Does oil "go off"?

If its been in a sealed container and not become contaminated there should be no problem.
I am using oil that I have had in the garage for 30 years
 
Definitely OK for a year and probably for 10 years or more. Remember that some car maufacturers now fill with gear oil for life. I do, however, feel that my 13 year old Jag. maybe ought to have a gear oil change sometime although the agents say "no".
 
VicS said:
If its been in a sealed container and not become contaminated there should be no problem.
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What if it's been in a half-full container for four or five years, with no obvious contamination and a lid screwed on, but not actually "sealed"?

I have some such, and an engine that needs topping up. I'd assume it's fine, but since the subject arises...

Pete
 
prv said:
What if it's been in a half-full container for four or five years, with no obvious contamination and a lid screwed on, but not actually "sealed"?

I have some such, and an engine that needs topping up. I'd assume it's fine, but since the subject arises...

Pete
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As long as it's been stored with the cap on and hasn't had dirt or water enter it it will be fine. Lubrication oil is very stable at room temperature, it has to survive being inside an engine after all.
 
I wonder if there's a danger that the antioxidants might have "gone off"? I believe engine oils have them, and it's always cited as one reason you should change it annually even if you haven't done many miles. Maybe they're fine until they see elevated temperatures, but it might be worth checking. Trouble is, the only places I could think of asking would be places where they sell oil!

I'd have no problem at all with using (say) 5 year old oil that has been sealed, but nore sure about half-empty.
 
srah1953 said:
Does oil "go off" if it's still in the original container? I have engine oil and gear oil left over from last year, can it still be used or just discarded?
Thanks
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Hi, Use it with confidence! As long as its been in a sealed container it will be fine.Used motor oils can be reclaimed in a centifuge which removes the contaminants caused by heat and combustion.The base oil is then reused.UK made Ford cars were always filled with reclaimed oil from the Silkolene plant at Belper untill it was destroyed in a fire.
 
Avocet said:
I wonder if there's a danger that the antioxidants might have "gone off"? I believe engine oils have them, and it's always cited as one reason you should change it annually even if you haven't done many miles. Maybe they're fine until they see elevated temperatures, but it might be worth checking. Trouble is, the only places I could think of asking would be places where they sell oil!
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Many large machines such as gas-turbine driven LNG compressors operate at higher temperatures than an engine could generate. The lubricant is not as sophisticated as an engine oil, often having only anti-corrosion and anti-oxidant. Most run for at least six years non-stop between oil changes and I know of many that do twice that. They are tested for additive properties from time to time to ensure sufficient presence. Good quality antioxidants from the best manufacturers are now so good that they exceed any practical test period, e.g. more than six months at very elevated temperatures.
 
Now that there are some knowledgeable on a thread maybe ye can help me with this?
I changed boats this year. The new boat has a Yanmar 3JH5CE engine with saildrive. The handbook seems quite strict that only Quicksilver High Performance Gear Lube be used.
I have almost 5 litres of Volvo Penta transmission oil left over from previous boat (also Yanmar 3YM30 with saildrive).
What damage would it do if I used the Volvo Penta Oil?
 
srah1953 said:
I changed boats this year. The new boat has a Yanmar 3JH5CE engine with saildrive. The handbook seems quite strict that only Quicksilver High Performance Gear Lube be used.
I have almost 5 litres of Volvo Penta transmission oil left over from previous boat (also Yanmar 3YM30 with saildrive).
What damage would it do if I used the Volvo Penta Oil?
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It is normally the case that oil to the same specification by any manufacturer has to be compatible with that of any other. If the specification of your Volvo stuff is exactly the same as the Quicksilver, there should be no problem.

There are sometimes cases in which a particular oil does not perform well in a machine. It could be that this is one. However, in many cases an oil manufacturer will pay an equipment manufacturer to name their product in the manual and on the oil filler cap, so the naming may not be for technical reasons.
 
srah1953 said:
Does oil "go off" if it's still in the original container? I have engine oil and gear oil left over from last year, can it still be used or just discarded?
Thanks
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In general, liquid lubricants (oils) will remain intact for a number of years. The main factor affecting the life of the oil is the storage condition. 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). Technically, engine oils have shelf lives of four to five years. As a general rule, the simpler the oil formulation, the longer the shelf life. The general guidelines of shelf life under protected conditions - indoors at about 20°C, for engine oils is 3 years and gear oils is 2 years.
Your oil from last year should be fine.
 
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