Very old Castrol gear oil...

[mikerider]

While cleaning up my garage, I found several bottles of unopened Castrol gear oil that are at least 15+ years old. It said GL-5 on the back. They were for my Ford Bronco's limited slip differential back then.

Can I use these on the FJR? Not that I want to save money, but I hate to let it go to waste.

If it's not suitable, then I'll just take them to recycle.

Thanks!

 

[Panman]

80-90 should work, Hypoy C. We need to do some googling.

 

[FJRay]

I'd use it.

 

[MCRIDER007]

I'd use it.

So would I, especially if the container had not been opened.

 

[mikerider]

THank you all! The bottles are still sealed. I'll use it then

Here is on the back of the bottle:

 

[HotRodZilla]

That stuff is already millions of years old. What's 15 more gonna hurt? I'd use every drop!

 

[John d]

I'd use it too.

 

[Steve in Phx]

me too

 

[mcatrophy]

Doesn't even look old to me. I'm used to oil in metal containers, plastic containers are a recent invention as far as I'm concerned.

But then I'm very, very old.

 

[Spud]

I'd e-bay the **** to some rich ***** with a huge collection of bikes that never get ridden, market it as "period appropriate oil" for the bikes of that vintage. Probably get $50/bottle or so....

 

[Klubis]

Ok, call me crazy, but here's what I would do were I in your boots. I have all this old gear oil that I didn't know I had. The money was spent a long time ago. Collectively, they may have cost $100, I don't know. The oil is older than my bike. My bike cost orders of magnitude more than the oil. Am I willing to take a chance with the bike in order to not be wasteful with the old oil I didn't know I had, or should I spend $13 for some new gear oil? Not without an analysis (which will cost more than $13). I'm donating or recycling it. I'm a believer in whoever's law it is that proposes if something can go wrong it will go wrong. I don't want to toast my final drive like a BMW. But that's just me, and I'm heavily outnumbered by the other posts. Let your prospective peace of mind guide you.

 

[deagle]

I'm with Klubis. I'm all for being a cheap frugal SOB, but for how often I have to change the gear oil, I use the Yammie stuff and don't worry about it.

 

[HotRodZilla]

He said it was "unopened." What could have happened to it?

 

[Bugnatr]

That stuff is already millions of years old. What's 15 more gonna hurt? I'd use every drop!

+1

Yamaha lube....Bawahahaha I use the money I save for gas. Used napa gear oil in the Feejeer and now the wing and it still works.

When was the last final drive toasting on either of those bikes? Were not talking BMW's

 

[hppants]

Well I toasted my final drive on my (since crashed and replaced) 2014.

However, that was because I didn't torque the drain plug, and she **** the oil out 100-ish miles from home.

Nothing like a whale **** thread to break up the week....

 

[Klubis]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="HotRodZilla" data-cid="1335697" data-time="1473261148"><p>

He said it was "unopened." What could have happened to it?</p></blockquote>

Stuff has a shelf life, probably including oil. 15 years worth of unopened day/night, winter/summer, hi/lo humidity, whatever. Sitting in a plastic container (we all know they contaminate whatever is in them, right?). Hey if it floats your boat, have at it. What if you found a 12 pack of 15 year old condoms? Unopened condoms. What could have happened to them? Like I said, call me crazy, but I'm not using the old stuff unless I have an engineer sight off that it's ok. For the sake of 13$?

 

[Klubis]

Mobil recommends 5 years shelf life for oils and greases. I couldn't find Castrols guides.

 

[TomInPA]

Oil not exposed to sunlight, air or anything that can cause deterioration is like fine wine. You have to taste it to see if it's aged too long.

 

[redzgrider]

While the oil is undoubtedly fine, the containers may not be. I've been rearranging my garage (new 52" tool box!) and when I relocated some motor and gear oil in quite aged plastic bottles, no less than two of them decided now was a good time to crack and dribble. Nice puddle.