is 7 year old unused unopened oil any good?
 

I was cleaning the garage when I found some 10W-30 oil, unopened, still
sealed in its container. It was bought 7 years ago and hasn't been
used at all, just forgotten.

Can this oil be used in my next oil change or should I just recycle it
at the local recycling facility?

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> I was cleaning the garage when I found some 10W-30 oil, unopened, still
> sealed in its container. It was bought 7 years ago and hasn't been
> used at all, just forgotten.
>
> Can this oil be used in my next oil change

Yes. After laying in the ground millions of years, 7 years more ain't going
to
be even noticed.

Ted

wrote:

> I found some 10W-30 oil, unopened, still sealed in its
> container. It was bought 7 years

> Can this oil be used in my next oil change or should
> I just recycle it at the local recycling facility?

For gasoline engines, the owner's manual will probably recommend an API
quality grade (www.api.org) like SG, SH, SJ, or SL (best), and if your
can of oil is at least that good, then you can use it without problems,
provided it's also of the right viscosity range and you shake it up.

wrote:

> I found some 10W-30 oil, unopened, still sealed in its
> container. It was bought 7 years

> Can this oil be used in my next oil change or should
> I just recycle it at the local recycling facility?

For gasoline engines, the owner's manual will probably recommend an API
quality grade (www.api.org) like SG, SH, SJ, or SL (best), and if your
can of oil is at least that good, then you can use it without problems,
provided it's

wrote:

> I found some 10W-30 oil, unopened, still sealed in its
> container. It was bought 7 years

> Can this oil be used in my next oil change or should
> I just recycle it at the local recycling facility?

For gasoline engines, the owner's manual will probably recommend an API
quality grade (www.api.org) like SG, SH, SJ, or SL (best), and if your
can of oil is at least that good, then you can use it without problems,
provided it's of the right viscosity range, but shake it up anyway.

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>I was cleaning the garage when I found some 10W-30 oil, unopened, still
> sealed in its container. It was bought 7 years ago and hasn't been
> used at all, just forgotten.
>
> Can this oil be used in my next oil change or should I just recycle it
> at the local recycling facility?

Most refiners specify 3-5 years shelf life for plain dino oils depending on
the storage conditions.

John Kunkel wrote:
>
> > wrote in message
> ups.com...
> >I was cleaning the garage when I found some 10W-30 oil, unopened, still
> > sealed in its container. It was bought 7 years ago and hasn't been
> > used at all, just forgotten.
> >
> > Can this oil be used in my next oil change or should I just recycle it
> > at the local recycling facility?
>
> Most refiners specify 3-5 years shelf life for plain dino oils depending on
> the storage conditions.

Refiners would specify a 30 day shelf life if they thought
they could get away with it. If the oil is in a sealed
container that prevents humidity contamination and evaporation
of any volatile additives then it will stay useable for a
very, very long time, specification changes aside.

JazzMan
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JazzMan wrote:

> John Kunkel wrote:
>
> wrote in message
roups.com...
>>
>>>I was cleaning the garage when I found some 10W-30 oil, unopened, still
>>>sealed in its container. It was bought 7 years ago and hasn't been
>>>used at all, just forgotten.
>>>
>>>Can this oil be used in my next oil change or should I just recycle it
>>>at the local recycling facility?
>>
>>Most refiners specify 3-5 years shelf life for plain dino oils depending on
>>the storage conditions.
>
>
> Refiners would specify a 30 day shelf life if they thought
> they could get away with it. If the oil is in a sealed
> container that prevents humidity contamination and evaporation
> of any volatile additives then it will stay useable for a
> very, very long time, specification changes aside.

Again, what's the conditions and the bottle/can integrity? If it's
hermetically sealed (can or foil/plastic sealed bottle) then it
should be fine. If it's a bottle where the seal is just the plastic
cap, then I would be wary. Some caps have an insert to form a
better seal. I've seen bottles leaking a little in the box, which
suggests that the bottle wasn't perfectly sealed.

As for what's in the ground, we're talking buried deep within the
earth with little exposure to oxygen gas or water.

I suspect that it would likely be OK. A full bottle has only a
little room for air, which might result in a little water vapor
condensation. It's probably not a huge problem though.

> As for what's in the ground, we're talking buried deep within the
> earth with little exposure to oxygen gas or water.

Tell me you are kidding about your comment, "with little exposure to oxygen
gas or water". Seriously, removing water is a huge part of the oil refining
process, and water and air are routinely used as aids in the extraction of
hydrocarbons.