Is " clean " oil a good thing ?
- Thread starter my556762
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My belief is that any oil should darken gradually over the course of its useful life in your engine. The thing you don't want is for it to darken very fast say less than 500 to 1K miles
otherwisw you probably have a very dirty engine or you may be using the wrong oil.Don't forget some oils start of a little darker than others.
SS
otherwisw you probably have a very dirty engine or you may be using the wrong oil.Don't forget some oils start of a little darker than others.
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Some additives darken with exposure to heat. Some don't. Getting opaque is probably more to do with getting dirty due to combustion byproducts. Something like a first time use of Redline might liberate enough stuff to "clean" ..but most just prevent more from taking up residence.
Triple_Se7en
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Originally Posted By: my556762
I'm a little confused about something . Some people on this board say that if an oil starts to darken , that means it's cleaning the engine . Other people brag about how clean the oil is when they change it . What's the straight poop ?
My measurement for a relatively clean engine is going 1-1.5K after an oil change with a clean dipstick. I agree -- the oil should gradually darken with age/use.
I'm a little confused about something . Some people on this board say that if an oil starts to darken , that means it's cleaning the engine . Other people brag about how clean the oil is when they change it . What's the straight poop ?
My measurement for a relatively clean engine is going 1-1.5K after an oil change with a clean dipstick. I agree -- the oil should gradually darken with age/use.
A lot depends on the engine. Brother has had Dakotas for years and the oil comes out black, even at 5000 miles with QS 10W-30 blend. Mostly highway miles.
My 3.8 GMs always look dark brown never black. 7500 mile OCI mostly highway use.
My 3.8 GMs always look dark brown never black. 7500 mile OCI mostly highway use.
My oil has never been so black i could not see through it to the dipstick below. However i suffer from TFOCS (Too frequent oil change syndrome).
Too many oils, so little time....
Too many oils, so little time....
Like mentioned above a gradual darkening is a good thing.
Triple_Se7en
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Originally Posted By: dwendt44
A lot depends on the engine. Brother has had Dakotas for years and the oil comes out black, even at 5000 miles with QS 10W-30 blend. Mostly highway miles.
My 3.8 GMs always look dark brown never black. 7500 mile OCI mostly highway use.
My dipstick could be crystal clear - but when I change the 1K-old oil moments later, the oil is black. I dont think that black color means anything. It's all in the transparency when you dip something just below the top level of the liquidated oil inside your drained oil bucket.
A lot depends on the engine. Brother has had Dakotas for years and the oil comes out black, even at 5000 miles with QS 10W-30 blend. Mostly highway miles.
My 3.8 GMs always look dark brown never black. 7500 mile OCI mostly highway use.
My dipstick could be crystal clear - but when I change the 1K-old oil moments later, the oil is black. I dont think that black color means anything. It's all in the transparency when you dip something just below the top level of the liquidated oil inside your drained oil bucket.
The oil previously used in my car was golden colored at 1500 miles, brown at 2500, and nearly black or VERY dark brown at 3000.
I gave it a change just to get a known quality and age of oil and filter before the cold weather. I used 5w30 motor craft and a MC820 filter. Oil was brown by 600 miles. Don't know quite why. Could be the additives or maybe cause the weather here is pretty cold and the engine is running rich longer. I have like 800-1000 on it now and its about the same color. Idk.
I gave it a change just to get a known quality and age of oil and filter before the cold weather. I used 5w30 motor craft and a MC820 filter. Oil was brown by 600 miles. Don't know quite why. Could be the additives or maybe cause the weather here is pretty cold and the engine is running rich longer. I have like 800-1000 on it now and its about the same color. Idk.
From the Pennzoil Platinum FAQ:
Q: Why does synthetic oil get dark so quickly inside my engine?
A: When you start your car, oil begins lubricating your engine. Numerous additives within the oil help it cool and reduce friction between internal moving parts. Oil also cleans away dirt and contaminants to help prevent premature engine wear. If your oil turns a dark color or even black, it simply means it is doing its job very well.
Q: Why does synthetic oil get dark so quickly inside my engine?
A: When you start your car, oil begins lubricating your engine. Numerous additives within the oil help it cool and reduce friction between internal moving parts. Oil also cleans away dirt and contaminants to help prevent premature engine wear. If your oil turns a dark color or even black, it simply means it is doing its job very well.
I have two Dakota 3.9L and a Jeep 4L, ran QS for a long time the oil got dark fast and was black at 3,000 miles, the past year and a half have used Mopar Maxpro oil from the Dealer (I purchase it in 1 gallon jugs), the Mopar oil takes longer to change color and is more gradual and it is not black at 3,000 miles
Triple_Se7en
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Originally Posted By: Petty
I have two Dakota 3.9L and a Jeep 4L, ran QS for a long time the oil got dark fast and was black at 3,000 miles, the past year and a half have used Mopar Maxpro oil from the Dealer (I purchase it in 1 gallon jugs), the Mopar oil takes longer to change color and is more gradual and it is not black at 3,000 miles
Odds are - the Maxpro add-pack is weaker. Most-all house brands are slightly weaker versions of the original supplier. Motorcaft may be the only exception I've seen.
I have two Dakota 3.9L and a Jeep 4L, ran QS for a long time the oil got dark fast and was black at 3,000 miles, the past year and a half have used Mopar Maxpro oil from the Dealer (I purchase it in 1 gallon jugs), the Mopar oil takes longer to change color and is more gradual and it is not black at 3,000 miles
Odds are - the Maxpro add-pack is weaker. Most-all house brands are slightly weaker versions of the original supplier. Motorcaft may be the only exception I've seen.
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Has anybody ever seen bad oil that was clean?
When I was looking at those used Volvos, I took dipstick samples on paper for a blotter test. Right next to each other, there was a huge variation in the oil condition from the various cars. Most were examples that were much darker than I normally see.
I guess 2 ways oil can become dark is overuse as well as putting clean oil into a dirty engine where it becomes prematurely dark.
I guess 2 ways oil can become dark is overuse as well as putting clean oil into a dirty engine where it becomes prematurely dark.
I know that judging the condition of oil by its color on the dipstick is pretty amateurish, but most of us do it anyways. So here is my amateur theory based on often using the same oil and viscosity in my 3 vehicles at the same time:
How quickly the oil turns dark is mostly dependent upon how much of the old oil you are able to drain before putting the drain plug back on. I'm not talking about how long you wait before the dripping stops (and it never seems to), but how much oil pools and sits in various parts of the engine that doesn't make it to the drain pan when you shut down the engine. Some engines have the drain plug on the side of the pan instead of the bottom, causing a pool of oil there too. I now think this is the main reason for oil to darken quickly on the dipstick over any other.
Of my 3 vehicles, only one shows quick (less than 1K miles) oil darkening. The other 2 vehicles look cleaner after 5K miles than the other at 500 miles with the same oil.
Bottom line...I don't think it has anything to do with how well an oil performs.
How quickly the oil turns dark is mostly dependent upon how much of the old oil you are able to drain before putting the drain plug back on. I'm not talking about how long you wait before the dripping stops (and it never seems to), but how much oil pools and sits in various parts of the engine that doesn't make it to the drain pan when you shut down the engine. Some engines have the drain plug on the side of the pan instead of the bottom, causing a pool of oil there too. I now think this is the main reason for oil to darken quickly on the dipstick over any other.
Of my 3 vehicles, only one shows quick (less than 1K miles) oil darkening. The other 2 vehicles look cleaner after 5K miles than the other at 500 miles with the same oil.
Bottom line...I don't think it has anything to do with how well an oil performs.
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