This question has probably been asked a million times here before, but, here goes one more. I have 2 gallon bottles of Amsoil 0w-20 in never opened bottles. The bottles are 9 years old. Is the oil still good? I know some are going to say, why take the chance, just toss it. Can it lose its qualities from just sitting there, albeit, the better part of a decades? If I remember correctly, I believe it is signature series.
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- Thread starter cbpat1
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IIRC amsoil says only 5 years but most likely nothing would happen if you used it
Shake the oil very good to make sure all the additives are mixed and use with confidence is my opinion. Ed
Their probably only good for another couple hundred years!
LOL
Originally Posted by burla
toss it my way to be safe
It's fine to use....several UOAs posted here with 10+ year old oil.
Originally Posted by burla
toss it my way to be safe
It's fine to use....several UOAs posted here with 10+ year old oil.
I've often used oil that was much older than that and had very good UOAs .....having said that, I've found that some older oils have a good amount of settling on the bottom and all the 'shaking' in the world won't put it back in suspension. In those cases I've cut open the jug and stirred it up manually (with a little oil) until it's back in suspension and then add it right before starting the engine.
The worst case of this 'settling' was some SJ rated Castrol Synblend 5w30 that I recently used....it had a layer of whitish goo on the bottom (not the usual small amount of black residue that I presume to be moly dropout) that could be scooped out with a spoon. I stirred it up and it went back into suspension. I've recently used some SJ rated QS synthetic that had no dropout ....while some SM rated Havoline had almost as much (also whitish goo) as the Castrol Synblend. I now check my empty oil bottles for dropout with a flashlight and stir up what remains if necessary....of course with black bottles (like Havoline) this is difficult and cutting them open becomes necessary.
The worst case of this 'settling' was some SJ rated Castrol Synblend 5w30 that I recently used....it had a layer of whitish goo on the bottom (not the usual small amount of black residue that I presume to be moly dropout) that could be scooped out with a spoon. I stirred it up and it went back into suspension. I've recently used some SJ rated QS synthetic that had no dropout ....while some SM rated Havoline had almost as much (also whitish goo) as the Castrol Synblend. I now check my empty oil bottles for dropout with a flashlight and stir up what remains if necessary....of course with black bottles (like Havoline) this is difficult and cutting them open becomes necessary.
So long as the oil meets API spec of what it is going in, there is no issue.
The 3-5 year "shelf life" from manufacturers is a liability life for an oil not meeting the spec of the engine it is being put in.
From Valvoline:
Quote
Does motor oil expire? If not, how long does motor oil generally last?
Valvoline motor oils do not have documented expiration dates. When stored under optimal conditions, the product remains stable for an extended period of time. It can be used as long as the American Petroleum Institute (API) rating on the label continues to meet or exceed the requirements listed in your car's owner's manual. If the rating is still current, we advise you shake the container before use to blend any additives that may have settled.
The 3-5 year "shelf life" from manufacturers is a liability life for an oil not meeting the spec of the engine it is being put in.
From Valvoline:
Quote
Does motor oil expire? If not, how long does motor oil generally last?
Valvoline motor oils do not have documented expiration dates. When stored under optimal conditions, the product remains stable for an extended period of time. It can be used as long as the American Petroleum Institute (API) rating on the label continues to meet or exceed the requirements listed in your car's owner's manual. If the rating is still current, we advise you shake the container before use to blend any additives that may have settled.
I would give them a good shake and use them without hesitation.
I would use it. Much of my Amsoil stash is aging and I use it
Originally Posted by burla
toss it my way to be safe
Your funny.
toss it my way to be safe
Your funny.
Thanks guys. I'll use it with no worries then.
since oils are blended at temperature, if there is settlement they may need heat. Fortunately you are putting them intol a great heat generator and mixing machine. Make sure you get it all into the engine and run it,
A member on here ran 40 year old oil in his Datsun 240Z with no problems.
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