how long do you store motor oil ?

[Sharky]

here is some info on old vs new oil.........

 

[Curious Hound]

Til it tastes bad


(Cool video)

 

[fastpakr]

Interesting. Up till now I assumed oil never went bad in the unopened jug.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Interesting...

I never buy enough oil in advance to worry. If I find a good sale... it might last me two years.

 

[fastpakr]

In the future I'll probably do the same. I bought a bunch of 5 quart jugs over the years when they were on great sales - like Rotella T6 synthetic for ~$10 a jug, etc. Some of it reappeared in my storage unit recently. I'll use it soon or give it away before it gets much older.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Some even has the "sell by" date like milk or whatever. Coolant too. Generally on the case not the product though.

 

[JoshT]

like Rotella T6 synthetic for ~$10 a jug, etc.

I wish I'd seen that sale. My F-250 uses around 5 gallons, and I've decided to run T6 as long as it's available and I can afford it. Needless to say I don't change that one based on time intervals, I'd be dumping out practically new oil.

 

[Shran]

Guess the 3 gallons of 30w that I got from my grandpas estate in paper cans might be no good???

I’m gonna keep using it.

 

[Curious Hound]

Guess the 3 gallons of 30w that I got from my grandpas estate in paper cans might be no good???

I’m gonna keep using it.

I have some like that. I use it for cutting oil when drilling metal. Or little jobs, as mentioned, like door hinges, casters, etc.

Oil is expensive. My Superduty and motorcycle can both use Rotella T6 15w40 synthetic. I think I’ll start using the same in the Ranger. Found I can buy 5 gallon buckets of it from Wal-Mart for $100. That’s just $5 per quart. Northern sells a hand pump for the 5 gallon buckets. So, I’ll just consolidate to one oil for everything.

 

[Bgunner]

Well there is a reason why they say change your oil every 3,000 miles or every 3 months. Water will get in the oil from sitting in the engine.

In this video they discuss oil change intervals and how the 7,500 - 10,000 mile is bad. They discuss a lot more than just oil like a gapless second compression ring for diesels.

 

[fastpakr]

Well there is a reason why they say change your oil every 3,000 miles or every 3 months. Water will get in the oil from sitting in the engine.

In this video they discuss oil change intervals and how the 7,500 - 10,000 mile is bad. They discuss a lot more than just oil like a gapless second compression ring for diesels.

That's also a very different situation than oil in a sealed bottle.

 

[JoshT]

Well there is a reason why they say change your oil every 3,000 miles or every 3 months. Water will get in the oil from sitting in the engine.

In this video they discuss oil change intervals and how the 7,500 - 10,000 mile is bad. They discuss a lot more than just oil like a gapless second compression ring for diesels.

I'm not where I can watch that, but I can guess as to what it's about from the title

I would imagine that the scenario they present there is a vehicle where it is often driven short trips. I that situation moisture will condense inside the engine as it cools. That moisture will mix with the oil and the engine never rusted long enough to burn it back out. It is a very real problem for vehicles that rarely see trips that are more than a few miles at a time.

On the other hand you have vehicles like my F-250 which rarely gets driven. It doesn't go through a lot of temperature cycling where moisture would condense and collect. When it does get driven, its for enough time and distance to burn off anything that did collect in there.

 

[Sharky]

I cant find the article but todays oil supposedly has a shelf life of only 5 years.
the older made oil breaks down faster & the additives do not stay suspended in the oil.
so the change interval & use is important to longevity of your engine / gears, etc.

 

[Bill]

It's not "only" 5 years. It's a recommendation. If it's unopened and stored in the proper environment it will have a longer shelf life. Fully synthetic has a longer shelf life than conventional or synthetic blends. I used 8 year old synthetic blend without a problem. I opened it, the oil wasn't cloudy and didn't show any signs of separation, so I used it for just under 4,000 miles, then used the rest of it in the next oil change. If it is opened I would assume it could absorb moisture over time. I don't worry about those things over here because it isn't humid here. You would have to leave the lid off of the bottle for anything to absorb enough moisture to matter, with the exception being the possibility of condensation during the winter.

 

[JoshT]

If it is opened I would assume it could absorb moisture over time. I don't worry about those things over here because it isn't humid here. You would have to leave the lid off of the bottle for anything to absorb enough moisture to matter, with the exception being the possibility of condensation during the winter.

Motor oil isn't hygroscopic or hydrophilic. It won't absorb moisture from the air or mix with it. Moisture could condense and collect inside of an open bottle, but it isn't going to mix with the oil. It's going to do its best to separate from water. If any water collected in a bottle of oil, it'll be in the bottom with the oil riding on top. The only reason water mixes with oil in the crank case is the blending action of the crankshaft. That's why you end up with a milkshake when a head gasket blows, air and water in the cranks case bets blended into the oil creating the milky appearance.

Brake fluid (at least the stuff used in Rangers) on the other hand is hygroscopic. It'll absorb moisure out of the air in a heart beat. That's why they tell you to not use a previously opened bottle of brake fluid. The added water content will lower the boiling point and mess up braking performance.