Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) How long does your 12V oil stay "honey colored"

[Bobcat698]

I changed the oil on my 96 the other day. It currently has 284k on it.



About 500 miles ago I had the block & head fire ringed in chassis and installed 181 dvs (in the 160 pump that is on it, the 215 was getting tuned) ddp stage 3's, 3 piece htt manifold and a HTT Quick Diesel 64.



I ran about 150 miles after the oil change and figured I'd check the oil level to make sure it was still OK. I used a white napkin to wipe it off and re-dipped to check the level and all was well, so I closed the hood.



I got to looking at the napkin and it wasn't even BLACK. . just a light gray-golden color. I was like WTH. . this isn't right. So I opened the hood, pulled the stick and sure enough the oil is still a clean honey-color.



I just put another hard 300 towing miles on the truck and it is still clean.



Crazy considering the fuel I have (soot) running in this truck and the miles. .

I know the newer engines it wouldn't be much of a surprise as they run much cleaner, but I always thought the 12 valve was pretty "dirty" compared to the newer stuff.



MY 98's oil wa PITCH black right after startup on a fresh oil change, and it only had 225k miles on it!

 

[Swamp Donkey]

My 98 is the same as your 98... ... ..... black instantly.

 

[LarryWard]

Have owned a '95 for 6 yrs, came with 161k and oil was dark. Not sure how many miles was on oil. But 1k miles after oil change it was very clear and it remains so for long time, I was shocked since my trusty '81 MBenz 300td colored up oil immediately but it still goes just fine at 330k no matter oil color. But direct injection on engines may have everything to do with clearer oil. If I would reinstall my Frantz TP filter on it would likely clear oil up a lot. Larry

 

[Forrest Nearing]

once the oil is black, it's black... you can drain the oil, but there's still going to be some black oil in the engine... once you fire it up and get the oil pumping, it'll be black again.



a statapore filter can clean mine up a little, but not for long

 

[DonTX]

My 97 with 180k on it stays honey colored til change time. The previous owner took exceptionally good care of it, and I think this is just one indicator. He mentioned to me that the newer model he replaced it with turned black like most all diesels do.

 

[WDixon27]

mine doesn't turn into ink instantly but i can't remember how long, it it never really turns into that insidious black filth that most diesels turn their oil into, all of the mercedes and volvo diesels i've worked on are just nasty, at worst mine looks like a over due gassers oil

 

[Flinty]

My truck will go 2k and still clean. Then I change my frantz filter and have to add about 3/4qt to keep the oil at the proper level. Using these intervals the oil will lose it's honey color but it won't turn black. At 12k I change the oil. Ive read of folks here going 25k between oil changes but they use oil analyses to keep track of quality. To each his own.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

My '98 stays honey colored for about 1000 miles but it's getting fairly opaque on the dipstick by 3000 miles. It's all stock other than the 300 injectors though.

Of the 5 CTDs I've owned the oil stayed clean the longest on my '01 HO, followed by my '03 HO. '98 soots up a little faster than the '03 did.

 

[Signal73]

I can start mine up run it for a few min shut it down and its black... Just alot left sitting in the head and P-pump I suppose...

 

[bdcraig]

My 3500 turned black as soon as I changed it and fired it up to check it. Even letting it drain all weekend never helped. I've run Dello 400 15w-40 in it from the start. My 2500 will be honey clear at each 5000 mile interval. I run shell rotella 15w-40 in it. I thought it was the difference in oil. But was never sure.



Brian

 

[JZumpf]

My 97 with 180k on it stays honey colored til change time. The previous owner took exceptionally good care of it, and I think this is just one indicator. He mentioned to me that the newer model he replaced it with turned black like most all diesels do.

This is how my truck is, it was a very well kept one owner truck. It has 137K on it right now, 4K on the current oil and its getting dark, but its not anywhere near black yet. In any of my old IDI GM diesels, the oil was black before it made it from the oil fill tube to the pan. Before even running it you could pull the dipstick and it was black.

 

[The patriot]

Mine would stay clean for a few thousand miles before I installed the 370's and turned up the star wheel. :-laf

Now it's dirty before 1000 miles. I have a Frantz filter... . didnt make and difference in color.

 

[champspa]

Mine stays clean about 1500 to 2000 depends on towing.

 

[Skydiver]

1996 stays honey until 2000 miles. My 1987 Ford 2810 stays clear for 75 hours.
Some previously owned diesels that turned the oil black in a flash. 79 Chevrolet ( olds), 1981 V. W. rabbit, 1981 Mercedes 300d.

 

[JFaughn]

Mine stays clean for a few thousand miles , 1st diesel I've owned that did that , I bought with 209,000 on the clock ,
I agree with others that that is a sign of good maintaince & good oil filter , good oil , and a good running , eng. , that means little blowby .

 

[MEby]

all vehicles I have ever owned always turn black instantly ( 82 mercedes SD300, 95' dodge v-10, 64' chevy c-10 and my current 98' cummins. with the exception of my 96' honda shadow stays honey colored till the very next oil change.

 

[JFaughn]

I forgot to mention that I'm running Rotella 15w-40 , Fleetgaurd filter , my last 2 oil anys. gave a TBNs over 9 , running 9,000-11,000 miles on the oil , both Blackstone labs + Cummins [ tried both for oil anys. ] say oil good for longer change intervals .

 

[tgrfan2]

My 95(240K) has always kept the oil looking fresh for about 3K. The 98(225K) has always looked black within 300 miles. Adding #6 plates made no difference and I have always run Premium Blue and Fleetgard filters. Neither truck uses oil or has significant blow by. The 98 has always used a little more fuel stock and modified.

 

[RyanStewart]

Mine says clean pretty much the whole time its in there. It gets dark over time, but in the same way the oil in a gas engine gets dark, it never gets very sooty. The only exception so far as been the past oil change. I figure its because I I drove through the Rockies on my way to Florida, since I had a lot more soot out the tail pipe too at the high elevations.



Then I got to thinking about the article on the new CJ oil in one of the recent TDR issues, and how it talked about how there's less detergent in the new oil. This last change was my first change with CJ oil, and I thought maybe the soot in the oil had something to do with the lower detergent properties of CJ oil. Anybody else notice their oil getting darker faster while running API CJ oil?

 

[RVPILOT]

honey color oil

After about 5,000 miles, when new the oil would start to get black, now it gets black at about 2,000 I still use about a quart between changes at 7 to 8 thousands. I guess when it gets black after 1,000 I need a new motor Stormy