Dirty oil anyone?

[s.kelly]

I just changed my oil at a little over 3000 miles and it was absolutely filthy! I use Fleetguard filters and don't do a lot of off-roading. Some of the use is pulling my tractor & trailer (about 6500 #). This is my 4th Cummins: a '92, '97, '99 and this '06, and I've never had the oil dirty-up like this truck. The worst was the '99 when I used the Pac-Brake a lot, but it still didn't compare to this. Anyone have the same problem? The truck is an 06 4X4 6 spd.

Skip Kelly

-- email address removed --

 

[lmills]

It's fairly normal on these newer 3rd gens. It has been discussed quite a few times. You change the oil, come back a week later and it is jet black.

 

[TimG]

It seems to have started with the 600 engines as far as I can tell. Mine is black as soon as I change it.

 

[WCPoe]

Dirty oil on 2004.5 and up

Yep - it's seemingly caused by the third injection event. Do a search - plenty of us have complained but not to worry because those that sent in oil samples haven't reported anything unusual.

 

[s.kelly]

Thanks guys. At least I know it's not just a problem with my truck. So instead, we now have a widespread problem! Has anyone tried a by-pass filtration system to clean the oil up?

Skip

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

The oil on my '03 would stay clear for a long time. Took about 3000 miles to get honey colored and was a long ways from black on the dipstick at oil change time.

 

[J&LRam]

my '03 305/555 HO starts to get dark aroung 6000 miles when not towing. Towing it starts changing color around 4-5000 miles. Oil is Rotella 10w-40. It would be interesting to here from Cummins as to why the differences, fuel consumption and dirty oil, in the 305/555 HPCR and the 325/600/610 HPCR engines.



JIM

 

[kowaliga]

Thanks guys. At least I know it's not just a problem with my truck. So instead, we now have a widespread problem! Has anyone tried a by-pass filtration system to clean the oil up?

What is 'dirty oil'? What is 'sooty oil'? If you have dirt in your oil you have a problem. My second oil change , on the 'B' schedule, was Blackstone analyzed to be capable of several more thousands-of-miles of use and contained the miniscule minimum of silicon. That oil was black with soot as soon as I put it in. '05's ( and later ) engines do this by design. If Its not pretty, it must be a diesel.

 

[DPKetchum]

Black does not mean dirty or a problem. Its still a DIESEL. Yes its more refined then yester year but still a diesel which means dark oil,smoke in the headlights of other cars at night,funny smells etc.

 

[klenger]

Mine is dirty as soon as I change it. I'm not sure why, but I don't worry about it.

 

[HarryOlson]

I have a by-pass TP filter on mine, change it every 2,000 miles and the oil is still black. I suppose we'll get used to it eventually but it does look bad.

 

[blacksheep4x4]

Amsoil has a new filter out that filters the soot. It keeps the oil nice and clean looking. Look on thier website www.amsoil.com.

 

[DPKetchum]

Not sure about filtering out soot. Those NEW filters are a 15 micron. Soot particles are a lot smaller then that I believe. Please correct if I'm wrong.

 

[Lmoore1624]

"soot" in the oil doesn't sound good at all

The following was taken from an Oil Newsletter I get email to me:



Book Bits: How Hard is Soot?



From "The Oil Analysis Handbook"



Soot is abrasive. Intuitively one might think of carbon black as being relatively 'soft', however soot particles, in any form, are harder than steel. Engine oils are formulated with additives that keep soot in suspension and stop it from agglomerating but, as with other additives, they are sacrificial. Once a certain level of soot loading is reached (typically around 3 percent by mass for most engine oils), the soot particles will no longer be able to be carried by the oil and sludgy deposits will form. Not only is soot abrasive but it also causes the viscosity of the oil to increase.



More information about "The Oil Analysis Handbook"



It looks to me that the 3rd Gen CTDs need all the extra filtering they can get!!

 

[kowaliga]

Amsoil has a new filter out that filters the soot. It keeps the oil nice and clean looking. Look on thier website www.amsoil.com.

Could the new Amsoil filter clog with soot if not changed often enough?

 

[RMalone]

Amsoil has a bypass filter that is good to 2 micron. I don't know if it takes the black out of the oil. My trucks oil is black instantly after an oil change, I don't worry about it, and I like the funny smells and sounds, lets you know it "aint no gasser"!!

 

[klenger]

I think it's very hard to determine the level of contamination in the oil by visual analysis. I suspect that soot in oil is like sun light shining into a room through a small opening: just a little bit and the once dark room is now light. 3% soot by mass would be a huge amount in 3 gallons of oil. I wonder if the OTR truckers driving 3000 miles / week care what their oil "looks" like.

 

[steved]

Amsoil has a new filter out that filters the soot. It keeps the oil nice and clean looking. Look on thier website www.amsoil.com.

Umm, you should USE their filter before you make a very stupid comment like that...



While it might keep it clean of particles larger than 2micron, the oil is STILL BLACK within 500 miles. I know, I have one installed... and before you claim that it isn't installed correctly, it is flowing the exact amount of oil spec'd by Amsoil...



My oil is still black, but not nearly as "thick" and "sludgey" with the bypass filter...



steved

 

[amsoilman]

My oil has over 50,000 miles on it using the Amsoil by-pass and analyzing every 10,000 miles. Last analysis @ 45,000 showed 0. 20 ppm of soot. Yes, the oil is black in color, but I can rub it on my hands, and my hands come clean! In other words, I don't have to "wear" it for very long.



Wayne

amsoilman

 

[TimG]

I have had the Amsoil Bypass filter in use since 17,000 miles, when I first started using Amsoil. The oil has remained black to this day. I have recently changed over from Amsoil to Chevron 400. Not that the Chevron 400 is better, but it is cheaper, and I could not make myself keep running the engine with oil as black as paint and not changing it atleast every 6,000 miles.