Shelf life of oil

[mechatron]

Hi Guys,

Quick question. What's the average shelf life of oil? I have a few 5L containers of Castrol Edge 10w-60 that I bought in Nov 2013 - would these still be ok to use for an oil change tomorrow? These containers of oil have always been stored in a shady spot away from direct sunlight. Thanks guys

[IJ.]

Sealed containers?

Can't see any reason not to use it at all.

[mechatron]

Thanks for the reply IJ. I have one container that has about 2L left and the other two containers have never been opened

[IJ.]

There "might" be something volatile in the additive packs that may have evaporated in the open container but I doubt it would make any difference at all, the sealed ones would be perfect..

[mechatron]

Sweet, thanks buddy. I'll chuck this 2L one out & use the other two

[mechatron]

Any idea how long oil can sit on the shelf if the container is still sealed?

[IJ.]

Any idea how long oil can sit on the shelf if the container is still sealed?

Quick Google turned this up>
Normal Shelf Life: In general, the recommended shelf life for oils and greases is typically five years when stored properly in the original sealed containers.

But the Valvoline site says "extended periods" as long as you give it a bit of a shake to mix the additives in it'll be fine, it's been in the ground for a long long time, it's just the extra stuff that might be an issue, even then as long as it meets the engines requirements on the label I think it'd be fine out to 10+ years.

[mechatron]

Damn that's a long time hey. Thanks again IJ