Very Interesting article if only to demonstrate the variation in opinions. And opinions it must be rather than fact otherwise there wouldn't be such wildly ranging views from 1 year to 5 or even 10 years shelf life.
Common sense suggests that if the oil can last 1 year in use in an engine being constantly heated and cooled, aerated and oxidized it ought to last more than 12 months on a shelf in a sealed container at a steady moderate temperature.
The most useful information was about storage conditions. I knew very cold temperatures were bad because oil can permanently thicken. Not just thicken because it's cold but permanently change it's viscosity rating. Very hot being bad makes sense too but I hadn't thought about agitation. Time to move the stuff off the top shelf in the garage and put it low down in a cool spot. If I can find somewhere that is a fairly steady 10 Deg C I think I'd be happy to store engine oil for 3 - 5 Years. I don't make a habit of stockpiling the stuff but I did just buy 3 years worth of gear oil.
So lay it down in a cool steady temperature and don't touch it ?
I wonder if I could get away with storing my oil in the wine cupboard.
