oil..shelf life.

[chrishelen]

just got me wondering...i have a 25ltr drum of lub oil that i use for myboat engine,it only takes 2ltrs per oil change,plus a bit for the gearbox..i have had this drum for about four years and it isabout a third full...does oil go off?..its Morris multi grade15/40

 

[vyv_cox]

Its shelf life is pretty much indefinite, although I guess it is possible for some heavy additives to settle out over years. It might be worth giving the drum a shake before using.

Most of the big machinery that I have worked with retains the same oil for years, not reciprocating engines in which it becomes contaminated, but industrial gas turbines, compressors, etc. I know of refinery compressors in which the oil is more than ten years old and many LNG compressor/turbine combined oil reservoirs of six years plus. The oil in these cases is hot, so they become oxidised in service, the main reason for changing it.

 

[macd]

The basic stuff lasts quite well, 100 million years or so, at least if kept underground

 

[chrishelen]

The basic stuff lasts quite well, 100 million years or so, at least if kept underground

thats very true...but i dont think my engine would last very long with a sump full of crude.