Shelf life of oil ?

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I have some NEO 0W-5 (di-ester) engine oil left over from my racing days, along with some 7wt gear oil.
It seems to have darkened up some, even though it has always been kept in the dark, but still has a wonderful non-dino oil aroma.
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This stuff would be getting close to 10 years old now, and as a cosequence, I haven't been game to use it.
Actually, it's the viscocity that scares me more than anything.
Would it still be OK ?

Would it be safe/worthwhile to use 200ml-500ml as a cleaner/solvent (remember, the base is 100% ester) in a 10.5 litre diesel sump ?
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It would be such a waste to dispose of it, but what on earth would I use it in here in Australia ?
At least I could use the 10W-30 to top up my 351 Clevland that used M1 15W-50

Rick.
 
I really don't know how long it lasts - But I recently changed the oil in my friend's trucks with oil he found in his garage.... Pennzoil in METAL CANS! They had to be like 25 years old. He hasn't had a problem.

Maybe you could use the stuff for in the winter months on stuff that isn't used, like a lawn tractor?
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Don't get too excited Sprintman, this Clevo was in my F100 (F150 to the Nth Americans), running on LPG.
It didn't go too shabbily with 302 small chamber heads, 4V valves, etc, running on LPG. It used to tow the race car, then double up as a work truck during the week (got to have your priorities right.
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)
M1 in the engine, Neo ATF (sponsors product) in the C6 and Castrol in the diff. I didn't get enough Neo sponsorhip to cover the tow vehicle
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but considering the cost of the stuff, I didn't do to badly.

Two of the quickest, and most brutal road cars I've ever driven were an XY GT (7200 rpm in top gear
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) and an XB GT owned by my cousin Steve who left it at my place and told me to enjoy it for a few days.
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That top loader would have to be the worst gearbox I've ever had the displeasure of using.
The engine though......nothing below 4000, then hang on.
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Rick.
 
I reckon some of those volatile components might get evaporated at room temperature for prolonged period of time, may be that would cause a drop in amount of VI in dino oil. Maybe this will make the the oil a bit thicker and less cold flow ability. With less VI / more stable VI in synthetic's the rate may be so insignificant to a point that they can almost be stored for infinite period of time.
 
dunno.....BUT.....the esters are advertised as being more biodegradeable than mineral oil.

So much so that biodiesel is now being used to help clean up oil spills.

So I'm thinking that maybe old ester based oil might be starting to oxidise and whatnot, while old mineral might still be OK.

As I pointed out in the first sentence....dunno.
 
Unless you have a large quantity and it was worth having it tested, I probably would not use it. The darkening suggests some sort of chemical reaction. Might be useful as a preservative on the timber fence or the like.
 
quote:

I really don't know how long it lasts - But I recently changed the oil in my friend's trucks with oil he found in his garage.... Pennzoil in METAL CANS! They had to be like 25 years old. He hasn't had a problem.

You'd probably be able to a get a few bucks for each empty, much less full ones. You've got to do a UOA on that!
 
quote:

Originally posted by hirohatamerc:
I really don't know how long it lasts - But I recently changed the oil in my friend's trucks with oil he found in his garage.... Pennzoil in METAL CANS! They had to be like 25 years old.

You maybe could have gotten good money for this stuff on E-bay.
 
I would use it as a top off oil between oil changes! I might also work one quart into each oil change interval! I quart is not going to hurt anything!
 
quote:

Originally posted by sprintman:
I just bought Pennzoil Performax 100 5W50 that is SH, SG. Old I know buy is it OK to use?

SH rated oil is listed for use in 1994 - 1996 engines, though newer SJ and SL also can be used in these engines. The SG is just a carry along so folks at the time whose car spec said use SG would still buy the SH oil. As for using the stuff, not sure. Best bet is to call Pennzoil and ask them. I just bought some SJ oil that likely is 4 or 5 years old and plan to use it.

[ March 12, 2004, 12:59 AM: Message edited by: TallPaul ]
 
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