazy intricate package.
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Originally Posted by mpack88
I watched it. It's amazing that any 50s car survived on that stuff.


Especially in Northern climates in the winter. I have memories of my parents fighting with an old 70's carburated car in the winter in PA trying to get it going.
 
I remember buying a lot of cans of Heet on the farm and we put it in every gas engine. I'm not sure but I think I was running 10w40 but I know we had something else in bulk but don't remember what it was.
Originally Posted by ctechbob
Originally Posted by mpack88
I watched it. It's amazing that any 50s car survived on that stuff.


Especially in Northern climates in the winter. I have memories of my parents fighting with an old 70's carburated car in the winter in PA trying to get it going.
 
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Originally Posted by Chris142
That can isn't that old. Qs started in 1931 and that can says it has 50 years of improvements or something along that line. It's from the early 80's.


just read a wiki that QS started in 1889. 50 years would put it in the 1940s.
 
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Originally Posted by mpack88
I watched it. It's amazing that any 50s car survived on that stuff.


So did I. For anyone still wondering where the 3,000 mile oil change came from, there's your answer!



Originally Posted by 2015_PSD
Perhaps I should send him my vintage quart of Gulfpride MM/SB 20W20 oil from the 1960's.


thumbsup2.gif
 
That should answer the question of if 10 year "old" oil on the shelf, unopened is still GOOD. As long as there are no contaminants getting in, the oil will last longer than your car.

70 year old and still performs about the same on the wear tester (I know..I know) as a modern 10W40. The main difference in the amount of engineering that went into the oils over the last 70 years. Thats why the old engines had trouble lasting to 100K miles That was an impressive milestone in the 60 and 70s like 250K miles is today. People will buy 150K mile used cars now but not back in those days. 250K mile cars being sold are there but rare and cheap.

The biggest concern for oil stashers is that the new car they buy has a higher oil specification than their stash. Then its obsolete and worthless to them.
 
That is a can from the 70's. It is a singal0weight oil. The viscosity numbers and grade was printed on the top.

This is BS.
 
so if he has a freezer that goes to -40f, why does he routinely test oils at -15f? He has an agenda and knows that at that temp a lower viscosity will flow faster. That if he truly wanted to test cold performance 5 or 10f lower and you would see real base oils.
 
Note that at 1:20 in the video we see the volume of the can is labeled in Spanish and in liters, neither of which were likely to be present 70 years ago. I agree that this is oil of a newer vintage, possibly the late 70s or early 80s.
 
Originally Posted by burla
so if he has a freezer that goes to -40f, why does he routinely test oils at -15f? He has an agenda and knows that at that temp a lower viscosity will flow faster. That if he truly wanted to test cold performance 5 or 10f lower and you would see real base oils.

You completely miss the larger picture. We already know that an oil with an inappropriate winter rating will perform more poorly than one which is appropriately rated. But beyond that this "flow test" is not indicative of anything other than how the oil flows in that setup.

Always trying to push your pet brand aren't you?
 
Originally Posted by ctechbob
Originally Posted by mpack88
I watched it. It's amazing that any 50s car survived on that stuff.


Especially in Northern climates in the winter. I have memories of my parents fighting with an old 70's carburated car in the winter in PA trying to get it going.



I know a couple old guys who lived out of town that would pull the battery and drain the oil every night when they got home. They'd bring it in the house and park it next to the barrel stove to keep warm, in the morning they'd pour the oil back in and reinstall the battery and head off to work. Other's would get a trash can lid and put a couple scoops of coals from the fire on it and slide it under the engine a couple hours before heading out so pre-heat everything.

Back then if you didn't make it to work you didn't have a job anymore
 
Only good to use in an oil burner. Old timers know the old oils wore out engines fast, even when changed frequently, the cylinders were shot at 100,000 miles with large ring ridges at the top and lots of taper.
 
Originally Posted by burla
so if he has a freezer that goes to -40f, why does he routinely test oils at -15f? He has an agenda and knows that at that temp a lower viscosity will flow faster. That if he truly wanted to test cold performance 5 or 10f lower and you would see real base oils.


-15F is a reasonable winter temperature to see, -40F is not for most people.
 
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