BLACK oil in a CR

[ASHughes]

I'm still trying to used to this new CR truck. After a good once over after brining it home I noticed that the oil was really, really dirty so I figured I would short cycle an oil change to flush it out. But even after just putting 3 gal. of fresh clean VPB in it and not even starting it the oil on the dipstick was BLACK and yes I cleaned it before I checked it. Now the truck has almost 14k miles on it and I dont know if its ever been changed , it did have a Mopar filter on it but its was pretty loose as far as I'm concerned it was too loose it came off with two fingers. So I'm assuming it was changed at some point. So is really black oil normal in these engines or has this one just been neglected?

 

[BGlidewell]

... So is really black oil normal in these engines ... ?

yes.

soot is what makes it black.

 

[JDiepstra]

I agree, the oil will pretty much be black all the time.

 

[RMalone]

Yep, get used to it!! Even the guys running aftermarket bypass filters report that THEY don't keep the oil amber. The oil is fine, so I recommend 14, er I mean 4 beers and relaxation. The beers should be in your belly not the crankcase, for maximum effect.

 

[betterthanstock]

The CR started in 2003. For the first year and a half, the engines had to meet higher NOx limits, so no catalysts are required, and they run much cleaner (less soot). Oil in those stays clean for several thousand miles after a change. Starting with the 2004. 5 model year, they changed to your style. The 2007. 5 is even worse, with EGR.



So that's your CR trucks.

 

[sweeda]

yes I agree the CJ-4 oil is the worst. I've used the new sh-- for the last three oil changes and each one it gets worse. stay with the CI-4 plus if you can find it.

 

[ASHughes]

Okay so its just a CR thing The oil in my 12v has never looked anything like that before.

 

[AH64ID]

Yep my oil is black as soon as I change it, even with a bypass.

 

[CKelley1]

i have posted this before , with the third injection pulse on all of the 04. 5 up large or 5. 9's produce soot that normal bypass filters have never had to deal with the filter manufactors have been slow to develop products. amsoil had champ redesighn there filter and can reduce soot by 39% in the EaBP-110 i prefer going a different way and use one that i carry for the large trucks, amsoil is to proud of there product for my pocket book, that aside anyone with a 04. 5 up needs a amsoil, frantz , gulf coast, or modified luberfiner 9750 or any other bypass filter that can remove the soot

 

[AH64ID]

Whats amazing on the 04. 5+ is that the oil change interval is 7. 5K or 15K.

 

[JHenry]

I have an '06 with an FS2500 bypass filter, as well as a '98 12valve, also with an FS2500 filter. The '06 was first to get the filter, and, after the first oil change, I was extremely disappointed. I called Filtration Solutions and talked to the owner. He told me the same thing all the other posts are saying. I sent an oil sample in to a lab and the results are phenomenal for cleanliness and absence of impurities. He provided me with a special filter upgraded for the newer trucks. Meanwhile the 12valve oil looks like new all the time after the installation of that filter. Check them out at The FS-2500 Bypass Oil Filter

 

[JCleary]

Whats amazing on the 04. 5+ is that the oil change interval is 7. 5K or 15K.

Yeah, I can't let mine go past 5k...



I'm interested to see what my oil sample report says. On my '03 HO Blackstone told me I could run my oil at LEAST 10k between changes if I wanted to. I just didn't have the desire to do so. Less so with my '07 5. 9.



I just changed my oil today. What a pita it is to grease the front driveshaft. I don't think I got any grease in there at all!

 

[Dick Langendorff]

I'd like to chime in. You can't always go by the color and blame it on soot. Or dirt. The type of detergents manufacturers use will turn black as soon as heat is applied. Only 200 degrees will turn it black. Try a blotter test or put some on the palm of your hand, let it set for a minute and the spread it out. If you see black lines in your palm, then you have dirt, most likely you will see gold color oil. Clean oil. Or put a drop on som toilet paper, let it spread out and hold it up to the light. Dirt will stay in the center and the clean oil ring will be to the outside. Simple and easy. No need to waste good oil.

 

[ASHughes]

I'm just glad to know that its a normal thing. I'll go ahead and change it again in 1200 miles to put me at 15k. After that it'll get 3gals of VPB and a new Fleetguard LF16035 every 5k just like my other truck. Thanks for the info

 

[AH64ID]

I have an '06 with an FS2500 bypass filter, as well as a '98 12valve, also with an FS2500 filter. The '06 was first to get the filter, and, after the first oil change, I was extremely disappointed. I called Filtration Solutions and talked to the owner. He told me the same thing all the other posts are saying. I sent an oil sample in to a lab and the results are phenomenal for cleanliness and absence of impurities. He provided me with a special filter upgraded for the newer trucks. Meanwhile the 12valve oil looks like new all the time after the installation of that filter. Check them out at The FS-2500 Bypass Oil Filter

The amsoil bypass does an even better job of filtering and still black as can be. I have the amsoil bypass on my 4runner and the oil is 9 months and 7K old and looks like it did 9 months ago.

I'd like to chime in. You can't always go by the color and blame it on soot. Or dirt. The type of detergents manufacturers use will turn black as soon as heat is applied. Only 200 degrees will turn it black. Try a blotter test or put some on the palm of your hand, let it set for a minute and the spread it out. If you see black lines in your palm, then you have dirt, most likely you will see gold color oil. Clean oil. Or put a drop on som toilet paper, let it spread out and hold it up to the light. Dirt will stay in the center and the clean oil ring will be to the outside. Simple and easy. No need to waste good oil.

Yeah, but my dad uses the same HDD in all his rigs, only has one, his 06 5. 9, that turns black...

 

[MoparDave]

The oil is going what it is designed to do, that is trap and suspend dirt and soot. The question is at what point does the oil become saturated to the point that it will not do its job. So are the soot partials too small to be filtered?

 

[AH64ID]

The oil is going what it is designed to do, that is trap and suspend dirt and soot. The question is at what point does the oil become saturated to the point that it will not do its job. So are the soot partials too small to be filtered?

Which is where UOA comes into play...



Most soot is sub micron, so yes too small to be filtered out... but it does no harm at this size, and when it conglomerates and gets large enough to cause wear it gets picked up by the filter.