[Scootervee]

Please help settle a beer fueled argument. Having been gone from Harley for about 3 years I have 2 unopened gallons of HD 360 20w50 oil in my garage. These gallons are still sealed, never been opened but have undergone 3 sub zero winters and hot summers.

Now that I have a new '14 street glide I'm thinking I now have a use for this oil. When telling this to a buddy over a few beers he tells me not to use this oil because it's gone bad from sitting in the garage all of those years, that it's probably started to break down, etc...

This makes no sense to me... What do ya think?

 

[bbally]

60 months is the standard for most top shelf oils. Synthetics can go longer.

 

[RockinHD]

Why would you even consider using that old oil ?

Why would you consider playing games to save a few bucks using that crap in your new bike ??

DON'T

Oil is affected by barometric changes in the atmosphere. heat, cold, humidity ... it's old, dispose of it and treat your bike and engine right.

AND buy your buddy a beer, he deserves it !

 

[dub]

what kind of beer?

 

[Kainam]

what kind of beer?

I'd buy him a Schlitz or a Hamm's (one that has been in storage for 3+ years), and use the oil.

 

[misinlink]

Oh boy... Let's rip the top off this jar...
Bring facts, to support your statements, you know evidence from a "qualified" source!

I dare ya...




Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App

 

[glider1]

I'd use it .

 

[webco2]

Oil does have a shelf life, of up to five years.

https://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Car_Care/AskMobil/Shelf_Life_Collection.aspx

 

[lakeforktx]

Oil is still good... But don't put that crap in your new bike...

 

[misinlink]

Oh we are on the slippery slope...
What do you suppose is in his 2014 from MOCO? :think:think

 

[misinlink]

from Bob's the Oil Guy .... Valvoline Q&A - Bob is the Oil Guy - Bob is the Oil Guy

Although motor oils can be stored in seal bottles for a very long time, Valvoline establishes the shelf-life as 5 years due to the service category upgrade. With regard to storage in an area with temperature variations, it will not affect the life or performance of nay Valvoline products, including NextGen. Valvoline recommends that oil in the engine should be changed based on what is described in the owner’s manual. (For vehicles driven very low miles, it can be considered part of good maintenance to drive the vehicle for at least 30 minutes per week at highway speeds.)

popcorn:coffee

 

[HoustonRonnie]

What if they were in the garage with an unvented clothers dryer?

 

[Dave63]

Oil doesn't go "bad" like an apple goes bad. It becomes outdated by certification.

 

[Breeze3at]

Oil can stay in the ground for millions & millions of years, but goes bad in a sealed container in the garage in 5 yrs? Lots of old oil is recycled, which just means super cleaned, maybe refined again and new additive packages added.

 

[kd5cqt]

Thanks, Pete, saved me from making that same post!

 

[gtrman66]

Oil can stay in the ground for millions & millions of years, but goes bad in a sealed container in the garage in 5 yrs? Lots of old oil is recycled, which just means super cleaned, maybe refined again and new additive packages added.

Dang, beat me to it.

 

[big [email protected]]

I'd make sure there wasn't any condensation from extreme and changing weather conditions . another words I'd transfer to another container check for water in the bottom and use what was on the top.

really check for water if dryer vented in to garage .....:spank::fitz

 

[Chief Illiniwek]

It's fine. The filter will catch the mold, or you can just remove it like the edge of a block of cheese.

 

[Scootervee]

Geesh... See what kind of trouble a few beers can get you into? Thanks for all of the replies. Although I find it hard to believe that the oil is bad I would feel like a grade a dumb-a$$ if I screwed up my new bike to save a few bucks. Since I'm kind of OCD I will worry about it all the time....I'm going to give the oil away to our local high school automotive tech school - yes I will tel them that it's 3 or 4 years old. If they don't want it I will take it with my recycled oil at the county drop off.

Thanks again for all the replies!

 

[glider1]

Send it to me , I'll let you know how it worked .