Does motor oil have a shelf life? I may be able to get about 100 qts of oil in their original steel and cardboard cans from an estate cleanout. All different brands and weights. I have been told that they are probably 30-40 yrs old and all still sealed. The best part is they are mine for the taking. Are they worth the effort?
I have a collection of about 200 cans and when the paper ones start to leak I stick in the old spout and in the car it goes. Use it! If your going to collect or sell the empty cans, open the can from the bottom.
If used strain with paint strainer ,To a collector you might have a score .I dont know what the market is for old motor oil,As far as I know its forever unopened and sealed /
I've sold and traded several full and empty oil quarts over the years, Check a website like oldgas.com depending on the brands and condition you may be pleasantly surprised! I've sold several $25+ some are very collectable.
I'm gonna get in touch with the executor and tell him I'll take em! You never know what else is in that garage, the family is clueless about cars. There might be something else worth grabbing.
G'day, How about old coolant in gallon cans? I have a can of Texaco coolant that is older than me, and I'm older than dirt. Still good?? The coolant I mean. ms
Oil does not wear out. Oil becomes contaminated, and additives break down from use, not from sitting in a can unused. New oil does not have the zinc and other additives older oil has. Using old (vintage) coolant offers no advantage to currently available coolant. Some modern coolants can be corrosive in an old engine, but comparing old and new oil, vs. old and new coolant is not apples to apples.
so help them out, and offer to help them sell at a fair price if they have other things to sell... they've obviously shown you some courtesy and trust, do the same in return. tell that to a fresh flat tappet camshaft...
Might be from the MS/ML/MM rating era. MS ( Motor Severe) had a detergent/antiwear package to make it suitable for high temp and high load service. That's the minimum I'd put in an engine. The performance was on the "honor system." I had a can of unopened , few decades old (Kendall?) grow a gelatinous mass. Kind of like the "mothers" that grow in old vinegar. If I was tempted to use the oil I'd slowly pour it in a big Pyrex measuring cup for a good visual inspection first.
False. Temperature changes in the can do NOT affect the oil. As long as its sealed and clean, it is good. It takes 600+ million years for organic material to turn to oil, so I'm sure 40 years on a shelf won't be a big deal. Oil made now is full of crappy detergents and is lacking zinc (ZDDP). Its not the oil that has improved, it is metallurgy and engine technology.
UPDATE Got the oil today, 23 qts LEHIGH 30W , 23 qts LEHIGH 20W , 6 qts citgo 10-30w , 6 qts Chevron ZEROLENE 10w , 6 qts Quaker State 10-20-30w , 1 Wolfs head 10-40w, 1 mobil 10-40 ,2 qts Dupont ZERONE anti freeze , 1 qt RISLONE , 1 old can of STP , 3 cans of Motor medic. Don't know if i'll ever use it but I couldn't see it go to the dump!
Check the collectibles market for The Wolf's Head brand. Look for ZIP codes on the can in manufacturer's address. No ZIP means pre-60 or so.
I wouldn't mind a can that said Lehigh on it. A small local gas chain that gave up in 1994 had an auction here a couple years ago and was selling old cases of oil for $15 - in the cans, but the cans were kind of leaky after all that time. 15 cans a case. I figured for that money it couldn't hurt, when I got home I put it in some tins I had here, used one in one of my trucks no problems. I mean what the heck, I was getting it at about 1/3 what it costs now - but they were selling it at the 1994 price more or less. Everyone was happy. I know I asked on here, then, too, and pretty much all the answers were go ahead and use it. They even had some in bulk in the tanks and seems like they'd pump you out as much as you wanted for pretty cheap.
Isn't oil like a million years old when it comes out of the ground? I don't think an extra 20 years would hurt it. That's what I said the last time I got some old oil like that.
i read some where the MFG recomends no more then 5 years..but..sure they want you to buy more.. I think if its stored properly and now a days in the plastic bottles..it will out last my life time for sure maybe just give it a good shaking before pouring it out so all the additives get a blending
Unfortunately that is not true. My next door neighbor was an engineer for Union 76 for 30+ years. he told me that refined oil does break down over time. The additives become unstable and the old cardboard "cans" will wick moisture into them causing unseen condensation. Temperature changes will increase oxidation of the oil as well. Many manufacturers state that oil has a shelf life of about 3 years. He felt this was more like 5-7 years. The other thing to think about is that oil technology 40 years ago was no where near what it is today. for the cost of oil (cheap insurance) is it worth it? Raw crude and refined oil are two very different things so yes 20-40 years does matter.
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