Of course not. A 40 y.o. oil is perfectly fine for a 30+ y.o. lawnmower.
For any modern vehicle on the road today, no way. It would be hopelessly obsolete.
Motor oil shelf life
- Thread starter blupupher
- Start date
For any modern vehicle on the road today, no way. It would be hopelessly obsolete.
LOL when its only been in the ground what a million years?
It was not processed and additized into its final product while in the ground. The clock on any oil does not start until it leaves the refinery.
Patman
Staff member
There is a HUGE difference between crude oil in the ground and motor oil in a container. But you already know that I’m sure and are just messing around…
John Deere oil says 5 year shelf life.
Yeah, I am unsure about that lots of times about that. I don't mind light sarcasm at all, I use it myself, but sometimes I don't know how to respond if I am so compelled. So I err on the side of taking statements as literal.
GTK! I bought a jug today for my next oil change (probably a few months) and was wondering if I should wait to purchase. 
keeping unused sealed in container (never opened) at a constant room temperature on a shelve the oil can last quite some time, 5-8 years ,and yes gently shaking once in a while upside down for a couple of minutes can help your stash last, though the specifications can be somewhat outdated over the time period.
Patman
Staff member
FWIW the ESP Formula 5w30 that’s in my Corvette right now was produced in 2018. I have no qualms about running it, especially since it’s the better version which has a lower Noack (under 6%), lower sulfated ash (0.6) and a slightly higher HTHS (3.55)
I've used nearly 25 year old group 1 SJ rated oil in a mower. That was 2 or 3 years ago, it's still running.
