Thicker Oil?

[godblessmud]

I usually use 10w30 for every oil change, but i found a huge crate of 20w-50 in the garage that im assuming is left over from the 'rents old 85 camery that had 2 dead cylinders and 300000miles that we filled with the thickest sludge we could find to keep it from burning through a quart a week

anything wrong with running this oil for my next change (which is 300 miles overdue )

 

[radialarm]

You might want to wait untill it warms up some. It may cut your milage a little too.

 

[Skandocious]

Is it really worth the risk? You just spent $175 on a battery and you can't spend $15 on 10w30?

 

[godblessmud]

but...but....but...its free dinosaur!

 

[Skandocious]

but...but....but...its free dinosaur!

Lol, try selling it on craigslist.

Also-- you may want to check the expiration. Motor oil will only have a shelf life of 2-3 years.

 

[radialarm]

Also-- you may want to check the expiration.

You sound like my soon to be Xwife. She would throw out shampoo because it was expired.

 

[Skandocious]

You sound like my soon to be Xwife. She would throw out shampoo because it was expired.

I dont screw around when it comes to my truck

 

[Brian_B]

Lol, try selling it on craigslist.

Also-- you may want to check the expiration. Motor oil will only have a shelf life of 2-3 years.

Your kidding...right?

Who knows how long that stuff sits in a warehouse, before it ever gets shipped to a store warehouse (I.E. O'reilly auto parts warehouse in Springfield, MO), before it gets shipped to a store. Plus a lot of us buy it by the case and use it over time.

Are you really serious?

 

[Skandocious]

Your kidding...right?

Who knows how long that stuff sits in a warehouse, before it ever gets shipped to a store warehouse (I.E. O'reilly auto parts warehouse in Springfield, MO), before it gets shipped to a store. Plus a lot of us buy it by the case and use it over time.

Are you really serious?

Run a page search for "shelf life"
http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_motor_oil_have_a_shelf_life

 

[Brian_B]

From your first link:

I couldn't decide whether to put this in the FAQ or the main page, so it's in both, because I get asked this question a lot. Typically, the question is along the lines of "GenericAutoSuperStore are having a sale on WickedlySlippy Brand synthetic oil. If I buy it now, how long can I keep if before I use it?"
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:

It is not as drastic as I assumed. Leave them sealed and unopened. Out of the sunlight. Plus don't put old oil in one of the fancy new cars. They require new stuff.

Not an issue. I had a heck of a time finding the oil that I need for the truck in the first place. Today's oils will destroy my engine. The government took the additives out of oil that flat tappet engines require. Racing oil (off-road only) still has it (for now).

 

[Skandocious]

From your first link:



It is not as drastic as I assumed. Leave them sealed and unopened. Out of the sunlight. Plus don't put old oil in one of the fancy new cars. They require new stuff.

Not an issue. I had a heck of a time finding the oil that I need for the truck in the first place. Today's oils will destroy my engine. The government took the additives out of oil that flat tappet engines require. Racing oil (off-road only) still has it (for now).

So that quote is just saying that it DOES have a shelf life, and generally its okay to use older oil on an older car, but it's better to be safe than sorry

 

[Brian_B]

Yes...4 or 5 years that says. I think (just guessing here) that the main point is not putting old oil in the newer cars without doing some checking. Am I way off base?

Assuming someone has not opened them or left them out in the sun.

Now see...this is another issue that modern technology has caused. In the old days...they were in paper (cardboard) and would leak after a year or two. No way to use 5 or 6 year old oil that way!

When I buy oil for either of mine...I generally buy a case. I have no clue how old the cases are when I get them, but I doubt they are that old. The truck takes racing oil and the explorer gets motorcraft 5W-30.

 

[masterbeavis]

Heh, shake it up before use to get the stuff on the bottom back in suspension! Seriously tho, using 20-50 in a motor that needs 10-30 will stress alot of things, and cause un needed startup wear cuz the oil is taking too long to get pumped around.

Maybe you can just add 1 quart per oil change and use it over time?

 

[eco]

From what I understand as long as the motor oil is in a sealed container it can sit for a long time. Keeping it out of sunlight makes sense to, I have not heard that before though.

I bought up LOTS of Shell Rotella T in the 10w30 weight (diesel oil additive pack in a gas motor oil weight, unique stuff). This was the older stuff with loads of ZDDP before they switched over to the new stuff with less ZDDP. I was told to keep is sealed and shake it up before use because some of the additives will sink to the bottom. I also bought up lots of GMEOS....same thing....keep it sealed and shake it up I was told.

 

[Brian_B]

A lot of the Y-block guys stocked up when the rotella still had it in there. I was not aware of the change in it until it was already done.

I missed it.

 

[blackhat620]

From what I understand as long as the motor oil is in a sealed container it can sit for a long time.

Absoulutely!

Oil going bad and "expiring" is a crock of crap. As long as it is in its sealed container it will not absorb moisture or contaminents and its additives will not mysteriously disappear.

I bought up LOTS of Shell Rotella T in the 10w30 weight (diesel oil additive pack in a gas motor oil weight, unique stuff). This was the older stuff with loads of ZDDP before they switched over to the new stuff with less ZDDP. I was told to keep is sealed and shake it up before use because some of the additives will sink to the bottom. I also bought up lots of GMEOS....same thing....keep it sealed and shake it up I was told.

Diesel rated oil (HDEO) has the most robust additive packages of any oil on the market. If you have older engines the ZDDP add packs in diesel oil will be of great benefit to engine longevity.

As far as using older rated oils in a newer engine, the only side effect may be shortened catalytic converter life, other than that no harm will be done to the engine. Also most newer gasoline rated oils main changes were to the base stocks. Using thinner basestocks allowed for a slight increase in mpg, which makes the feds happy, even if the engine life is shortened slightly.

 

[Skandocious]

Absoulutely!

Oil going bad and "expiring" is a crock of crap. As long as it is in its sealed container it will not absorb moisture or contaminents and its additives will not mysteriously disappear.

Hmph... Not questioning the "correctness" of your statement... But by that reasoning-- couldn't I keep a jug of milk for years without fear of expiration as long as it's sealed?

Believe it or not, that plastic bottle DOES have tiny pores in it. How do you think latex balloons can hold water and yet when you blow them up they're deflated within a few days?

 

[eco]

I stocked up on about 50 gallons of the older Rotella T 10w30 and about 12 pints of GMEOS....I got it all for fairly cheap too.

 

[blackhat620]

A lot of the Y-block guys stocked up when the rotella still had it in there. I was not aware of the change in it until it was already done.

I missed it.

The Shell Rotella 'Multigrade' is still available and has ZDDP. It is a CI-4 rated oil.
http://www.shell.com/home/Framework...html/iwgen/products/product_rotellamulti.html

Here is a link to CI-4 rated oils that still contain ZDDP
http://eolcs.api.org/FindBrandByServiceCategory.asp?ServiceCategory=CI-4

 

[eco]

Hmph... Not questioning the "correctness" of your statement... But by that reasoning-- couldn't I keep a jug of milk for years without fear of expiration as long as it's sealed?

Believe it or not, that plastic bottle DOES have tiny pores in it. How do you think latex balloons can hold water and yet when you blow them up they're deflated within a few days?

I am not exactly sure, but probably because oil additives consist of things like zinc, detergents and stuff like that. These kinds of things don't go bad by sitting where as diary products do. Bacteria gets drawn to milk and will cause it to spoil; that wont happen with motor oil.

Another thought....brake oil. It comes in plastic containers just like motor oil. It says on the brake oil bottle not to let it sit around once it's open, otherwise it can sit around. If you open it you have to use it within a certain time because moisture will get to it and it will corrode the brake lines and thats a safety hazzard.