Color of crankcase oil

[rdodd]

I notice that after a few thousand miles of changing my engine oil it is coal black or as black as ink. Is it normal for the oil to get that dark? A friend of mine has a 92 ctd just like mine with about the same miles and his oil still has a little green color to it even after 6000 miles. We both use rotella 15-40 oil. The only thing i do different is that i use the fleetgaurd microglass filter and he uses the fram paper filter.

 

[TKingsbury]

All of the oil that comes out of my truck and all of the diesels at work is BLACK. You'd have to have some serious filtration going on to get it really clean. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of aftermarket filters that can get it pretty clean but I don't see the need when the engine will easily do 300-400K with normal change intervals.

Travis. .

 

[1stgen4evr]

I have a 93 with 470+ thousand miles and I run 10k miles oil change intervals, which may be a bit long but I run that up in a fairly short period of time. My engine is now using (or leaking) about two qts in that interval but it cranks instantly and runs without any problem. The oil is black as coal at draw out. I don't think that is bad.



James

 

[jendresen]

Synthetic oil

Has anyone used synthetic oil? I'm thinking about using Amsoil and have been using Castrol syntec in my cars and truck for a long time. What are your thoughts?

 

[1stgen4evr]

I know lots of owners who use Amsoil. I did for about three hundred thousand miles but it got more and more expensive and I quit using it. It is probably a really good thing but you can do as well if you manage the change interval and use good oil. The 470+k miles on my oldest truck may well be in part the early use of synthetic. If I could get Amsoil at a good price, I would still be using it.



I know one person who NEVER changes the oil and so far, his engines are still running. He adds oil if it is needed and changes the filter. That is not for me but you just have to take a decision and live with it.



James

 

[Phil Stuart]

The only thing i do different is that i use the fleetgaurd microglass filter and he uses the fram paper filter.

Tell your friend that Fram filters are junk!Stick with the Fleetguard Microglass or Stratapore filters. Your engine will thank you



The oil is doing what it should if it's real black. It's picking up and suspending the soot particles which is what you want it to do.



Phil

 

[rdodd]

How about fleetguard paper filters?

 

[Phil Stuart]

How about fleetguard paper filters?

IMHO Those are good, even better are the synthetic media type (Stratapore). I myself would never use a Fram filter on a nice truck such as our Turbo diesels. Genos Garage is very competitive as far as price goes. I usually buy 3 or 4 at a time.



Phil

 

[EZeis]

My 93 with 305K miles, the oil never turns black. Turns brownish, but not black. Is the oil thin? Did you smell it for raw fuel. Raw fuel getting into the oil will make it black and thin. Bad injectors, pump shaft seal, and or leaking lift pump can allow fuel in the oil. Fuel diluted oil is bad on engine bearings. My buddies 90 use to turn black until he put new injectors and a new lift pump on and now his no longer turns black. BTW, I use Rotella 15w-40 and a Wix oil filter. Change my oil at 3k miles.



I work at a power plant with 48 Detroit 60 series engines. We have 12 new engines and they don't turn black with 200 hours oil changes, currently they have 800 hours. The remaining of the plant will get towards black, but not black black. But we a few units that will turn black black, but they're about at the end of their service life.





Earl