Car oil in bottle gone black.

AdrianC

Ibrahim5 said:

AdrianC said:

Ibrahim5 said:

I've got an imperial pint of Castrol XL 20/50 on my shelf. Must be about 70 years old.

It's nowhere near that old... 1960s, perhaps. Castrol XL was single-weight before that.

The very first multigrade was only launched (Duckhams Q 10-30) in 1951, 70 years ago.

Yes I think you are probably right. The problem is that the container has a value to collectors on ebay. Is an unopened one more valuable? I have never seen an unopened one advertised. If I post it to a collector the oil will end up all over the postman.

Local FB marketplace or car group, or contact a local classic car club - collection only?

Mutton_Geoff

I've got a bottle of Castrol R in the garage. I always add a teaspoon to my lawnmower petrol to make mowing the lawn smell like a day at the Goodwood Revival.

cymruchris

David713 said:

Mutton_Geoff said:

I wouldn't think any oil would go off in the bottle, after all, it's been in the ground for a few million years before they bottled it.

Yes, but what's in the bottle isn't crude oil. It's a refined product that has additives in it and it's possible that these additives can degrade over time especially if the container isn't tightly sealed and has allowed air or moisture to get in.

Regular engine oil bought from Halfords - left in a slightly open bottle for a few years would not turn black. It must be old oil from those people that you lived with some time ago. 

oldagetraveller1

Mutton_Geoff said:

I've got a bottle of Castrol R in the garage. I always add a teaspoon to my lawnmower petrol to make mowing the lawn smell like a day at the Goodwood Revival.

Used to add a teaspoonful of Castor Oil to my motor cycle tank back in the day. The exhaust aroma certainly made it go faster!

Why is "weight" now gradually substituting viscocity? It's a ridiculous description.