Shelf life of oil.

My guess in a good sealed container...
indefinite. Many years as long as it's a GOOD container- I've used 20 year old transmission oil in a bike with no problems.
Only factor I think would be that newer oils are always getting better.
Cheers

err couple of thousand years should be all right.
Hey there is an idea I might buy 4 barrels of crude... imagine how much it be worth in 20 years......

it be better than winning the lotto

shadow

oils (synthetic or mineral) have a high infinity for moisture.....even in sealed drums/containers...hot weather they expand ...expell some (albeit very small amount) air and then contract when its cold, sucking in fresh air along with some new moisture.....moisture condenses and is absorbed by oil until saturation and in extreme cases it then begins settles on bottom of container.
either way its going to have more moisture (PPM) than manufacturers specs
do you trust the conatiner to be perfectly air tight?.....its your call?

moisture and oil together with heat and wear metals from engine causes acids...not to mention residues from detonation in combustion chamber

hi,
work for caltex and never been told that oil has an expiry date,then again we sell oil like its petrol!! i would say its ok, have a look at it,smell it rub a little through ya fingers and see how it is...if its synthetic it should be green? i think! if there is water getting into it it should be sitting on top because they dont mix. I'd use it..temperature shouldnt worry it....it gets hot in the car anyway.
good luck,
Laura B

HAPPY INSIDE WHEN IM OUTSIDE

This is a little of the track, however the US Navy have a team that go around the sunken WW2 ships(shallow) in the South Pacific that are seeping their fuel oil and are contaminating the local habitant. They hook into the fuel tanks of these sunken vessels and pump the contents into a receiving vessel on the surface. In most cases after the fuel is returned to the USA, it is refined and reused in todays market. Not bad for 60 years on the bottom. I saw this on a doco on SBS about two years ago.

I've heard that oil doesn't go off with time. I'd still be using it.

Synthetic oil should be ok...check the inside of the drum though to see if there is any rust before you use it.... I have been told by my Castrol agent that Synthetics are not hygroscopic but mineral oils can be.