Does "New in the Bottle" Oil go bad??

[BadBirdLT1]

I was wondering if some Castrol GTX I have that is about 3 years old still good?? The reason I am asking is because that is the oil I always ran in my RX-7. And after the car had sat for about 2 1/2 years I decided to see if it still ran. (Long story as to why it sat so long) So I pulled the plugs and cleaned them up put new gas in it and pulled it down the street with my truck. (Again if you ever have let a rotary sit you'll know what I am talking about) It fired up smoked alot, rotary foul out real easy and the only way to get them running is to spin them at about 3k while pushing or pulling. (The smoke was being fouled out) OK I am rambling sorry, I noticed the oil press. was lower than it normally had been. So I changed the oil filter first thinking maybe it was shot. No luck (just needed something quick to get home 45 miles form parents house to my new place) I changed the oil when I got home and the Oil Press. went back to normal. 20 psi at idle and around 50 psi at speed. It was as low as 20-25 psi at speed and less than 10 at idle. On old oil. So my question again is the New oil in the old bottles any good??

 

[Al]

This subject has come up a bunch of times. I believe the answer was 5 years but as a practical matter the specs seem to change every 2 years to your oil will be be "SJ" not "SL"

 

[BadBirdLT1]

Thanks I guess I'll just be safe and pitch it. It isnt like it cost an arm and a leg.

 

[Mike_dup1]

NO, oil will not go bad. It may become outdated but newer spec's but if you found a 20 yr qt of oil in a sealed container, it would still be good for use. There is nothing in it the can spoil.

 

[satterfi]

As general rule of thumb, chemical reactions, like oxidation, double for every 10ºC increase.

Considering the lack of free radicals that a bottle of oil sitting on the shelf is exposed to, I'd think the shelf life is at least 30 years.

 

[csandste]

Although SL oil is slightly better than the SJ spec, there's no reason to pitch it.

 

[TallPaul]

quote:

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Originally posted by BadBirdLT1:
Thanks I guess I'll just be safe and pitch it. It isnt like it cost an arm and a leg.

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It would be nice if you could make it available to someone who would use it. Or you could use it for an engine flush--you know, run it for 100-200 miles and drain it out. Otherwise, take it to your local auto repair and the mechanic there will get rid of it for you (probably, he will put it in his car).

[ December 11, 2003, 12:54 PM: Message edited by: TallPaul ]