does engine oil have a expiry date???

[khalil]

hi all, might sound like a silly question , but does engine oil go off/ bad if stored for 2-3 years??

reason for the question is 2 years ago i got a bargin for 12 litres of castrol edge 5w-30 longlife oil

i still got some left, one is still sealed and the other half is opened,

any views, cause i dont want to it cause any problems in the long run

cheers

 

[roman3000]

Quick search on google suggest that if unoppened it's still good to use since no water or dirt has had a chance to get it.

 

[paddy]

Its probably about 25 million years old by the time you get it

 

[khalil]

very true mate thats what i was thinking too, but you know how the net is, puts doubts in your head lol

 

[paddy]

Yea, only joking. I suppose that if left with the lid off for years then additives might evaporate off but with the lid on i would think its life was decades.
Fresh Bottled natural spring water is usually several thousand years old but always has a sell by date...usually a couple of weeks...lol

 

[a9503128]

I will go for about 1000 years, the key is to keep it contaminant free (carbon, water etc) the only risk you have with a sealed oil can is the plastic turning back into oil circa 10’000 years.


But seriously contaminant free is the key, you can safely say the oil is likley to be years old by the time you buy it anyway.

 

[khalil]

thanks bud, so the half bottle i have i am thinking its still usable right?

 

[paddy]

No worries in my opinion