Can anyone help me with "what is the shelf life of Oil", In my barn I have gear oil, hydraulic oil, and motor oil including chain saw oil, that is at least 13 years old or older??? So is it time to take it to the recycle store or is any of it usable. In the last week I have been replacing all the fluids of my Case 580 D, but have been afraid of using anything stored in my barn, am I wrong??? Don Santa Cruz
Years ago I ran an oil yard, we'd have stuff that was old, send it in for testing get it back and restock it. Is there any way you can have it tested? Unless it has had some sort of foreign matter introduced I'd imagine it's still fine. If you feel it's not up to par then don't use it, better to have peace of mind then worrying about what might happen.
Lubricants do not breakdown until they are put in use and as Maddog stated, as long as no foreign matter was introduced, they should be fine.
I agree oil can last for years as long as you keep the water and dirt out