How to check date of oil production?

Chrisgoesflying

Chrisgoesflying

Cleared for Takeoff
PoA Supporter
Joined
Dec 7, 2018
Messages
1,343
Location
The Lone Star State
Display Name
Display name:
Chrisgoesflying
I bought some Phillips X/C 20W-50 off of Ebay. Normally I buy directly from my mechanic or aircraft spruce but since I bought some other items on Ebay, I added two bottles of 20W-50 into the cart since I like to carry a couple of bottles with me on the plane just in case. The price was slightly lower per quart than on Aircraft Spruce but since I bought other things, shipping was free hence I saved the Spruce shipping cost. Obviously, the oil coming from a seller on Ebay, I'm a bit more dubious about it compared to my mechanic's oil or Spruce. On the bottle, it has a long number stamped on it and then followed by "2004". Does that mean the oil was produced in 2004? If that's the case, wouldn't the oil be waaaay past its shelf life? I don't have another bottle to compare on me right now, hence my question here on the forum. Curiously enough, the label itself has a QR code for the phone (see photo attached), which would indicate that the label is fairly recent since QR codes weren't a thing back in 2004 but who tells me that the seller didn't just stick a new label on an old bottle of oil. Can someone please check a bottle they have handy and let me know what theirs says? Or if someone here knows about this type of stuff, enlighten me please.
 

Attachments

  • image_67215873.JPG
    image_67215873.JPG
    218.2 KB · Views: 41
The case of recent bottles I got has 2108 in that position on the lot code so I doubt it was the year unless the box fell into a time warp.

It's possible that the first two digits are the year (2020 for you, 2021 for me) and the 08 is August and 04 is April.


By the way, Aeroshell says the only thing that happens with oil is that sometimes there is a white sediment that settles out but you can just shake it back into suspension.
 
Last edited:
Chrisgoesflying said:
Gotcha. Okay, so that oil is good to go then. Thanks for clarifying this for me.
Click to expand...
I should add not all OEMs are the same. Last I checked AeroShell still uses a "retest date", other OEMs don't print info on each individual container, and so on. You lucked out it was Phillips and they use a DoM code.
 
A friend of mine purchased a 55 gallon drum of Aeroshell for use in his PA28 several years ago. A frugal friend :)
 
Never saw a best used by date on either shell or Phillips container.
 
We used to sell motor oil at work, 25 years ago. I am still using some of that oil today...

I get my aeroshell from AS and make sure I order over 300 bucks worth of supply's then shipping is free. Used to buy it local until both sources stop selling it.
 
Last edited:
CC5DBEB6-B167-4B44-AE25-040F6F12C945.jpeg Can anyone tell how old this oil is? I don’t know but know it is 20 + years old.
 
Gary Ward said:
Can anyone tell how old this oil is?
Click to expand...
Definitely more than 20 years as Unocal's Uno-Ven venture ended in late 90s. So the 95 date could be legit except different companies had different standards. The main issue with "new-old" oil is degrade of the additive packages and improper storage. In some cases it can cause problems. Using old oil in vehicles is one thing but I wouldnt use any old oil in aircraft after 6-10 years depending on type/grade without getting it retested.
 
We need a companion thread: Why to Care About the Date of Oil Production
 
For sure I would not use really old oil in any aircraft especially mine! lol
I remember the good old days when you could have 4 cases delivered right to your RV at Sun n Fun 2019. And they were real 12 qt cases and cost 75 a case of 12qts!!
Sun%20and%20Fun%202019%20176.jpg
 
Last edited:
I mean, I get these things have to go through a bit of a refinement process but didn't it sit in the ground for millions of years? I doubt that once it's put into a bottle for you it has any meaningful shelf life

My favorite is a bottle of "real Himalayan salt" stored in a glass jar. The label had a nice narrative how the salt has been naturally purifying and stored in the ground for millions of years, then there's a best buy date of something like 6 months from now on it
 
Ironic for me that I see this thread by the Chrisgoesflying. I bet the oil you got on Ebay is probably not very old.
I have spent the last few weekends cleaning out a race shop that has been dormant for 17 years.
Sadly I let this oil rot in this corner. I noticed something is leaking at the bottom. Soon as the dragster is gone I am going to clean it out. Not sure what kind of shape it is in? The shop has been heated all these years. I'll try to post what I find.
IMG_2519.JPG
 
Last edited:
Is it just me, or were the old oil "cans" cardboard with metal tops and bottoms, that you'd plunge a spout into. That's what I remember as a kid...by the time I was legally driving I think the plastic bottles came out. Or in other words, if the oil hasn't dissolved the cardboard yet, my uneducated guess is that you're good to go. But try it at your own risk.
 
In 76 that is the kind of oil my Dad had in the garage when I did my first oil change in the driveway.
I was browsing the antique store with my wife a while ago and seen one of those metal spouts for sale as an antique! WTH! Am I that old?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top