Technical A Rotella oil question.

Knowing how this forum loves oil discussions almost as much as tire date codes and radial vs bias ply here is my question.
I was just offered a 55 gallon drum of Rotella 15-40 oil that was bought 40 years ago and has sat unopened in a heated tool room since time of purchase.
Non synthetic. Was the blend different then for better or worse. Will there be separation I wouldn't think oil would go bad but what do I know.
I don't need it but it fits my motto "If it's free....it's for me"
I'll sit back and let the comments

 

The 1982 Rotella T 15w40 API spec was a dual diesel and gas spec for mixed fleets. It was a high zinc, high ash oil. So it's not a low ash oil as required for newer diesels with exhaust aftertreatment. So it's perfectly good for your typical hotrod, but not your DuraMax. If stored as you described there should be no condensation issues. Personally I would have no issue using it.

 

I was taught in aviation maintenance training that pure petroleum based oil begins to break down after 12 months.
Most all oil change requirements are set on 12 months, maximum with petroleum based oils.

 

That is probably more about the additives than the oil. Petroleum oil doesn't wear out or break down in our use but the additives do and it gets dirty. I'd use it if the price is right. I'd be more picky if I was using it in the air.

 

Sounds like what commission paid oil salesman scam sales pitch ....

.

 

12 months?!!!

I think it was in the ground a wee bit longer than 12 months…

The additives may be a different story though.

 

220 quarts of oil for free is a NO BRAINER. The dinosaur that gave his life for that bbl was far older than 40 years. Get it and use it. Current price at discount is $20 a gallon - about $1,100. I wouldn't use it in a car with a cat it undoubtedly has a high zinc content.

 

My highly-trusted machinist buddy says that oil additives break down after a couple years. So he won’t use old (NOS) oil, and neither will I.

 

I'm also a machinist and I'll just pull out of thin air that the additives don't break down - so there!

I've used pretty much only NOS oil for the family fleet for many years. I have found some ten or twenty year old oil with a thin layer of what I imagine are some of the additives on the bottom of the bottle. So I pour half into the engine and then stick the bottle in a bucket of hot water and shake well to get those additives in suspension.
I'm pretty sure that once in the engine being churned up, pumped and heated, the additives will not settle out again.

You can try s****ing the bottom of the barrel with a skinny stick to see if there's anything that sticks to it. If so, try making up a really long paint stirrer driven by an electric drill to mix it up.

 

I use old 70s cans of Harley oil in my junk on a regular basis . Try to locate SAE 90 engine oil not SAE 90 gear oil . Not even sure it is produced today .

 

Retired Owner Operator truck driver here. I did all my own servicing on my truck for 26 years. I always used Shell Rotella 15-40 oil. I bought it in either 5 gallon pails or 2.5 gallon jugs. There was always a swirl of darker brown oil on the bottom of the jug or pail.

I would imagine the drum might have the same darker brown oil on the bottom.

If I had the chance to get a good deal like that I would rig up some way to stir up the bottom and have a big smile on my face with every quart I put in my Hot Rod.

 

YES ,on running it !!!

 

There is a guy on the internet, I think called The Oil Guy. He does tests on Youtube. According to him don't use old oil. He has opened cans of old oil and you should see the **** in the bottom of the cans.

 

You could rig up a pump and use an oil filter inline to make sure any bad things where filtered out (rust).

 

AI and Amazon Alexa and the lady in my new truck that tells me to buckle my seat belts say oil and additives never break down and last for ever

 

This is what the only guy on this board (Blues4U) who is actually educated on the working of oil said when this was brought up previously. I would take his word over a bunch of old guys talking out of their ***es.

"Yes engine oil does have a shelf life, as others have already pointed out it's due to settling of some of the additives, as well as condensation build up as @chessterd5 mentioned. Drums definitely breathe air through the bungs, even brand new sealed and never opened bungs will breathe; and if sitting outside with rain water collecting on the top, they will pull water into the drum. But even if they are kept under cover out of the elements in a humid environment water in the air will condense as temperatures drop overnight. Over 20 years time period there's liable to be quite a bit of condensation built up in that drum, unless you live in the desert.

I wouldn't use it except in lawn mowers and old oil burners with a lot of miles on them that really don't care so much about what type of oil they have, as long as they don't run out."

 

Gospel
Dan

 

Just thinking that at my age and how much I drive now, that would be a lifetime supply.

 

He’ll take it.

 

Yep that's lake speed jr and he has extensive experience and knowledge with lubrication. I see the video on oil that had been sitting and it didn't look like a good idea to use in anything you want to have around a while. I like how he does test and shows the results rather than just spouting opinions or old wife's tales. His test on low cost to high-cost oils were very interesting. Also has dispelled some myths about using high zinc oil in flat tappet cams to stop cam damage at break-in .

 

Personally, I'd take the word of the fellow who literally wrote the book, created his own oil company, invented 10w40 racing oil, was used in Keith Black engines, and advertised his products at Lions Drag Strip (Torco Motor Oil), but that's just me ...

 

Are you referring to Ralph Torco?

 

Condensation? You would see it. And if you didn't, once an engine is hot, it will boil out of the oil. Keep in mind that water is a byproduct of burning fuel, there will always be some present.

The great thing about people being very wary of old oil is that I can pick it up cheap to free at garage sales. A great tip I learnt from another scrounger is to ask "Do you have any oils or other solvents and chemicals you just want to get rid of?" I do let them know I'm not interested in waste oil.
It's amazing what turns up.

 

Good luck to you. My engines are too expensive to risk it.

 

So, if the **** is now at the bottom of the can, the rest of the oil is just fine...no **** left in it!

I would not use that oil in my late model cars, but I'd put it in my old ones.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...-since-you-used-motor-oil-from-a-can.1351749/

 

But what is that **** in the bottom of the can? Additives?

 

who knows? who cares?

Put it in something you don't need to last 300k miles.

 

Lawn mowers yes, an expensive car engine no. Oil is still cheap enough, so why take chances, unless it's a beater you don't care about.

 

That's what I said....

 

I think it might have been Ralph's brother Doyle. You know, a damn Doyle business....