I've had some conventional oil around for over a year. Bought it earlier than I should have, and probably won't need to use it for another year or so. Long story.

Do you think I should recycle it and buy new when I'm ready?

Thanks.

Oil won't go bad in a year or two. I don't think it ever really goes bad.

5 years. You will find other companies give the same 5 year number for sealed containers.

http://www.mobilindustrial.com/ind/engli...mmendations.pdf

Robert

Great, thank you.

Oil should not go bad, unless used, it's been in the ground over million years. There's people that believe water goes bad.

You bet it does. We have oils and lubes that go out-of-service and have to pay hazmat bucks to dispose. I recall 2 years as being the point where they are no longer returnable to the manufacturer.

Would I use it beyond a 2 year shelf life date?--oh hell yea.

Additive packages.

I figured that the additives may break down, or as mentioned in article rftroy linked, it can accumulate moisture.

It can only gather moisture if it has been unsealed.

I e-mailed Shell about this question. This was their response:



If you want to know the reasoning, I'd imagine Mr. Hund would be a good resource.

Like what was mentioned it's the additives that have the problem, not the oil itself.
I have a jug that's several years old and you can see how the different parts have separated.

I have seen sealed container have condensation in them, both plastic and metal I have save oil that had water in it by heating up to around 212 F, the water will settle to the bottom of the container as it heats up and then bubble as it turns to steam, keep the lid on until all the water is steamed out Do not let the boiling bubbling steam from the water make the hot oil get onto a heating devices , It will ignite and burn Don't ask me how I kow about that

The plastic oil containers have a Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate (MVTR). MVTR is a measure of the passage of gaseous H2O through a barrier. The lower the rate, the longer the package protects its contents from moisture and ensures the moisture content of the product remains the same.

IOW, moisture permeates the walls of the sealed plastic container and enters the contents; the moisture doesn't affect the oil as much as it does the additives in the oil, especially calcium which absorbs the moisture and causes the calcium to drop out of suspension. That's why many refiners recommend inspecting the bottom of the container for small whitish particles, that's the calcium that has dropped out of suspension....don't use such oil.

Thanks larrymopar360 for asking this question, very good answers guys.

I am still using 20 year old oil, some is 15 years old and some is 20 years old. I have been using it in 4 vehicles and a lawn mower and generator and more since the late 80s early 1990. No trouble here.

Challanger I agree.I bought some oil and trans fluid that was at least 20 years old.Used them and they were as good as if I had just bought them.I should have saved the old can they were in.Rocky

Bought 12 drums of surplus mil spec 15/40 in the 80's. On my last 55 gal. I sure am gonna hate buying oil.

I've got cars with engine oil in it some of them which is over 5-10 years old.

Not saying it's a good thing to do, but thinking of recycling still 'new' oil is the other extreme.

So how long is it good for once opened? Let's say for a lawnmower that doesn't quite take a quart of oil and you have some left in the container.

Your lawn mower is lot different than a 25K race motor, its all about the additives. The recommended test time for most oils is 4~5 years, if you have lots of it, then test it. What happens is the additives separate and the oil does not become effective in performing their jobs. In the airplane world, you get 4 years on a case, after that, junk it. People have been killed because someone got a deal on some old oil and was trying to save $50. When the additives go out of suspension, it wipes the bearings and galls other surfaces because it cant properly protect what need the lube. No you cant put in a can of STP and fix the problem. Some get lucky and are able to use it, others have not. To each their own. Tim

IMO the reason is to sell more oil.

Since when is water a problem? Oil and water don't mix. So what if a little water is in your oil. It will evaporate as soon as you start the engine and it get's hot. Water is a really weak argument IMO. I find many ounces of water under my valve covers on my aluminum racing engines, no big deal it evaporates in a hot motor.

I am in the oil business and used to retail motor oil, not so much now because there's no money in lubricants unless you sell alot of it, IMO.

Therefor I have 4 brands/grades of oil left over from the 90s. I have been using it up in recreational vehicles including my 2002 RV 505HP Cat diesel engine that see's extreme service.

I did a oil change over the weekend to my 71 440 6 pak. It's been at least 5 year since I have done a oil change to it because I didn't drive it much. I used this oil and drove the car 48 miles yesterday.

If your worried about the additives, shake it up first before you pour it in!! LOL

This bottle has 5-10-95 stamped right on the front of the bottle and it still protects I'm here to say from my experience with at least 4 kinds of oil and many different vehicles and pieces of equipment like generators and trenchers we use at work.

This what I put in my muscle car Saturday. I use 15 year old Shell Rotella in my Cat motor.