OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Are you the original owner of the vehicle? Do you see any red varnish when you look in the fill hole of the engine?
drained engine oil is red.
- Thread starter martse
- Start date
My experience is that synthetics, when drained, can have a reddish color.
I've noticed it on many occasions at my center.
Golden color as new, then red, brown and then black.
M1 seemed to have this trait most often.
I'd bet a UOA would show a lot of life left in that oil.
I've noticed it on many occasions at my center.
Golden color as new, then red, brown and then black.
M1 seemed to have this trait most often.
I'd bet a UOA would show a lot of life left in that oil.
Just be happy knowing that you're changing it before the engine had time to more fully contaminate and oxidize the oil into a black color.
email with photos and lot number the total people see if you get a answer. But yes some Antioxidants can turn reddish in use and is normal for them
Nope. From what I've seen in other threads talking about this it's not a concern. Some additive packs will turn red but it doesn't mean the oil is bad.
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2023
- Messages
- 16
I've been running that particular flavor of oil and other TQ varieties in multiple engines (Advance Auto clearance stock). I do get that weird red tint from at least some flavors and they all definitely look different from my former go-to Mobil 1, but I've always had good Blackstone results. An analysis by the lab of your choice should clarify things.
When I had an injector leaking down, the Mobil 1 5W-30 that only had about 2500kms on it at the time was so fuel soaked it was essentially engine cleaner and no longer an engine lubricant.
I quickly had the injector replaced and dropped that oil. It was so thin from the fuel, and for the first time with this car, drained out with a very red tinge to it. I think.it was varnish that the gasoline cleaned out.
My guess is the OP's car has a bad fuel dilution issue.
I quickly had the injector replaced and dropped that oil. It was so thin from the fuel, and for the first time with this car, drained out with a very red tinge to it. I think.it was varnish that the gasoline cleaned out.
My guess is the OP's car has a bad fuel dilution issue.
CleanSump
Site Donor 2026
Reddish at drain time is normal. The Castrol Euro, Mobil ESP, and Amsoil I've used have all drained reddish from different cars. And it wasn't fuel dilution or any kind of engine or injector problem.
That's very popular oil overseas because it covers ACEA A3/B4, MB 229.5, BMW LL-01, and Porsche A40. At the same time is about half the price of Mobil and Castrol. The same oil also has ACEA C3 version. It's most likely group III oil (because they call it synth. technology and not full synth.) with kind of aggressive detergent / dispersant additive package.
The PDS states:
"Engine cleanliness: Detergent and specific dispersive additives."
Total Energies 9000 5w40
A few people on here (as seen above) reported similar color after using Valvoline Restore & Protect. A quick I-net search shows that oils that turn red after use usually have additive package which cleans sludge and varnish. My Mobil 1 EP 0W-20 was also had turned kind a reddish after 8000 km when I was draining it. However, I've never poured it in a glass jar to check its real color. I'll report how the VRP turns out after 5,000 miles.
Check this thread out as well:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/motor-oil-is-now-red-in-color.257951/#post-4181581
How many km your car has?
Does it burn oil?
What oil was used before that and how often was changed?
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One interesting observation is that the fresh oil develops a reddish tint almost immediately after an oil change. This suggests that a certain amount of the old oil remains trapped inside the engine. As we know, several hundred milliliters of oil usually stay in the engine and oil pan after draining and cannot be removed through the drain plug alone.
The only way to remove virtually all of the old oil would be to take off the oil pan and clean it completely. That makes me wonder whether something remaining in the engine is consistently coloring each fresh oil fill.
The only way to remove virtually all of the old oil would be to take off the oil pan and clean it completely. That makes me wonder whether something remaining in the engine is consistently coloring each fresh oil fill.
I carried out another small experiment that I thought might be interesting.
One photo shows three fresh oils straight from their original containers:
As expected, all three have the normal light amber color.
The other photo shows the same three fresh oils after I added exactly 20 drops of the used oil from my TU5JP (NFU) engine to each sample. Even with such a small amount, all three oils turned a very similar reddish-brown color.
This suggests that the fresh oil itself is not responsible for the color. Instead, the used oil contains something with a very strong coloring effect that immediately changes the color of any fresh oil it mixes with.
The question is what exactly causes this. Is it simply a normal chemical change in the oil's additive package (antioxidants, detergents/dispersants), dissolved engine varnish, oxidation products, or something else?
I have contacted an oil analysis specialist recommended by TotalEnergies and sent him all the details together with these photos. As soon as I receive his professional opinion, I'll post it here.
One photo shows three fresh oils straight from their original containers:
- Total Quartz INEO ECS 5W-30
- Total Quartz 9000 Energy 5W-40
- Total Quartz 9000 5W-40
As expected, all three have the normal light amber color.
The other photo shows the same three fresh oils after I added exactly 20 drops of the used oil from my TU5JP (NFU) engine to each sample. Even with such a small amount, all three oils turned a very similar reddish-brown color.
This suggests that the fresh oil itself is not responsible for the color. Instead, the used oil contains something with a very strong coloring effect that immediately changes the color of any fresh oil it mixes with.
The question is what exactly causes this. Is it simply a normal chemical change in the oil's additive package (antioxidants, detergents/dispersants), dissolved engine varnish, oxidation products, or something else?
I have contacted an oil analysis specialist recommended by TotalEnergies and sent him all the details together with these photos. As soon as I receive his professional opinion, I'll post it here.
ATF causes that color.
Do your plugs have a red tint also?
OK we've established it is not ATF. As others mentioned the engine probably has/had a lot of varnish and the oil is cleaning it up. You could pull the valve cover and have a look, or keep driving and worry about something else.
Could the red color be leak detection dye that Total uses in their factory?
We had some machines come in at work here with green hydraulic fluid. Sold correct new fluid to customers and they questioned what we were selling as the color did not match. Turns out the factory randomly dumps dye into some machines as part of the QC checks. Could be the same at the Total factory, especially after they may have some changes to their production line?
We had some machines come in at work here with green hydraulic fluid. Sold correct new fluid to customers and they questioned what we were selling as the color did not match. Turns out the factory randomly dumps dye into some machines as part of the QC checks. Could be the same at the Total factory, especially after they may have some changes to their production line?
CleanSump
Site Donor 2026
Well, Motul turned red in my Yamaha 950 engine that only had 1200 miles on the engine and 600 miles on the oil. And it came out red every change thereafter. There was no lacquer present when I changed to Motul at 600 miles on the engine. The oil just turned reddish because the oil itself just turns reddish in use.
The 9000 (right jugs) for me is the same oil with just rebranded label from Total to Total Energies.
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