Old Oil ??

[Idaho]

I have some old unopened quarts of Quaker State oil. They could be 30 years old, maybe more.

Is this oil no good?

[stormalong]

Sell lit on Ebay. Someone will buy it.

[valhalla360]

Yes, No, Maybe, probably, might be different spec, who knows...

If it's fully sealed, probably OK but unless you have cases of the stuff, probably best to just reserve if for the lawn mower.

[dougweibel]

I wouldn't put it into an expensive engine. Maybe not worth the trouble of selling on Ebay but it is likely there is someone that would use it. For example, putting it into a lawn mower or similar. There may be a local thrift store that will take it.

[stormalong]

There are collectors of old gas station items. People who set up complete stations with pumps and store displays. I would expect there would be a market for sealed cans of oil.

Many collectors of many things.

I was only half joking in my earlier post.

[Gary Mc]

It likely has not degraded that much but there have been big improvements in engine oil in the last 30 years, so I might use it in a lawn mower.

[Cheechako]

If it's old enough to be low detergent QS, it never was any good to start with.

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by Idaho

I have some old unopened quarts of Quaker State oil. They could be 30 years old, maybe more.

Is this oil no good?

The question is.....

What is the API rating on the oil??

Engine manufacturers publish the recommended API rating of the oil. Each rating supersedes the previous and is backward compatible. So an old engine can use newer API ratings, while new engines don't recommend using older API ratings.

EXAMPLE: (Gas Engines)

STATUS = Current
SP: Introduced in 2020
SN: for 2020 and older
SM: For 2010 and older
SL: 2004 and older
SJ: 2001 and older

STATUS = Obsolete (With Cautions)

SH: 1996 and older
SG: 1993 and older

So, if the oil is 30 years old, it's probably "SF"

SF: CAUTION: Not suitable for use in most gasoline-powered automotive engines built after 1988. May not provide adequate protection against build-up of engine sludge.

IMHO....I don't have anything that old and would have no use for it.


https://www.api.org/products-and-ser...s#tab-gasoline

[Finalee]

Use it in an old engine.

[dannc]

The oil is almost certainly ok, but oil and engine specifications have changed, so using in a new engine could be problematic.

Blackstone Labs, which does used oil tests, bought some old oil off of Ebay and it was still to specification.

Later,
Dan

[JPA Cate]

Fishermen will add it to the diesel fuel tank, and consume it there.

It can be given to fire departments for use in the torches that they use to start back fires, or to use on anything that wants lubricating.

It can be used to oil squeaky hinges.

And, of course, as mentioned above, used in old engines as a lubricant.

Back in the days when we used to open oil cans with metal beer can openers, I used to save the last few drops for my oil can.

Ann

[StuM]

The recommended shelf life of motor oil is generally up to about 5-8 years if kept in good conditions


A g ood article to help answer your question:
https://www.repairsmith.com/i/blog/d...or-oil-expire/

[Celestialsailor]

I understand the town of Geneva uses old oil once in awhile to track down the living dead...

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

I understand the town of Geneva uses old oil once in awhile to track down the living dead...

That belongs in the joke thread :-)

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by AKA-None

That belongs in the joke thread :-)

I would imagine a lot of my posts do. For some reason I just can't take life seriously.