the flyin' scotsman

Given that my cars (and Cayenne) have their oil changed when required and use synthetic products I tend to buy in bulk (20L/5 gals pails) and on sale.

Is there any concern with respect to shelf life?

Kevin in Atlanta

I do the same thing - but with Royal Purple.

FredR

Malcolm,

The simple answer to your query is "yes" -that is the easy bit.

In reality the problem is quite complicated. Factors such as storage conditions and whether or not the container is full or [as is likely] part empty come into play. Manufacturers generally have a shelf life for their oil products whether such is stamped on your containers over there I do not know but presume not or you would not be asking the question [?].

The base oil itself is not really a problem it is more the additive packages that degrade with age, exposure to air [moisture] and temperature [I understand lube oils do not like being stored in cold temperatures]. In your locality relative humidity is usually quite low [helpful] I believe but what temps do you get down to mid winter in your [heated?] storage area just south of the North Pole?

If I were to hazard an intelligent guess based on my professional knowledge I would think up to a couple of years should not be a problem but you might be better served to address the query directly to the technical department of the company whose oil you use. When I used Redline oil their technical department guru was very helpful and responsive. Bigger companies probably less so.

Regards

Fred

Gary Knox

Malcolm,

I certainly wouldn't use it after about 1-2 million years. That's how long the basic feedstock probably survived under less 'sterile' conditions than your opened/re-closed containers!

Best wishes, and driving season is almost here in eastern US, hope it has already arrived in southwestern Canada.

linderpat

^^^
That's what I was thinking too, but what Fred said made more sense

Imo000

Anyone ever had engine oil go bad sitting in their garage? Not me. Or at least it didn't look or smell like bad gas so I guess visually even years old oil looked and poured normal.

ammonman

As long as the lubricant is stored in a climate controlled area at constant temperature and the containers are protected from sunlight if it can penetrate then the lube will last a VEEEEEERRRRRYYYYY long time. The usual killer of oils is large temperature swings causing the oil to expand and contract inside the container. The change in volume causes the container to "breathe" atmosphere in and out. When it draws a little air some of the moisture eventually condenses inside the container. Over time the moisture builds up and in combination with heat starts to damage the additive package in the lubricant. This phenomenon happens easily in unopened 55 gallon drums and 5 gallon pails. I have found improperly stored barrels of new oil with an inch of water inside the drum when opened.

Mike

the flyin' scotsman

thanks folks.

Im referring to new to me 5 gal pails of oil unoponed that would be stored in my unheated garage.

Temps will vary from -10c to +30c average.........it might get and does get colder despite the global warning predictions.

Given input thus far having one to five years of stock is of no issue

Fogey1

I've had 6 quarts of multiweight Quaker State in plastic "cans" since the early 70's. Probably remnants of a case. "Stored" on shelves in various garages since then, out of the sun. The labels have pulled up some.

I opened one in 2003 and it had a quarter-inch of waxy stuff on the bottom. I shook it up some and the stuff was still there. They're souvenirs now.

FredR

Malcolm,

Mobil [for instance] will likely tell you 2 years unopened and 1 year after breaking the seal on the package. That being said it is probably just like the "use by" date on food in your fridge - safe to eat well after the expiry date but they cover their butts with conservatism, such dates being approved by lawyers rather than engineers to protect against litigation if you eat their crap and then croak.

The problem with modern high tech lubes is that they probably depend much more on the additives for their performance than dino [mineral] oils of 30 years ago did and thus their "shelf life" is somewhat reduced [or so I understand].

Unfortunately there is no industry global test criteria that I am aware of that clinically defines what the actual shelf life is and thus you are at the mercy of the company that blends it or you make your own call.

Rgds

Fred

the flyin' scotsman

^^^ thx Fred........its an amazing difference in price to buy in bulk for my uses (5 gal) and on sale vs. the 5L or worse 1L containers at retail.

All I need now is more garage space.....again

FredR

Malcolm,

I envy the fact that you have such options! I have to get what I can when I need it and for a 20w50 I have to make do with mineral based lube oil- no problem- I just change the oil every 5k km or so [roughly every year when I do my maintenance in the cooler days].

Reading between the lines I would think you can safely store the stuff for several years but just be mindful of the potential issues and that if there were to be a problem chances are the first you would know about it would be too late but to be clear- chances of such happening are probably non existent over such period we are talking about.

FYI about 30 years ago I worked on a major lube oil blending plant project in this part of the world supported by a US major's technology. Got to know some of their technical guru's very well and thus the insights. One quickly learns that there is quite a lot more to lube oils than most would even begin to suspect and the technology has moved on leaps and bounds since then- "liquid engineering".

Rgds

Fred