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Oil shelf life

laz

Well Known Member
I was putting away my latest supply of Aeroshell 15W50W oil when I noticed that there was a stamp on a case I purchased a few years ago (3 1/2 to be exact) that said "use by jun3 2019". I did not know that oil had a shelf life.

I went on to the shell website and di find that shell says Aircraft oil that has not been used after 4 years need to be tested. Of course the testing cost more than the oil. This restriction is not just for multigrain oil, It to all their aviation oil.

Anybody have any info on this. I could not find a contact on the shell website.
 
Iil

I found this out after I sold my 172. I had a case of expired oil left over and tried to give it away. No one would take it... talked to the local mechanic and he showed me the expiration date. He alluded to product liability...
 
Aside from the "use by date", the base oil will last for many, many years if sealed. Now, the additive package will last about 10 years, although you might get some settling.

With 3.5 year oil, no issue for your own use. Just give the jugs a good shake before you pour them in.

For reference, I have a phillips X/C 20w-50 drum of oil that's over 8 years old. The last oil analysis, after 50 hours running, showed the oil was in great shape with lubricity in the middle of the sample band.

Now, if you're selling it...that's where the liability ridden Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt line of thinking comes in.
 
Gee, and to think that stuff sat deep underground for 60 million years without expiring. Isn't marketing amazing :D What next, putting a date on beer? Oh, wait...
 
Gee, and to think that stuff sat deep underground for 60 million years without expiring. Isn't marketing amazing :D What next, putting a date on beer? Oh, wait...

Difference is, if you are doing it right, beer should not sit in frig without drinking or you are not buying beer you like or having enough down time to relax and enjoy. Oil on the other hand, if doing right, you want to be frugal and buy large quantities when on sale or you are spending extra dollars on oil that could be used for avgas.

Unfortunately they stamp date on the oil case. I always take out of case to put up on the shelf so my oil no longer has an expiration date.
 
Iil

The case that I got rid of, the bottles were stamped...

The oil in those bottles bears very little resemblance to the oil that has been in the ground for 65 million years...
 
I found this out after I sold my 172. I had a case of expired oil left over and tried to give it away. No one would take it... talked to the local mechanic and he showed me the expiration date. He alluded to product liability...

Doesn't appear to be an "expiration date". It's a re-test date based on NATO Standardization Agreement STANAG 3149 (Edition 8) entitled “Minimum Quality Surveillance of Petroleum Products.

Read here:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pdf/aeroshellshelf.pdf
 
X/C 20/50 has no such date that I could find, but my glasses were in the airplane and wifey was letting me know she was ready to go.
 
X/C 20/50 has no such date that I could find, but my glasses were in the airplane and wifey was letting me know she was ready to go.

I was just about to post the same thing. Phillips 66 X/C made in Houston Texas doesn?t have any expiration dates on the bottles or the case.
 
I was just about to post the same thing. Phillips 66 X/C made in Houston Texas doesn?t have any expiration dates on the bottles or the case.

Could be the oil is older then when they started marking the date. Don?t think the dating started until five or six years ago.
If I end up with some out dated stuff just use it in air cooled Motorcycle!
 
Could be the oil is older then when they started marking the date. Don?t think the dating started until five or six years ago.
If I end up with some out dated stuff just use it in air cooled Motorcycle!

Bought it from Aircraft Spruce last year.
 
Bought mine last week from a high volume shop and it was still stacked in the corner fresh off the truck. Hadn?t even made it to the shelf yet.
 
I have a couple of quarts of Phillips xc I bought in 1992. Should I worry about using it before it gets old. Back then nobody ever thought about it getting old. Maybe it is a recent thing.
 
I did find the re-testing document on the Aeroshell site. I only have the one case that is " out of date". I will call aeroshell to see what they say, but I plan on using the oil. May mix it with some new. The bottom line is the Oil I have has been stored well and I doubt there is a issue.

Thanks for all the Input , but at least I made some aware of this shelf life issue.
 
I did find the re-testing document on the Aeroshell site. I only have the one case that is " out of date". I will call aeroshell to see what they say, but I plan on using the oil. May mix it with some new. The bottom line is the Oil I have has been stored well and I doubt there is a issue.

Thanks for all the Input , but at least I made some aware of this shelf life issue.

I asked Aeroshell at AirVenture Oshkosh 2017 and was told not to use the oil in an airplane after the expiration date.
 
The interesting thing is there is no "expiration date on the quart bottles. there is a manufacture date. Sure would like to know what the reason is?
 
I asked Aeroshell at AirVenture Oshkosh 2017 and was told not to use the oil in an airplane after the expiration date.

Was your contact someone from the formulation side, or a random pick from the booth staff?
 
I asked Aeroshell at AirVenture Oshkosh 2017 and was told not to use the oil in an airplane after the expiration date.

Of coarse that is his answer. Shell put the date on so they are going to say you need to follow it. Liability is reason for why they put the date on and liability for why his only answer could be that you honor the date.

I am very interested to find out why, after years of no date, did they now put it on. Lawsuit? New law? New lawyer? New additive that breaks down in oil? New additive that breaks down oil? New recommendation from Lycoming?
 
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