Does anyone know how long 2-stoke oil will last that is sealed in the bottle? I have heard anywhere from 1 year to forever. My understanding is that the additives can have a reaction over time and lower the shelf life. I have some that is 10 years old, and I would like to use in some small engine applications.
How long a shelf life for 2-stroke oil
- Thread starter Bluestream
- Start date
- Status
If it is 10 years old and the container is not sealed, I wouldn't use it at all....but that's me. If it has been sealed all that time, the only way to really find out is to test it yourself. If you have an older engine laying around that you wouldn't mind losing, give it a try in that. What brand of oil is it?
GrtArtiste
GrtArtiste
The containers are sealed. I have been using it in my weed eater and chain saw. No problems yet, but I was looking for someone who knew the answer for sure. I have no shortage of opinions on this, but no real answer. The brand is Esso (Imperial Oil)
Well, I'm not your expert, and most 2 cycle mix suppliers will probably have trouble answering this one because they genearally dump their lab batch quality samples after 3 years and don't have experience with 10 yr old products.
But if the mix hasn't taken on a cloudy appearance, then it is likely still good. If anything, it will tend to burn dirty & leave some deposits. Alternating with fresh mix from another gas can would help keep the engine clean.
Do a search on this forum & you will find that most 2 cycle mixes are blended from heavy base oils, stoddard solvent or deodorized kerosene, and anti-wear additives.
These components should have a fairly long life in a sealed container.
My personal opinion is that I'd rather dump the old product than risk damaging an engine, but again, that's just my viewpoint.
But if the mix hasn't taken on a cloudy appearance, then it is likely still good. If anything, it will tend to burn dirty & leave some deposits. Alternating with fresh mix from another gas can would help keep the engine clean.
Do a search on this forum & you will find that most 2 cycle mixes are blended from heavy base oils, stoddard solvent or deodorized kerosene, and anti-wear additives.
These components should have a fairly long life in a sealed container.
My personal opinion is that I'd rather dump the old product than risk damaging an engine, but again, that's just my viewpoint.
"but I was looking for someone who knew the answer for sure."
If you stay on this forum for any length of time and read more than a few posts, you'll see for yourself very quickly that there are very few "for sure" answers. Personal experience and some trial-and-error is the best learning method. The debates rage on. What works for one application is not necessarily the best choice in another. I would venture to say that not many of us would chance upon a sealed container of 10 year old product and decide "Hey-I want to use this". IMHO..if you insist on using it...use it in a 10 year old engine.
If you stay on this forum for any length of time and read more than a few posts, you'll see for yourself very quickly that there are very few "for sure" answers. Personal experience and some trial-and-error is the best learning method. The debates rage on. What works for one application is not necessarily the best choice in another. I would venture to say that not many of us would chance upon a sealed container of 10 year old product and decide "Hey-I want to use this". IMHO..if you insist on using it...use it in a 10 year old engine.
JHZR2
Staff member
we have used 10 year ld (and some that is older, c. 1984) echo oil in 2-stroke stuff without issue. Not saying its the best or smartest thing to do, but we never had issue.
JMH
JMH
I had a case of old (20+years) original golden spectro semi-syn race oil laying around. Had some lumps in it so I used it for bar oil. Asked about it here and was told I could of diluted it with a little acetone and it should of been OK.
Also had a case of valvoline tcw-bia oil, I bought from costco when they were a new store (probably older than the spectro). Dug it out to use up in the saw for bar oil and it looked like new, so I mixed some up and ran it.
Also had a case of valvoline tcw-bia oil, I bought from costco when they were a new store (probably older than the spectro). Dug it out to use up in the saw for bar oil and it looked like new, so I mixed some up and ran it.
Here's an idea for old 2-stroke oil: mix some in the gas of your old daily driver or beater for an UCL. Mix weak, so as to not foul plugs or o2 sensors/catlyst. Over time you'll be rid of the old oil without wasting it. I've done this for years. Seems to raise the octane of the fuel somehow, too.
I thought I should ask the experts so I email Castrol Canada and got this reply:
"There is no shelf life for Castrol oil, however we would suggest that for
maximum protection and performance, the product be used within 5 years of
the date of manufacture. Regardless of the storage conditions, moisture can
get into the product via osmosis through the plastic.
You can determine the date of manufacture by locating the fill code on the
bottom of the back panel. It is composed of a series of letters and
numbers, with the first five characters being the most important.
For example, if you have C04001...., the "C" would represent the plant
location. The five digits '04001' represents the date of production. The
numbers 04 represent the last digits of the year (2004) and the '001'
represents the day of the year, based on 365 calendar days, on which it was
produced (January 1).
For C9001 '9001' represents the date of production. The number 9 represents
the last digit of the year (1999) and '001' represents the day of the year,
based on 365 calendar days, on which it was produced (January 1)."
"There is no shelf life for Castrol oil, however we would suggest that for
maximum protection and performance, the product be used within 5 years of
the date of manufacture. Regardless of the storage conditions, moisture can
get into the product via osmosis through the plastic.
You can determine the date of manufacture by locating the fill code on the
bottom of the back panel. It is composed of a series of letters and
numbers, with the first five characters being the most important.
For example, if you have C04001...., the "C" would represent the plant
location. The five digits '04001' represents the date of production. The
numbers 04 represent the last digits of the year (2004) and the '001'
represents the day of the year, based on 365 calendar days, on which it was
produced (January 1).
For C9001 '9001' represents the date of production. The number 9 represents
the last digit of the year (1999) and '001' represents the day of the year,
based on 365 calendar days, on which it was produced (January 1)."
- Status
