Testing the "oil goes bad with age" theory

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Atomic

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Having lurked this forum for most of the past ten years, I've seen endless discussions on whether oil "expires" with age. I will soon have a data point to add to this ongoing debate; I have no idea which side of the argument is correct, nor do I care.

I just did a oil run on my 1997 Camaro that has been sitting rarely driven for the past 7 years. The car has 183k miles, and the oil I just drained and took a hot sample of has 1,450 miles on it for those years - Mobil 1 High Milage 10w-30 with a Fram Ultra. The car was fed Castrol GTX until around 85k, with the last 100k being exclusively Mobil 1. I refilled with the old formula Pennzoil Ultra 5w-30.

The car has sat outside through every winter and summer of northern Illinois, being started and driven a handful of miles at a time once every month or so; sometimes it would just be started and idled for 45+ minutes. Occasionally when started cold in sub-zero temps, it would be driven immediately at wide open throttle.

The oil was slightly dirty, with no fuel smell or other visible effects of the years it sat in the sump. I will be sending in for UOA this week and look forward to posting the results.
 
Started cold in sub zero temps and then an immediate run at WOT? … any reason for that?
 
Originally Posted By: 4WD
Started cold in sub zero temps and then an immediate run at WOT? … any reason for that?

Camaro ambulance? Volunteer firefighter? Hankering for Doritos?
 
Seven years is a long time for a car just sitting outside. Condensation among other things. I would run it more often or sell it. It’s wasting in the yard.

As for the WOT at subzero temps, it’s your car so you can run it as you want. I would never treat a vehicle like that.
 
Originally Posted By: LotI
Originally Posted By: 4WD
Started cold in sub zero temps and then an immediate run at WOT? … any reason for that?

Camaro ambulance? Volunteer firefighter? Hankering for Doritos?


Well, there’s gonna have to be a big jar of picante with those Doritos before I’ll do it …
wink.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Atomic
Occasionally when started cold in sub-zero temps, it would be driven immediately at wide open throttle..


^^ Why......... oh why?!? ^^

There's a dude on here with a Suburban that's had Mobil 1 in the sump for 6 years...
his samples always come back excellent.
 
Originally Posted By: Atomic
Having lurked this forum for most of the past ten years, I've seen endless discussions on whether oil "expires" with age. I will soon have a data point to add to this ongoing debate; I have no idea which side of the argument is correct, nor do I care.

I just did a oil run on my 1997 Camaro that has been sitting rarely driven for the past 7 years. The car has 183k miles, and the oil I just drained and took a hot sample of has 1,450 miles on it for those years - Mobil 1 High Milage 10w-30 with a Fram Ultra. The car was fed Castrol GTX until around 85k, with the last 100k being exclusively Mobil 1. I refilled with the old formula Pennzoil Ultra 5w-30.
the results.


Looking forward to the UOA results. I've always wondered how long a good oil could be ran in a car that isn't driven much, especially if every time it's driven it's for quite a while to get the oil nice and hot.
 
You're comparing apples to oranges here. When we talk about oil going bad with age or not we are talking about oil in a bottle/container and not in the engine. Once it's in the engine oil definitely goes bad that's why most mfg say to change oil xxx miles or one year.
 
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: Atomic
Occasionally when started cold in sub-zero temps, it would be driven immediately at wide open throttle..


^^ Why......... oh why?!? ^^

There's a dude on here with a Suburban that's had Mobil 1 in the sump for 6 years...
his samples always come back excellent.

My BiL was an M1 user before there were so many similar choices (had WM do it) … I found his old 5.7L Chevy Subdivision 3 quarts low and he had no idea how long it ran like that … (so many lights on the dash it looked like a holiday bash) … luckily he lived a mile from work …
 
Originally Posted By: Atomic
I will be sending in for UOA this week and look forward to posting the results.


Can't wait to see the results. I bet it shuts up the nervous nellies on this site.
 
Originally Posted By: Atomic

Occasionally when started cold in sub-zero temps, it would be driven immediately at wide open throttle.



I'm guessing this is a V6 Camaro as I can't imagine going full throttle in sub zero temps with a V8 Camaro of that vintage, it would spin the tires like crazy in that extreme cold, you'd be in a ditch rather quickly.
 
Originally Posted By: Atomic
I have no idea which side of the argument is correct, nor do I care.


Why the UOA then? Public service? If so, I salute you.

I care a bit, as in I'm mildly curious, but not enough to get a UOA.

Think I'm on about 6 years with the current fill, but in a much milder climate.
 
Originally Posted By: 4WD
Started cold in sub zero temps and then an immediate run at WOT? … any reason for that?


I've done this since I owned the car as a teenager; I simply always have because I lived in the middle of nowhere and could WOT most everywhere (mainly trying to get to school and work on time after leaving fashionably late with my teenage habits). I'm convinced there are simply no ill effects based on the fact the motor runs as quiet and as good as the day I bought it.
 
Originally Posted By: Ducked
Originally Posted By: Atomic
I have no idea which side of the argument is correct, nor do I care.


Why the UOA then? Public service? If so, I salute you.

I care a bit, as in I'm mildly curious, but not enough to get a UOA.

Think I'm on about 6 years with the current fill, but in a much milder climate.


I'll contradict myself to the extent of saying I care enough to spend the $30 on a UOA. I've done much worse with $30, and the curiosity of seeing what comes back is appealing based on how many threads I've lurked in over the years that argued this point.
 
Originally Posted By: deven
You're comparing apples to oranges here. When we talk about oil going bad with age or not we are talking about oil in a bottle/container and not in the engine. Once it's in the engine oil definitely goes bad that's why most mfg say to change oil xxx miles or one year.


That's why this UOA will be very interesting ... it's oil that has been in the engine for ten years and only have 1,450 miles on the oil. Is there signs of degradation ... is it still usable? That's what everyone wants to know.
 
Originally Posted By: Atomic
Originally Posted By: 4WD
Started cold in sub zero temps and then an immediate run at WOT? … any reason for that?


I've done this since I owned the car as a teenager; I simply always have because I lived in the middle of nowhere and could WOT most everywhere (mainly trying to get to school and work on time after leaving fashionably late with my teenage habits). I'm convinced there are simply no ill effects based on the fact the motor runs as quiet and as good as the day I bought it.


Ok … even GM bashers accept the SBC (or other GM variants) as a durable machine … standing by …
 
Originally Posted By: Atomic
I'll contradict myself to the extent of saying I care enough to spend the $30 on a UOA.
Save yourself $20 and buy a WIX UOA Kit from Rock Auto. These kits are more than good enough for this situation.
 
Originally Posted By: PimTac
Seven years is a long time for a car just sitting outside. Condensation among other things. I would run it more often or sell it. It’s wasting in the yard.

As for the WOT at subzero temps, it’s your car so you can run it as you want. I would never treat a vehicle like that.


I wouldn't treat a car like that either unless I was some kind of emergency worker. If wear metals are high, and they might very well be, I say the results are skewed and would attribute it to how the vehicle is driven not the age of the oil. Unfortunately this vehicle might be a poor candidate to prove or disprove the "oil goes bad with age" theory.
 
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