Does oil have a shelf life?

donjr · Dec 24, 2011

Doing some clean-up around the barn and basement, which is long overdue, and I've come across some old oil. I know it's far from new, there is some Sinclair, a few cans of Montgomery Wards, and some Cities Service. Still in the can, never opened. The old 1 quart ones. Question is, is it still any good for anything other than bar and chain oil? Do the additives change like medicine or prepped food, or change composition over time? Not gonna use it in an engine or transmission- just wondering.

Bob Huntress · Dec 24, 2011

Yep. Oil that old, and nonsynthetic, well, you could lube bike chains and the like, but, I wouldn't put it in an engine. It does break down. To be in a can, in must date back to the early 1980's. I've not seen any in cans since I got my second car in 1986.

2x4 · Dec 24, 2011

much sought after for service-station theme garages, museums, etc. esp. in metal cans. After 30 yrs or sooner, paper cans will leak. Sold all my old cans, empty or full. About $5 for empties. Aluminum cans from '50's much more valuable. Prolly find prices on fleabay.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 24, 2011

It's been in the ground for millions of years but breaks down in an unopened can??? Should there be an expiry date on oil?

Oil does not break down or lose it's lubricating ability. In an engine, it does get contaminated though. Even if the oil is from the 70's, it's still decent oil. I wouldn't hesitate to use it in a higher mileage vehicle, older tractor or in small engines or something along those lines. If I had a $60,000 new diesel pick up, I'd use newer oil recommended for the engine. There's thousands of tractors and equipment 40, 50, 60 years old that are still running strong that didn't have any of the newer grade oils in them. According to some, older oil can have better additives than new oil.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 24, 2011

Was digging a foxhole in the mid 80's (training area) and dug up several cration meals and some metal oil and brakefluid cans that had the labels and paint all rusted off... Don't know how long they had been there but the crations were still good (matter of opinion I guess but better than the MRE's we had at the time.) There was enough oil to change the oil in a couple of jeeps so to prove a point, we changed the oil in one, ran it a little til it was black, then drew a sample and sent it to the lab. Came back just fine.......

Bob Huntress · Dec 24, 2011

Yes oil has been in the ground for, we'll go with thousands of years, and if left for a few more thousand years, in theory, it would break down close to the original crude. In reality it won't get exactly back to crude, but it will break down. The oil in the can/bottle isn't crude. It's refined/processed. It has additive, and is slightly toward Anhydrous. Compared to brake fluid, it isn't very anhydrous, but still. I cede that if crude oil were canned, it would only breakdown slightly over a thousand years, yet, refined oil, with additives in a cardboard can isn't crude. Now if the oil is sealed in a metal can, it will last longer, but, it is still breaking down, just slower. Let me use an extreme example, brake fluid or AC lubricant. They are extremely anhydrous, and will breakdown extremely soon. You know how when you open a bottle and top off your brakes, and six months later you go to top them off again? You don't use that open bottle do you? Motor oil isn't breaking down anywhere near that quickly, but, cans from the 1970's depending on how and where they were stored, I wouldn't use them.

Keith Molden · Dec 24, 2011

If it's that old and in metal cans DON'T OPEN IT. There are a lot of collectors that will pay darned good money for those unopened cans. Most of the companies you mentioned aren't around anymore, not to mention the metal cans. You might be happily surprised at what some will offer for them. As for whether it's still good, I wouldn't have a clue. Just my thoughts, Keith

36 Coupe · Dec 24, 2011

The BS flies when oil,batteries or gas additives get on the forum.Half the info is dead wrong.The other half is suspect.

LJD · Dec 24, 2011

I'm still using ARCO two-sroke oil that came from a gas station I worked at in the 1970s. Works fine as far as I can tell.

Here's what one oil company says on the matter:

ISSUES:
The range of shelf life of lubricants recommended
from one manufacture to another can vary from one
year to almost infinity. There is no straightforward
and meaningful method to determine the shelf life
of lubricants. One simple reason is that storage environments
greatly affect the shelf life of lubricants.
Not all lubricants are stored under identical or ideal
conditions.

TECHNICAL DISCUSSION
Several factors can influence the shelf life of lubricants:
Product Design:
Chemistries and additives - some formulation
chemistries and certain additives are more aggressive
than others. The nature of the chemistry
can affect the shelf life of lubricants.
Storage Temperature:
Both high heat (greater than 100ºF) and extreme
cold (lower than 0ºF) can affect lubricant stability.
Decreasing the storage temperature can
cause sediment formation and additive separation.
The ideal storage temperature should be
between 45ºF and 80ºF.

Dean · Dec 24, 2011

It should be fine for use in small engines, etc. but it will probably be worth more to collectors.

Dean

Allan in NE · Dec 24, 2011

It will work just fine as long as the thermostat is 180° or lower.

With the advent of the 195° thermostat usage in 1968, oil companies had to start adding additives to combat the effect of the high temps from turning the oil to tar under hard service.......I.E. Interstate driving.

Geeze! Yer makin' me feel old!

Allan

Allan in NE · Dec 24, 2011

It will work just fine as long as the thermostat is 180° or lower.

With the advent of the 195° thermostat usage in 1968, oil companies had to start adding additives to combat the effect of the high temps from turning the oil to tar under hard service.......I.E. Interstate driving.

Geeze! Yer makin' me feel old!

Allan

TomH in PA · Dec 24, 2011

If it's in metal cans try selling them as "collectible". I saw a case of unopened cans of oil sell for $80 a couple of years ago.

Tom-NorthCenTX · Dec 24, 2011

Dont open any of the cans. You can sell for more money than the best full synthetic Mobil will cost you. Tom

JMOR · Dec 24, 2011

"The BS flies when oil,batteries or gas additives get on the forum.Half the info is dead wrong.The other half is suspect." How true. Now that we have heard from all the coulda,woulda, shoulda, you should do as I say crowd,... I am and have been running oil from the late 1950s for decades in my similar age tractors & PU with perfectly fine results. My father ran a trucking business & when he died, there were several barrels of motor oil remaining, so I have been using that since I got back to reactors around 1969. It is probably going to last me the rest of my life. I never use it in diesels or engines with hydraulic lifters (non-detergent oil).

Janicholson · Dec 24, 2011

(joking) Never put NOS oil in a reactor. Those slow
neutrons interact (react) with the decomposed
surficants and cause instability in the primary flux
flow.
The oil is very old. Millions of years in the
making. The additives are fine and dandy, just not
new additives. Run it or sell it as an antiquity.
Jim

gtractorfan · Dec 24, 2011

Hey, what's with the double clutchin'? You ain't driving a truck you know....lol! Oh, I know, the guitar fingers are quicker than the keyboard!

BANDITFARMER · Dec 24, 2011

I would not use it or open the cans! List them on Ebay and you will be surprised what those full cans of oil are worth. The oil inside is still good (never seen oil go bad sitting) but the true value is they are unopened. The funny thing is look at the oils weight and get a new can (same weight) and shake one in both hands and you will see the difference from then to now. I would sell them and take the wife out on the town, She will thank you for the clean up. Bandit

Anonymous-0 · Dec 24, 2011

It has been in the ground for millions of years but it's going to break down in 30 or 40 years once you refine it? Brake fluid or AC fluid is not engine oil so comparing an opened container of it is not a fair comparison. In an engine, there is combustion that causes carbon and other things to contaminate the oil. If you look at something like an air compressor without combustion, I'd bet there are thousands that are 30 and 40 years old that have never had the oil changed in them and are still running fine. The same thing with hydraulics, rear ends, transmissions, etc. on vehicles, tractors and other equipment. As long as it stays clean at the right level, most people don't bother changing it unless something mechanical goes wrong or it gets water or other contaminates in it. As I said before, oil does not lose it's lubricating ability. Why do think it's considered hazardous waste if it spills on the ground. If it's just going to break down, why not just drill some really deep holes in the ground to dispose of it.

JMOR · Dec 24, 2011

(quoted from post at 15:31:47 12/24/11) It has been in the ground for millions of years but it's going to break down in 30 or 40 years once you refine it? Brake fluid or AC fluid is not engine oil so comparing an opened container of it is not a fair comparison. In an engine, there is combustion that causes carbon and other things to contaminate the oil. If you look at something like an air compressor without combustion, I'd bet there are thousands that are 30 and 40 years old that have never had the oil changed in them and are still running fine. The same thing with hydraulics, rear ends, transmissions, etc. on vehicles, tractors and other equipment. As long as it stays clean at the right level, most people don't bother changing it unless something mechanical goes wrong or it gets water or other contaminates in it. As I said before, oil does not lose it's lubricating ability. Why do think it's considered hazardous waste if it spills on the ground. If it's just going to break down, why not just drill some really deep holes in the ground to dispose of it.

e he he...I like that last part. It came from the earth, so be a good custodian & put it back when you are finished using it!
Dust to dust, ashes to ashes and all that. :twisted:

barnE · Dec 24, 2011

Ifyou dont want to sell it, use it a quart at a time. Dave

Does oil have a shelf life?

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