dark oil, real fast.

[wxtech]

i recently changed my oil with the new Quaker State Ultimate Protection 5w30. i have a 22 ford ranger 2.3 EB.

for starters the Quaker State Ultimate Protection has been good. the ranger has never been quieter. its smooth. sounds darn near perfect. however, i have around 700 miles on this oil and upon checking, its already coal black. the oil is reading above the full mark also. it reeks of gasoline.

i change every 6 months regardless of miles. most of the time there is less than 3-4k on it. i do lots of short trips. stop & go. once in a while i take it out on the highway when i can.

in the past ive never noticed the oil levels being this high or having this much gas odor. let alone being this dark this fast. fwiw, its never been this dark before. im going to do a used oil analysis and go from there.

your thoughts? recommendations?

 

[JavierH19]

Don't bother with anything else and just take it to the dealer and tell them that the oil goes above the full mark on it's own quickly and has a strong gasoline smell and that you believe the injectors are defective and are leaking which you want replaced under warranty.

 

[UG_Passat]

It's probably the short-trips that is causing the fuel dilution.

You can tell the dealership, but, chances are, they won't do anything right now, because you are servicing your car. Pay them to do the oil change, and then they would start listening to you about fuel dilution.

 

[CKN]

Send samples to somewhere other than Blackstone for (dilution) accurate analysis. Anything else is guesswork and pontification about your oil.

 

[SatinSilver]

Oil Analyzers would be my top choice for lab results. Overkill has used them along with some others for accurate fuel dilution results.

 

[wavinwayne]

For what it's worth, when I had my '00 VW GTI with the 1.8L Turbo engine, the oil always smelled like gasoline. UOA never showed any issues. When I donated the car to charity that engine had 364K miles on it and was still running fine. YMMV

 

[PimTac]

How many miles on this Ranger?

 

[SavetheRimBrake]

Modern engines and oils are designed with the understanding that some fuel will dilute the oil in normal operation. Judging it by color or smell is meaningless, do a used oil analysis before you do what was suggested earlier and walk into a dealership pretending to be an expert and demanding they change your injectors.

 

[odie]

This usually happened with the '18 Accent w/ the G.D.I.. Especially when dealer(s) did the O.C. and didn't allow oil to drain for long . Less dark from the start of the new oil interval since I do them . Another reason for D.I.Y. is we asked for new oil filter for 1st O.C. of the ACCENT at around 3,000 miles . Checked at home and it was the factory installed oil filter . Have been lied to few other times after . Have very little faith in service centers due to poor work ethics and attitude .

 

[buster]

Every car I've had the oil always gets dark quickly. Oil color means nothing to me other than it's doing its job.

 

[KrisZ]

Every car I've had the oil always gets dark quickly. Oil color means nothing to me other than it's doing its job.

I don’t know if I buy that. A diesel engine I agree, but a gasoline engine, not really.
Jet black oil probably means a lot of soot, like in a diesel engine. However unlike the diesel engines where the diesel oil is specifically formulated to deal with soot, I don’t think PCMO oils can do the same.

I would keep no more than 5k ocis, maybe even 3k if the oil gets diesel black this soon IMO.

 

[ArthurArgentum]

it's doing its job

Amine and phenol derivatives (e.g. AOs), have the ability to darken when exposed to elevated temperatures/oxidation. This darkening process can lead to a spectrum of colors, ranging from dark yellow hues to deep brown shades, with the occasional occurrence of reddish tones, albeit rare.

 

[Soft Cars]

"Coal black" at 700 miles is definitely unusual. Does that happen with all oils or just Quaker State?

 

[buster]

Amine and phenol derivatives (e.g. AOs), have the ability to darken when exposed to elevated temperatures/oxidation. This darkening process can lead to a spectrum of colors, ranging from dark yellow hues to deep brown shades, with the occasional occurrence of reddish tones, albeit rare.
View attachment 160320

Thank you for sharing, good information.

 

[wxtech]

How many miles on this Ranger?

14k

 

[wxtech]

"Coal black" at 700 miles is definitely unusual. Does that happen with all oils or just Quaker State?

this is the first time using quaker state oil in this truck & the first time its been this dark so fast. ive used mobil advanced & castrol edge prior to this recent change. m1 & castrol was never this dark, even at 5-6 months.

 

[Soft Cars]

this is the first time using quaker state oil in this truck & the first time its been this dark so fast. ive used mobil advanced & castrol edge prior to this recent change. m1 & castrol was never this dark, even at 5-6 months.

Given my experience with Quaker State, that doesn't surprise me.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Given my experience with Quaker State, that doesn't surprise me.

What doesn’t surprise you? That color does not determine an oil’s condition? Cool.

 

[Soft Cars]

What doesn’t surprise you? That color does not determine an oil’s condition? Cool.

Have you heard the phrase YMMV?

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Have you heard the phrase YMMV?

Sure, but that doesn’t apply here.