The Quickshift
- The idea of using old, unused engine oil may be tempting for some, but it could do more harm than good.
- Lake Speed Jr., also known as “The Motor Oil Geek” on YouTube, wanted to solve the age-old dilemma of whether using old but unused motor oil can damage an engine.
- The results are not very surprising and it is amazing how much oil can break down over time.
Do you have a pile of old engine or gearbox oil lying around in your shed? If so, then you’ve probably thought about using it and pouring it into either your engine or gearbox so it doesn’t go to waste. I’ve certainly thought about that before, because just a few days ago I found a few litres of unused engine oil that must be at least a couple of years old now.
While using unopened engine oil that is two or three years old will certainly not cause any problems, things are quite different when we are dealing with oil that is several decades old.
And that’s exactly what Lake Speed Jr., also known as “The Motor Oil Geek” on YouTube, wanted to find an answer to. Luckily, Lake’s father is a real racer who, among other things, raced go-karts internationally, even beating Ayrton Senna in the world leagues. Since he raced professionally from the 80s to the early 2000s, there was no doubt: Mr. Speed’s workshop was sure to have a pile of old motor oil.
After a quick visit to his father’s garage, Lake Speed Jr. was able to get his hands on a wide selection of classic motor oils. From fully synthetic racing oils to mineral-based gear oil and even a well-preserved can of Mobil1 motor oil, Lake had it all and was ready to put each of the oils to the test.
The Motor Oil Geek via YouTube
Sometimes a visual inspection is enough to determine whether the engine oil is still safe.
He shows a quick and easy way to determine whether the oil is still usable or not. All you have to do is pour all the oil into a clear glass container. Then cut open the original oil bottle to see if there are any deposits at the bottom. If so, that’s bad because those deposits are the additives that have been mixed into the oil. Of course, without those additives, the oil cannot effectively do its job of protecting the engine and transmission from going haywire.
And no, you can’t just collect all these additives and add them back into the oil.
If your oil appears to be in good condition because it hasn’t left any additives behind in its original container, you still shouldn’t use it, as some of the less visible additives, such as anti-foam additives, may have slipped out over the years. This is where the foam test comes in, and it’s really easy to do. All you need is a simple milk frother to churn up the oil and aerate it. If the foam doesn’t break down within a minute or so, it may be time to discard the old oil.
The Motor Oil Geek via YouTube
You certainly don’t want your oil pump to pick up air bubbles instead of oil.
Oil needs to be fluid to efficiently lubricate the moving parts of your engine. And all those moving parts inevitably lead to foaming. So if your oil pump is picking up a lot of airy oil foam instead of real oil, that’s a recipe for accelerated wear, extremely high temperatures, and a lot of very expensive noise coming from your engine much sooner than necessary.
In the end, all the old oils failed. Even the fancy Mobil1 racing oil failed the foam test, although it kept its other additives under control.
I guess the moral of the story is that it’s definitely better to spend a few extra bucks on fresh oil than to use old oil that you forgot about decades ago. I mean, today’s oils are much more specialized at handling increased temperatures and smaller clearances, so new oil versus old oil is a win-win.
So there you have it. If you’re a baby boomer and you’re thinking about pouring decades-old oil from your shed into the engine of your car or motorcycle, you might want to think again. Maybe that bottle of old motor oil is better kept as a display piece on your shelf, reminding you of the glory days of automobile manufacturing.
