Grease shelf life made up?

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

After I realized that my tube of Silaramic grease was almost 10 years old and I started to look into shelf life of grease.
Almost all domestic made greases be they lithium soap, silicone or any other type seem to all have a 5 year shelf life. Is this an arbitrary number?

 

[Jetronic]

a worst case scenario number, on the conservative side. You don't want anyone producing an expired tube of grease of 4 years old, that caused big damage.

 

[facility1]

if its not leaking or separating excessively all over the place or dried out,, and proper storage practiced, the grease should be ok,,if in doubt get some new grease, its may also depend on what you are greasing too like wheel bearings etc. or just some low speed /load application.

 

[Chris142]

All my tubes seperated and dried up long before 5 years.

 

[MolaKule]

After I realized that my tube of Silaramic grease was almost 10 years old and I started to look into shelf life of grease.
Almost all domestic made greases be they lithium soap, silicone or any other type seem to all have a 5 year shelf life. Is this an arbitrary number?

The five-year shelf life is based mainly on these factors: oil separation and storage temp, so no, it is not an arbitrary number or "made up."

If the grease has been stored at a high temp in your grease gun the oil may have weeped out. This is why I like the polmeric style greases; they seem to retain the oil longer under adverse conditions.

 

[Foxtrot08]

Some greases will fall apart in a year. Some greases will take 20 years. As Molakule stated, depends on storage conditions and such.

I have somewhere a cool picture I took. I use a FS 220 #2 lithium complex grease at home. I have a very rarely used needle greaser that has its own grease gun. I had it hanging up in an uninsulated garage. Subject to heat and cold.

The oil leaked out of the grease in under 2 years. And you could tell because the “grease” that was left, was discolored, very hard- almost like playdough, vs smooth and buttery.

Grease is fortunately one of those things we can visualize going bad. So if it looks wrong, or doesn’t pump… well, chances are it is bad.

 

[Leo99]

We only take our stability studies out to 5 years for our drugs because I'm told that FDA won't approve any shelf life dating past 5 years.

 

[Elkins45]

The five-year shelf life is based mainly on these factors: oil separation and storage temp, so no, it is not an arbitrary number or "made up."

If the grease has been stored at a high temp in your grease gun the oil may have weeped out. This is why I like the polmeric style greases; they seem to retain the oil longer under adverse conditions.

Care to recommend a good polymeric grease? I’d like to find a reasonably-priced product that could survive the summer in my garage. I store my grease gun on a horizontally on a shelf and when I grabbed it this summer to grease my tractor most of the oil content ran out the bottom and onto my pants leg.

 

[MolaKule]

Care to recommend a good polymeric grease? I’d like to find a reasonably-priced product that could survive the summer in my garage. I store my grease gun on a horizontally on a shelf and when I grabbed it this summer to grease my tractor most of the oil content ran out the bottom and onto my pants leg.

Contact @Pablo

 

[Pablo]

Care to recommend a good polymeric grease? I’d like to find a reasonably-priced product that could survive the summer in my garage. I store my grease gun on a horizontally on a shelf and when I grabbed it this summer to grease my tractor most of the oil content ran out the bottom and onto my pants leg.

#1 or #2?

https://www.amsoil.com/p/amsoil-nlg...chassis-and-equipment-grease-gptr2/?zo=515729

https://www.amsoil.com/p/amsoil-nlgi-2-100-synthetic-polymeric-off-road-grease-gpor2/?zo=515729

 

[slomo]

When the oils dry up or leak out, add a little 30w and mix her up. Good as new.