cold motor oil storage?

[Cazsik]

hello brothers and sisiters! longtime reader, first time poster. i admit i use to just come to the website for info but now i have started building my oil supply.

i am storing my oil in a garage that is not heated. is my oil going bad? where should motor oil be stored? the lows at night have been around the 15-20 degrees F and highs of 40-50 degrees F during the day.

chapter 3 of the motor oil university states,"Motor oil becomes permanently thicker with exposure to northerly winter type weather. This is more of a problem to mineral based oils. Waxes form. This is why it is a bad idea to even store a bottle of oil in a cold garage. It goes bad on the garage shelf just because it is exposed to the cold."

thanks.

 

[Rand]

above freezing in basement or heated garage is ideal.

if it has to be in garage below freezing its not ideal for long term storage ie multiple of years.

 

[Chevys_n_Hawgs]

I have the same thing in my garage. Same temps. I don't think there is a problem with it. I always shake up my oil before I put it in my vehicles. I don't know if it's necessary, but I do it anyways.

 

[jcwit]

The trucks and the docks at the shipping terminals aren't heated are they?

 

[MNgopher]

I've been using motor oil that has been stored for years at our place up north in an unheated pole barn. Winters in that area routinely see temps down to -30F, and oftentimes colder than that. I've had no issues with this, other that if I need to actually use of the oil in those temps, it needs to come inside well before I need to use it.

 

[Lead Shoes]

I have yet to see any hard evidence that storing an oil in a variation of temperatures still sealed leads to it going "bad" in any reasonable amount of time.

 

[TC]

Shell suggests a recommended storage temperature of 32F – 122F for their motor oils (Google “shell 71165l 8.0”). And Mobil states their motor oils have at least a 5 yr shelf life (Google “lantz mobil shelf”). If oil separation from cold weather storage is a concern, from Valvoline: "Valvoline motor oil does not have a documented expiration date. Under optimal conditions, the product is stable for an extended period of time and 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 owner's manual. If the rating is still current, shake the container before use to blend any additives that may have settled." (Google “valvoline faqs general.”) As far as long-term storage or extreme cold storage are concerned, I got nuthin’.