Oil for my 1987 K75

[tr33houseman]

Hey! I was wondering if y'all could give me your opinion on using some oil a neighbor gave me in my 1987 K75. He gave me 30 qts of UNOPENED Shell Rotella T 15w 40. It does say on the back for use in high horsepower and low emission vehicle engines. It also gives a list of several engines and applications on the back including caterpillars, heavy duty trucks, tractors, and last but not least diesel & GASOLINE passenger cars. My Neighbor was unable to tell me how long he had the oil but i found a clue! On the top of one of the containers theres a small raffle ticket to "Win a trip to the 2006 Daytona 500!" so... this oil is old. I know gasoline has a relatively short shelf life before it starts to degrade but I have not read the same about Oil life. Please keep in mind this is unused, never opened, but it has been stored in an unheated garage.

The API specs on the back are CI-4 Plus, CI-4, CH-4, CG-4, CF-4, CF/SJ, SL

Im considering trying this oil because its the correct Viscosity for this time of year in my area and it will be for the next 4 months. Also, it has the API rating SL which indicates its meant for 2004 or older vehicles. Ive already purchased a K@N oil filter to go along with whatever oil i use. Yep, thats about it. What would you do?

Thanks for your time!

[Chaos]

Wow, 30 quarts!  Oil does not have a shelf life, I'd use it in any of my vehicles in a heartbeat.  Rotella is generally known as a diesel engine oil, but tons of people swear by it in gasoline engines.  I use Rotella T6 synthetic 5-40 in the winter for my Ural, which get ridden when the temps dip below zero F. 

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Rotella is good oil.  It's used in heavy truck diesel engines that routinely go a million miles.  I'd use that stuff in a heart beat.

[K1300S]

hmmm, rotella...perfect for my F250 Diesel.  30qts?  that will cover 1.5 oil changes.....

[rbm]

Oil does have a shelf life, Chaos.  The manufacturers specify 3 years shelf life, at least Mobil does for its synthetics.

[Chaos]

Oil does have a shelf life, Chaos.  The manufacturers specify 3 years shelf life, at least Mobil does for its synthetics.

as with all things oil there are multiple answers.  separation of additives can occur, especially if the oil sees hot-cold cycles.  but it would re mix in the heat of the engine so long as none of it stays stuck in the bottle.  most manufacturers say 2-5 years to cover their bums but I doubt if there is much of a data base to prove anything one way or the other. 

[tr33houseman]

Sweet! I think I'm gonna give it a try. Thank you all very much for the input. Ill check back on the forum soon to see if there are any updates in the next couple days before i change the oil this weekend.

Hopefully i can also put in updates of how the engine is running after some time riding. Ill include pictures of the oil as well. I'm curious to see if any separation change has occurred.

Thank you again.

[kris]

if you haven't already used this oil why not contact the API directly or Shell customer service to get an opinion. Various reasonably priced oils will do nicely in these brick engines. I don't think it's worth risking crappy oil, without making some inquiries, for the cost of getting fresh oil for your bike. Although I agree the oil is likely fine why not make some inquiries.