Does fork oil have a limited shelf life?

[nakes999]

As the subject says....

I have little bits of fork oil that I accumulated over the years(maybe 4years)... all the same oil... Putoline synthetic fork oil. So I was just wondering if the oil has a limited shelf life?... Can I add the little bits together and use it?

Then, how much oil is needed for each RVF fork? I don't remember the exact amount... but I think it's around 450ml?? is that right for each fork??

[wullvfr]

all oil has a shelve life,over time it loses its ability to work as well as it would just purchased.it becomes contaminated with water or something like that,i cant remember the exact in and outs.

i remember doing this at college but have forgotten most of it:(.........




william

[Neosophist]

I think your thinking of brake / clutch fluid which is hygroscopic, an unsealed container will attract moisture from the atmosphere, which then boils when you heat the brake fluid up, resulting in crap brakes.

Engine / Fork Oils vary by their makeup, the more complex an oil the less time it is good to keep, a general rule of thumb is 2 - 5 years.

Engine Oil Bible

Have a read of that, theres a paragraph specifically dealing with oil lifetime.

[wullvfr]

not mistaken it for brake fluid neo,im well aware of the brake fluid not being as effective over time.

i just remmeber the tutor at college mentioning oil not being as effective if left over time.his example was if you have oil sitting in the garage for a very long period of time and then decide to go do a oil change then don't,he then went into the reasons why and what happens but sadly i can't remember all of that.


william

[hksooie1]

fork oil for rvf is 445ml. level is 74mm

[nakes999]

fork oil for rvf is 445ml. level is 74mm

Thanks.

I assume that's per fork leg. Also the 74mm level is measured from the top of the fork leg to the top of the oil... I did this before just not 100% sure of the measures...