Old oil = Bad oil?

[dtfeld]

Completed an oil change this afternoon and as I’m finishing up, I noticed that the mfg date on the bottom of the containers is mostly from 2017, with one as old as 2016. Oil is Shell Rotella T1 strait weight 40. Should be pretty common oil. Kinda pissed, stuff isn’t cheap and I expected NAPA to have more current inventory.

So a couple questions.

Does oil deteriorate in unopened containers? How old is too old?

 

[Maybe A Dancer]

If you see something on the internet, it must be true...

Does Motor Oil Expire? How Long Does It Last? (Facts VS Myths)

Does motor oil expire – in the container and the engine? A guide to whether your motor oil has expired and how to avoid the costly problems of bad oil.

www.vehiclescene.com

I once saw an actual photograph of Abraham Lincoln holding a cell phone !

BEST !

RWS

 

[dtfeld]

If you see something on the internet, it must be true...

Does Motor Oil Expire? How Long Does It Last? (Facts VS Myths)

Does motor oil expire – in the container and the engine? A guide to whether your motor oil has expired and how to avoid the costly problems of bad oil.

www.vehiclescene.com

I once saw an actual photograph of Abreham Lincoln holding a cell phone !

BEST !

RWS

I read something similar. Oil looked normal and consistent going in.

Its a $500 all day project to redo it...but the engines are a lot more than that.

 

[techmitch]

Not sure how credible Bob is but I found this on his web site.
You may want to ask your diesel oil question in the forum.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/

a. My questions are… How long is the shelf life for Pennzoil Platinum 0W20 if it is stored in my garage, knowing that it will take me 3-4 years to use this oil?

Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic motor oils can have a shelf-life of up to four years if stored properly.

 

[Pirate Lady]

4 years? I got cans of chili in pantry older than that. ChefBoyRdee ravioli too.

 

[BillK2632]

I don’t buy into this, especially when it is stored unopened in a garage for example. Extreme temperatures, high humidity and opened, maybe. Do you think the oil companies have tested 5yr or 10yr old oil? Maybe take an old sample and send off to Blackstone for a test.

 

[dtfeld]

I don’t buy into this, especially when it is stored unopened in a garage for example. Extreme temperatures, high humidity and opened, maybe. Do you think the oil companies have tested 5yr or 10yr old oil? Maybe take an old sample and send off to Blackstone for a test.

Sounds reasonable. I use CAT SOS for normal testing. What specifically would it be able to tell me? And secondly what should I be looking for? Meets Lubricity/vistcosity soecs? Not what I'm typically looking at on used oil tests.

 

[Wylie_Tunes]

Been in the industry for nearly 40 years. Never seen a "Best if used by" date on oil. I have a 93 Chevy S10 that I top off the oil a couple times a year with a bottle of Castrol I think my dad tucked behind the seat 15 years ago.

 

[paulswagelock]

Overthinking this. It is fine, use the boat and rest easy. Worst case is some of the additive settled to the bottom, but once the engine runs it would be redistributed again.

 

[dtfeld]

At about $30k each to replace, I do worry a little.