Oil and fluids experts.........

[badmix]

I keep a couple heavy duty plastic boxes in my blazer that contains all fluids (oil, trans, diff) incase of problem on the trail, i also carry hoses, belts, etc etc.

Being that its a gazillion degrees here in florida, ive had issues with factory plastic bottles splitting at the bottom seams and coating the bottom of the box with whatever fluid let go.

My plan was to get some metal 1 gal. fuel gas and putting the oils and fluids into each can. My question is, i know the plastic bottles are "sealed" , would it hurt to open the factory bottles and pour the contains into metal cans. I know when you open brake fluid that if you dont seal it up, itll absorb moisture. Id be worried about fluids degrading over time once they are opened. Not sure if this is an issue or not.

thoughts?

 

[76zimmer]

something I ran across recently:

"

In general, liquid lubricants (ie. oils, not greases) will remain intact for a number of years. The main factor affecting the life of the oil is the storage condition for the products. Exposure to extreme temperature changes, and moisture will reduce the shelf life of the lubricants. (an increase of 10°C doubles oxidation which halves the shelf life) ie. don't leave it in the sun with the lid off. Best to keep them sealed and unopened.

Technically, engine oils have shelf lives of four to five years. However, as years pass, unused engine oils can become obsolete and fail to meet the technical requirements of current engines. The specs get updated regularly based on new scientific testing procedures and engine requirements. But this is only really a concern if you've bought a brand new car but have engine oil you bought for the previous car. An oil that is a number of years old might not be formulated to meet the requirements set for your newer engine.

If your unopened containers of engine oil are more than three years old, read the labels to make sure they meet the latest industry standards. If they do meet the current standards, you might want to take the extra precaution of obtaining oil analysis before using them. An oil analysis will check for key properties of the oil and ensure that it still meets the original manufacturing specs. Of course the cost of getting an analysis done on old oil is probably going to outweigh going and buying fresh stuff. So it's a double-edged sword.
As a general rule, the simpler the oil formulation, the longer the shelf life. The following is a guideline under protected conditions - indoors at about 20°C:
ProductShelf LifeBase Oils, Process Oils3 yearsHydraulic Oils, Compressor Oils, General Purpose Lubricating Oils2 yearsEngine Oils and Transmission Oils3 yearsIndustrial and Automotive Gear Oils2 yearsMetal Working and Cutting Oils1 yearThe following are signs of storage instability in a lubricant:

• Settling out of the additives as a gel or sticky liquid
• Floc or haze
• Precipitates/solid material
• Colour change or haziness

Water contamination in a lubricant can be detected by a "milky" appearance of the product.


Read more: http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html#ixzz2heXEMWM3 "


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[Blue85]

Assuming the new containers are sealed, I would really only worry about the brake fluid. That being said, brake fluid seems to come in a heavier container than engine oil, etc. Have you ever had one of those split?

 

[Deuling]

IMO, The brake fluid would only be used if you blew a line and had to do a quick repair to get home correct? So if it is a little bit degraded etc.. Your most likely going to get it home and fix the quick fix for real... So re bleed the brakes at that time then and put all fresh in

 

[diesel4me]

My concerns with metal cans is they can collect condensation,form rust inside,and they can puncture too..thick plastic containers like gas cans would be better I'd think,you have to keep them away from other things that can puncture or crush them,thats all..I have a plastic gas container for chain saws that holds a gallon of gas on one side,and bar & chain oil on the other--I use that one in my plow truck to carry a spare gallon of motor oil and ATF...its thick and wont puncture very easily..


5 gallon buckets make good "safes" for gallon jugs of oil and antifreeze...and bottles of brake fluid,gas additives,etc..they keep them from being damaged and catch any spilliage if one does get wounded..
Like all things plastic,they tend to fade in the sun and get brittle with age,so they cant be used indefinately..you'll have to replace them every 5-10 years ,maybe less if exposed to the sun and elements a lot..

 

[badmix]

I know the motor oil I can just rotate the stock when I change the oil in my truck, all over fluids dont get used, but just keep in truck incase.

I know the metal gas cans I use are new and seal very well, so dunno, figured they would be better than the 1qt plastic that oil and other fluids come in. The seams is where they seem to fail.

 

[dyeager535]

Like you said, rotating stock probably best option. IIRC, the life span of an opened can of oil goes from 5 years sealed, to something like a year or so, according to the oil makers. Don't know where I saw it, they just didn't recommend open oil being kept for a long period of time.

Are the cans splitting from pressure, or age, or both?

Can't really think of a good option if you aren't supposed to open them, would putting them in a cooler of some type help any? I assume they aren't exposed to direct sunlight right now, if there is room, perhaps a foam type cooler (like used for medical transport, not the cheap party ones) would keep the temperature from getting quite as high.

Thought of something. Not a complete solution, but what about vacuum sealing each container? That won't solve the problem of split containers, although it would keep from making as big a mess. Would have to keep them pretty well protected so the bags don't get punctured.