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MG MGB Technical - Shelf life of oil

I have a case of Castrol 20w-50 in my garage which is about two years old. Is it safe to use in the motor or do you suppose it has "broken down" and should be discarded?
Matt Kulka

It spent millions of years in the ground so I don't thin a couple of years on the shelf is going to make much difference in the grand scheme of things
dominic clancy

But the old cardboard cans would absorb water from the outside if they stayed wet too long! Reckon that were more than two years back though.

FRM
FR Millmore

Dominic, true, but in the ground it wasn't refined, nor did it have additives infused.

FRM, I remember those old cardboard cans. I had a manager once tell me about when the service stations would use glass bottles to top up their customers' motors. Each day they'd fill them from a bulk tank.
Matt Kulka

I use Comma 20w50, and on their cans they say "expiry date 5 years after production date". Of course production day and year are also marked on the can. This applies to all mineral, semi synthetic and synthetic Comma motor oils, but not to their gear oils.

As Comma is owned by Exxon Mobil I guess this shelf life applies to other brands as well.


Tore

Matt-
I put many a qt in out of the glass bottles, and filled quite a few myself. Wish I still had some, you could actually pour oil IN not ON the engine! And, you could see if there was crap in the oil - which I have found in both cardboard and plastic containers. Periodically I remember them, think I'll look for some.

Tore - Interesting, wonder what the justification is? Likely not much more than "after that we don't want to be bothered", but I stand ready for corrections. Curiously enough, I find that gear oils frequently have additives or something which settle out on the bottom over long time periods!

FRM
FR Millmore

After a couple of years it should be fine Matt, as long as it's been stored OK.

Check the Engine Oil Bible for a detailed explanation on the shelf life of oils & lubricants:

http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html
Mike

The best answer would be to contact Castrol directly and ask them. Once you get their response, post it so others who have stored oil will know.
LS Sheldon

Speaking of oils, what is the shelf life of brake fluid?

Robert
Robert Browning

Well, the oil in my Jetta gearbox is 10 years old in service.
Art Pearse

Robert,
This information on brake fluid is from the Castrol web site...Tony

• What is the shelf life for Castrol GT LMA Brake Fluid? [33%]
The shelf life for Castrol GT LMA Brake Fluid is 2 years for sealed bottles. Regardless of the storage conditions, moisture can get into the product via osmosis thru the plastic. No partially filled bottles should ever be used once open - use or discard.














































Tony Shoviak

I've seen references to two years, which is why I haven't bothered buying the 5 gallon drums of 20W/50 even though they make sense financially.
Paul Hunt

My local service station still uses the glass bottles - and has driveway service.
(Also recognised as the British car expert for many miles around.)

Think how much landfill would be saved (not to mention oil or natural gas to make the plastic) if all service stations did the same!
David Overington

Mike, that's a very interesting site about motor oil. I've bookmarked it for reading when I have more time.

I couldn't find any info about shelf life on the Castrol web site but I have emailed their "ask the expert" and will post the result if they send me one.

Mike's linked page claims, "Technically, engine oils have shelf lives of four to five years." I hope that's the case.
Matt Kulka

This thread was discussed between 19/09/2009 and 23/09/2009

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