12 year old oil, any good?

[YanmarFever]

I have a pallet of Mahindra hydraulic and diesel engine oil left over in another shop, Its in gallon and 5 gallon containers.
Would it be safe to put this in my tractors? 12 years is a bit out there.

 

[Chewwy]

IMO, it will be fine. Pretty sure there is no sell by date on those products.

 

[Captain Dirty]

They are your tractors. Hydraulic oil is less likely to go "bad", but the specifications and suitability do change with different models, applications, etc. Engine (crankcase) oil will have an API C [for compression] letter and number as well as viscosity rating in the "doughnut". With the increasing sophistication not to mention EPA arcania of modern diesels, check the owner's manuals for suitability.

 

[oldnslo]

Are these sealed full jugs? If yes should be minimal concerns about condensation contamination if open partial jugs then maybe a little concern about condensation.

 

[YanmarFever]

They are all sealed and dry sitting on a shelf, just 12 or 13 years old..
The Tractors are bransons and a Mahindra 5010

 

[ultrarunner]

I’ve only seen issues with very old metal containers…

Sealed in plastic would seem to be a good bet regarding excellent shelf life.

 

[ptsg]

I would use it.

When I started the engine on my Agria after the repairs, I used a jug of engine oil I had laying around for probably 9 or 10 years easily. Still sealed.

 

[TractorTYMe]

I wouldn't worry if it's been stored dry and in an stable temp environment.

 

[YanmarFever]

Thanks guys, I have 3 tractors to change and having that oil on hand really helps.

 

[WinterDeere]

They are all sealed and dry sitting on a shelf, just 12 or 13 years old..
The Tractors are bransons and a Mahindra 5010

I've used oil older than that, with no adverse effects that I can detect. But only if it's in a sealed and full (or at least nearly-full) container.

Justified or not, I won't use oil from any open or mostly-empty container in any critical application, beyond a few years. Either recycle it, or save that crap for the drill press or threading lube. I actually use a paint marker to write the month and year it was opened, on the screw top of every jug of oil I buy.

I just realized one more use for old clean oil... I use diesel to thin my chainsaw bar oil for cold-weather use, since cold-weather bar oil isn't as easy to find. I'd bet old half-empty jugs of gear oil or motor oil would work well enough as a thinner for bar oil, being another good way to get rid of the stuff, for those of us doing a lot of winter cutting. I wouldn't use the stuff straight, it doesn't stick well enough, but as a thinner or modifier for bar oil... it probably works well.