Old Oil - How long is it still usable?

[csanders99]

I brought 4 quarts of Honda HP4 synthetic motorcycle oil home from my Dad's house last year and it had been sitting around for at least 3 years prior to that. It has never been opened and I would like to use it in my FJR now, is there a time limit to use oil even if it has never been opened?

Thanks in advanced, Chuck

 

[03HiYoSilver]

csanders,

I read this about HP4, "HP4 is a synthetic

blend, which means it probably has 25% to 33% synthetic in it."

Since it is NOT a Full synthetic, I would use it in my lawnmower or something and not my cycle. Petroleum, based on my understanding does break down over time and for $10-15 is it worth the risk?

 

[SLK50]

I borrowed this from The Engine Oil Bible:

In general, liquid lubricants (ie. oils, not greases) will remain intact for a number of years. The main factor affecting the life of the oil is the storage condition for the products. Exposure to extreme temperature changes, and moisture will reduce the shelf life of the lubricants. ie. don't leave in the sun with the lid off. Best to keep them sealed and unopened.

Technically, engine oils have shelf lives of four to five years. However, as years pass, unused engine oils can become obsolete and fail to meet the technical requirements of current engines. The specs get updated regularly based on new scientific testing procedures and engine requirements. But this is only really a concern if you've bought a brand new car but have engine oil you bought for the previous car. An oil that is a number of years old might not be formulated to meet the requirements set for your newer engine.

If your unopened containers of engine oil are more than three years old, read the labels to make sure they meet the latest industry standards. If they do meet the current standards, you might want to take the extra precaution of obtaining oil analysis before using them. An oil analysis will check for key properties of the oil and ensure that it still meets the original manufacturing specs. Of course the cost of getting an analysis done on old oil is probably going to outweigh going and buying fresh stuff. So it's a double-edged sword.

As a general rule, the simpler the oil formulation, the longer the shelf life. The following is a guideline under protected conditions:

Product Shelf Life

Base Oils, Process Oils 3 years

Hydraulic Oils, Compressor Oils, General Purpose Lubricating Oils 2 years

Engine Oils and Transmission Oils 3 years

Industrial and Automotive Gear Oils 2 years

Metal Working and Cutting Oils 1 year

 

[HartClimbs]

I thought heat was the biggest contributor to oil breakdown. I would think the shelf life of an unopened container would be longer than just a few years (unless you stored it in hell or some other high heat area!). It's an interesting question though.

There's folks on the board who actually KNOW about this stuff. My two cents is only worth one cent...as it's just an uninformed opinion.

Edit: According to Mobil's website their recommended shelf life for unopened containers of engine oil is 5 yrs.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

Even the simplist/most basic lubricating oils usually contain an additive called 'oxidation inhibitor' to help it last for some time. Older petroleum engine oils contained metallic additives while many newer oils have organic additives and the newest synthetic lubes are 'designed' and pretty much all organic.

Not that any of this matters much. Though I'd guess that the old 'metallic' additives probably wouldn't change much over time. But, all substances are subject to the ravages of time and their environment. The longer the time and the more radical the environment -- the more the chance of chemical reactions....

In the automotive/engine world its long been recco'd to change your engine oil (at least) every year -- even if you didn't use the vehicle.

I don't know if this answers your question -- but, it might be food for thought....?

 

[csanders99]

Thanks for the response everybody, I think I'll play it safe and buy some fresh oil.

Chuck

 

[El Toro]

In the automotive/engine world its long been recco'd to change your engine oil (at least) every year -- even if you didn't use the vehicle.I don't know if this answers your question -- but, it might be food for thought....?

One of the primary reasons for recommending that oil be changed every year whether you use the engine or not is the issue of condensation. Condensation is worse if you run the engine for short periods once in a while, but it can come about even in an engine that is just "sitting around" under the wrong storage conditions.

Plain ol' SAE multi-weight dino oil ought to have a long shelf life if its sealed and not subjected to extreme conditions.

I've been studying how to make synthetic fuels lately, but this may cease now that gas is so cheap syn fuels aren't feasible again. I paid $1.819 for 87 octane gasohol for the truck yesterday.

It appears that synthetics are still basically relatively stable hydrocarbons. The stability of the additives would seem important, but one of the advantages of synthetic oils seems to be that they will take a lot more punishment without degrading.

I have to be honest, I probably would offer the "found" oil to a friend on a budget and buy new myself.... but I'm not sure that this is rational.

Meanwhile, I'm moving my Yamalube 20W40 and my FJR final drive oil into cold storage . I've got enough to last about 5 years at my rate of use.

 

[FJR919]

I borrowed this from The Engine Oil Bible:
In general, liquid lubricants (ie. oils, not greases) will remain intact for a number of years. The main factor affecting the life of the oil is the storage condition for the products. Exposure to extreme temperature changes, and moisture will reduce the shelf life of the lubricants. ie. don't leave in the sun with the lid off. Best to keep them sealed and unopened.

Technically, engine oils have shelf lives of four to five years. However, as years pass, unused engine oils can become obsolete and fail to meet the technical requirements of current engines. The specs get updated regularly based on new scientific testing procedures and engine requirements. But this is only really a concern if you've bought a brand new car but have engine oil you bought for the previous car. An oil that is a number of years old might not be formulated to meet the requirements set for your newer engine.

If your unopened containers of engine oil are more than three years old, read the labels to make sure they meet the latest industry standards. If they do meet the current standards, you might want to take the extra precaution of obtaining oil analysis before using them. An oil analysis will check for key properties of the oil and ensure that it still meets the original manufacturing specs. Of course the cost of getting an analysis done on old oil is probably going to outweigh going and buying fresh stuff. So it's a double-edged sword.

As a general rule, the simpler the oil formulation, the longer the shelf life. The following is a guideline under protected conditions:

Product Shelf Life

Base Oils, Process Oils 3 years

Hydraulic Oils, Compressor Oils, General Purpose Lubricating Oils 2 years

Engine Oils and Transmission Oils 3 years

Industrial and Automotive Gear Oils 2 years

Metal Working and Cutting Oils 1 year

Thanks for the interesting info. Do you have a reference to the shelf life of grease and is there a difference for synthetic?

 

[FJR1300Mark]

Ditto on most of what has been said.

If the bottle has an airtight seal - film of some sort not paper and not just a screw cap - then 3 years is ok.

If not use it in the lawn mover or use one quart along with 3 new ones if you still feel you have to save a $.

If it is not an airtight seal , then after 3 years it has been exposed to mosture too long.

2cents

 

[old&slow]

I brought 4 quarts of Honda HP4 synthetic motorcycle oil home from my Dad's house last year and it had been sitting around for at least 3 years prior to that. It has never been opened and I would like to use it in my FJR now, is there a time limit to use oil even if it has never been opened?
Thanks in advanced, Chuck

Nothing to do with the age of oil ,,,, But I used Honda HP 4 Gold in my CBR 1000 F once and it caused the clutch to slip...

Guess it had some moly or something in it,,, anyway , Drained it after less than 100 miles,,, and went back to my normal oil...

Have No idea if it's the same stuff,,, several years and oil changes ago....

 

[Duezzer]

When oil is left on the shelf for extended periods of time it tends to get lonely,

It will start to talk with anything in the area

Maybe a tube of grease or a bottle of windshild juice

As these chems start to banter about ideas a very strange thing can happen

They tend to become - judgmentle, paranoid and even sarcastic

I don't think this will ruin the fluid but be warned any other fluids left behind on the shelf will be even lonelier and may revolt one day