zootjeff

I bought a bunch of 5/20 motor oil for my TL and it is about 4 years old now since I bought a case and haven't used it all.. They oil is still in its sealed container..

My question is:

Does the oil expire under age alone in it's container? Or is it just when in the engine..

I put low miles on my car every year so I take 1.5 years to drive 6000 miles..

Thoughts?

-Jeff

SharksBreath

iTrader: (33)

it's been in the ground for millions of years, and been good.

i think you're fine, so long as it's been sealed up and airtight the whole time.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Does motor oil expire? How long does motor oil generally last?

Valvoline motor oil does not have a documented expiration date. Under optimal conditions, the product is stable for an extended period of time and can be used as long as the American Petroleum Institute (API) rating on the label continues to meet or exceed the requirements listed in your owner's manual. If the rating is still current, shake the container before use to blend any additives that may have settled.

avs007

There was a thread on this several years ago, I think on the oilguy forum... Someone actually sent a letter to mobile-1 asking, and posted the response from the Mobil-1 rep that said that if the oil is unopened, it should last well over 10 years. He said exposure to air, will cause the oil to deteriorate, especially if condensation starts to form on the inside of the bottle, causing water to mix in with the oil.

dcmodels

Quote:

Originally Posted by zootjeff

... Does the oil expire under age alone in it's container? Or is it just when in the engine... Thoughts? -Jeff

Yes. And more to the point, the shelf life of motor oil can be as short as 1-2 years, when the oil has been stored in sub-freezing weather conditions, such as an unheated garage. And that includes ‘storage’ in your engine oil pan. So you should change oil every spring at least, after the last frost.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbonut

Valvoline motor oil does not have a documented expiration date. Under optimal conditions, the product is stable for an extended period of time ...

Extended period of time, is not forever. Does anyone really think that storage in an unconditioned garage, with summer temp above 100 degrees, and winter temps below freezing, perhaps even below zero degrees, is really OPTIMAL CONDITIONS? You also have to assume that the oil has been properly stored by the distributor, as well as the retailer. I have personally seen pallets of oil temporarily stored outside of my local parts store, on the loading dock, in the snow.

In case this is not obvious, the product service life must be subtracted from the shelf life of the product. For example, if the product has a shelf life of 3 years, and the product has been on the shelf for 2 years (unused since the manufacturing date), then the product can only be used for one year (remaining service life of 1 year).

Bottom line – all products have a limited shelf life, regardless of what the manufacturer states. I personally will not use any non-synthetic oil that is older than 2 years, nor synthetic oil that is older than 3 years, nor any filters older than 3 years – no matter how they have been stored.

Here is what the various oil manufacturers have to say about shelf life. Not every brand is covered here, because I do not use every brand, and just compiling the following info took longer than I thought reasonable.

OIL SHELF LIFE:
· Castrol – their phone helpline stated that the shelf life of all their oil products is 3 years.
· Mobil 1 – their web site states that (synthetic) engine oil has a shelf life of 5 years (in the FAQs section). Some of the current production oils have an expiration date stamped on the bottle/ container. No data is provided for on the shelf life of Mobil 1 gear oil. No data is provided for the shelf life of Mobil non-synthetic oil.
· Pennzoil non-synthetic – estimated at 3 years
· Red Line products – their phone helpline stated that there is no shelf life.
· Valvoline – the web site FAQs states “The Valvoline Company does not have a documented shelf life exposure on finished motor oil or ATF. We would expect under optimal conditions that the product would be stable for an extended period of time. … Shake the container before use. If the fluid sets, sometimes the additives may settle in the bottom of the container.”
· Valvoline – the web site FAQs states “Any chemical that has been opened including brake fluid, power steering fluid, etc., has a recommended shelf life of no longer than 2-3 years, depending on storage.”

http://www.kewengineering.co.uk/Auto_oils/motor_oils_faqs.htm
QUOTED: Generally, if stored in a dry, moderately stable area with regard to temperature, then oil can last a long time. However, additives can settle out after a period and so recommended best practice in industry is for a maximum shelf life of 12 months. In a domestic situation, 2 -3 yrs would be acceptable assuming it has been sealed. I would also suggest shaking the container prior to use to help re-suspend the additives that may have settled out.

I know that experts will say the oil can be stored for much longer, but allowing for the fact that the oil is often blended and packaged up to 2 years before you buy it, then the limit of 2yrs is a good safety margin. Hopefully the oil will have been in good storage conditions in the retail stage between the blending plant and your car, but don't count on it either.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1702549&page=al l
QUOTED FROM FORUM POST - Re: Buying oil in larger quantities for home use #1703349 - 12/10/0907:25 PM
SOPUS (Shell Oil Products US) & Mobil both said 24 months. [my edit: Pennzoil Quaker State Co. dba SOPUS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell] The schedule they sent me was:

Unopened in factory sealed container stored indoors = 60 months
Unopened in factory sealed container stored subjected to freezing = 24 months
Once opened and air introduced = 12 months.

http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html
Read more: http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html#ixzz1zSfJ9poj
QUOTED: In general, liquid lubricants (ie. oils, not greases) will remain intact for a number of years. The main factor affecting the life of the oil is the storage condition for the products. Exposure to extreme temperature changes, and moisture will reduce the shelf life of the lubricants. (An increase of 10°C doubles oxidation which halves the shelf life) ie. don't leave it in the sun with the lid off. Best to keep them sealed and unopened.

As a general rule, the simpler the oil formulation, the longer the shelf life. The following is a guideline under protected conditions - indoors at about 20°C:

Product Shelf Life
Base Oils, Process Oils .........................3 years
Hydraulic Oils, Compressor Oils, General Purpose 2 years
Engine Oils and Transmission Oils ...............3 years
Industrial and Automotive Gear Oils .............2 years
Metal Working and Cutting Oils ..................1 year

The following are signs of storage instability in a lubricant:
· Settling out of the additives as a gel or sticky liquid
· Floc or haze
· Precipitates/solid material
· Colour change or haziness

Water contamination in a lubricant can be detected by a "milky" appearance of the product.

BRAKE FLUID LIFE:
http://www.kewengineering.co.uk/Auto_oils/motor_oils_faqs.htm
QUOTED: Brake fluids should not be stored for more than 2-3 years and only if unopened and the foil seal remains intact. Any fluid already opened will have a shelf life of less than 6mths, possibly less if stored in the boot of your classic.

[MY EDIT: You should be aware that brake fluid (oil) can absorb moisture from the air, right through the walls of the plastic container. That is a very good reason to read the date code on the container, or purchase brake fluid in metal containers only.]

COOLANT (radiator anti-freeze) SHELF LIFE:
· Honda/ Acura type 2 brand – contains no silicates but some phosphate. Unknown shelf life. The factory OEM fill service life is 10 years or 120K miles, and then 5 years or 60K miles on a refill. The packaging, both Honda and Acura bottles, states that vehicle protection is for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Anyway, it would seem that the shelf life of the dealer fluid would be similar to the service life as indicated by either the Owner’s Manual, or the MID (maintenance indicator display).

· GM Dex-Cool – this applies ONLY to officially licensed GM products, such as Texaco-Havoline or Prestone. Make certain you check the product label for the GM license number. Since Dex-Cool is silicate free, it can be stored in an unopened container for at least 8 years. But note that the Pennzoil brand (of Dex-Cool) specifically states a shelf life of only 5 years, which is equal to the service life. This is stated on their web site.

· Prestone brand – the following quote is taken from their coolant web site FAQs. It is not applicable to a particular type of their coolant product. They do make several different types of coolant/ anti-freeze. “If the product is still in the original sealed container then it has a shelf life of many years. If the product has been opened and has not been diluted with water then it also has a shelf life of many years.”

· Traditional Green Color and other non-long-life types – the silicate contained will eventually polymerize into a gel, because it is unstable. So the shelf life is only about 18 months (NOT years). Now you know why these types of coolant fluids should be replaced every 2 years (max) in your vehicle radiator.

FILTER SHELF LIFE:
I have no specific information on shelf life for any type of automotive filter.

I personally will not use any type of filter that is older than 3 years. Yes, most filters have date codes. Remember, the important part of any filter is treated paper. A tiny rip or degenerative failure, and the filter is worthless.

Honda engine oil filters are packaged inside clear plastic covering. So are Honda engine air and cabin air filters. The packaging is not air tight, which is a good thing probably, because then humidity and condensation might degrade the paper filter. But most other brands of filters, are packaged only inside a simple cardboard box. Actually, with either type of packing, if the filter is not stored properly, dust and humidity can easily damage the filter.

So when you pick up an oil filter from the self to purchase it, is the box covered in dust? Well, the oil filter inside might be OK, or the filter itself might be filled with dust – not something you would want to push through your engine with the oil.

Or does the filter packaging show signs of water damage? I once purchased an oil filter. When it was time to install it, careful examination of the box (packaging) showed that the bottom half of the box had been in sitting in water. Based on where I live, I would guess that the pallet of filters was left outside, in either the rain or snow. And since the opening of the filter was downward, obviously the inside of the oil filter itself had also been water damaged. I put the filter back on the shelf in my garage, as a reminder to pay more attention when purchasing automotive products.

GREASE SHELF LIFE:
http://www.kewengineering.co.uk/Auto_oils/motor_oils_faqs.htm
QUOTED: The same is true of grease, in fact the recommended storage is less, at 6 months in industry. Again, for home use, 2-3yrs is ok, and possibly longer assuming your garage is dry and relatively protected from low temperatures. However, a problem known as bleed happens with grease, and so it is advised to always store the grease gun and tubes of grease horizontally to avoid the oil bleeding off to the top of the gun or the tube.

Any containers of grease should be kept sealed between use and if it doesn't have a loading/feeder plate on the surface of the grease then lay a sheet of plastic over the top to minimize the exposure of the grease to the air.

ADDITIONAL LINKS:
If you would like to know how to read the date codes, on various types of automotive material, look here. Check the second post, which is an update of the first post (count 3602):
LINK: https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=775691

If you would like more info concerning oil additive settling, look here (count 760):
LINK: https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=861714
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UA6

Did you refrigerate it after opening?

TheChamp531

iTrader: (3)

I'm with dcmodels even though I didn't read anything he wrote. I just assumed by the 50 paragraphs that he is correct. Hope none of you bother reading it consider the length and the... FUCKING CHANGE IN FONT, AND COLOR.

mattymac

:gheylaugh:

08WDPTL

I was wondering the same thing for transmission fluid.

I have some Redline ATF sitting in the garage that is probably over 10 years old (bought it to use in a Pontiac I owned, but never got around to doing the swap be caused I realized I couldn't fix a POS with some tranny fluid ).

I noticed the post above stating Redline doesn't have a shelf life. I wonder if they've changed the formula since then?

I hate cars

Take Turbonut's advice. Shake well and use it, especially a synthetic. I wouldn't do anything drastic like use an oil that's over 5 years. I would respond to the super long post but I'm at work and I don't have that kind of time. One thing though, water in brake fluid is MUCH different that water in oil. The engine will vaporize any moisture that's in the oil in the first 30 minute trip you take. Water in brake fluid can be death, literally. It takes VERY, VERY little moisture to affect brake performance and a lot to affect engine longevity. Combustion produces water in the oil so it's pretty normal.

If you're worried about your oil being ok, send it in for analysis. If the TBN and TAN are ok, it's likely fine for service.

It's true, there is no shelf life on the ester oils like Redline. They never try to return to their original state like normal petroleum oils do. In some industries, esters are changed very 5+ years and that's in use, not sitting on a shelf.

08WDPTL

Maybe I'll dust a few quarts off and try a 1x3 in a few months (just did a drain and fill with DW1 a few weeks ago)

I hate cars

Oh wow, I didn't see your post when I posted. I would definitely use it. A good shake and a good visual inspection would be required but that's one of the only oils I would run after 10yrs.

TrustinHFDJ

Yup DC is a 100% accurate. For every oil type the expiration date does differ, obviously conventional being the worst.

It is generally said that 1 year is the general expiration, which is a long time, oil needs to keep moving; and that means the car needs to be driven. Oil changes are put at 1 year and depending on the filtration of your vehicle, which gives a certain mileage. Which means you need to drive at least for new cars 7k miles, which amounts to barely driving.