Oil color

[jbutch]

I read a bit on oil color and what it can mean and what I found out is that it's not supposed to say much as black oil could just mean that it's cleaning well the engine, so far so good.

Now I did multiple OCs with GF5 oils and I check often the oil level (a bit OCD on that) and I noticed that all GF5 I used turned very very dark (almost pitch black) past 1500 miles of use, they also sheared a lot as my engine is known to be very hard on oils. Now that didn't bother me as I read on the topic and came to the conclusion that it was doing it's job.

However on my last oil change I went with a very different oil, Rotella MV 5w-30 which is CK4/SN Plus (not GF5) and the engine is very happy with this oil so far, very quiet and smooth. Now, I have 3000 miles on this oil and it's just barely getting dark.

Does that mean that it's not cleaning enough compared the other oils? Does an oil gets darker as it shears? That would explain the GF5 color...

Any thoughts?

 

[PimTac]

How did you determine how much the oil sheared?

 

[jbutch]

Originally Posted by PimTac
How did you determine how much the oil sheared?



Latest UOA, including past UOAs

Without going in the whole BS fuel dilution debacle, I highly doubt that fuel is the only contributor to the very low KV @ 100.

QSUD starting KV @ 100 is 11.6 cst and it sheared down to 7.81 cst...

 

[PimTac]

It could be that you are running the oil too long. It looks like 5000 mile oci suit this engine better.

 

[demarpaint]

If "looks" mean anything, it "looks" OK. But as many here say "looks" don't mean much.

 

[jbutch]

Originally Posted by PimTac
It could be that you are running the oil too long. It looks like 5000 mile oci suit this engine better.



I should have noted earlier, but everything is in kilometers in the reports.

 

[UncleDave]

Idemitsu 0W-20 GF5 is still gold in my Lexus RX-400H at 9K miles.

It has a timing belt so no shearing at the chain.

UD

 

[Donald]

What engine?

I do not give too much thought to the oil in my Subaru vehicles. Try and change at 6000 miles, but sometimes its 7000 or 8000. Especially in winter when its cold out.

I have the 2.5 boxer engine in my Forester and I do not believe its hard on oil. But I am way past the days of fast or aggressive driving.

 

[DoubleNickels]

Originally Posted by jbutch
as black oil could just mean that it's cleaning well the engine, so far so good.


Any thoughts?


If you send oil for analysis, and there's all kinds of bad stuff.....does that mean that this oil is simply getting out what the other oils left behind? Does that mean that if you send bad oil in for analysis, and they don't see much, it just means that all the gunk was left behind in the motor?

Just random thoughts.

 

[4WD]

Well, you never drain 100% and there could be a few particles liberated from mild sludge … but as trends go that should be similar from sump to sump samples …
On some industrial engines the sample must come from oil in circulation at operating temperature

 

[FA_WRX]

Well I'm not sure if color means much but. I would say when I drained the run of 5W-30 RGT out of my Subie. I did notice it seemed darker in color than my normal 5 to 6K OCIs.

 

[Garak]

Don't worry. I'm always freaked when a different oil looks different after X number of miles, and it always seems they do. So, I have decided I won't worry about it unless it really looks terribly wrong, like a milkshake, or rainbow colours, or something similarly implausible.

 

[jbutch]

Originally Posted by Garak
Don't worry. I'm always freaked when a different oil looks different after X number of miles, and it always seems they do. So, I have decided I won't worry about it unless it really looks terribly wrong, like a milkshake, or rainbow colours, or something similarly implausible.

Maybe I wasn't explaining correctly (english is my second language), but what I meant is that Rotella is much lighter colored than all other oils I used in the past.

I worry it does not clean as well as the others.

 

[Garak]

I think you'll be fine. I understood what you mean; you got it across no problem. Some oils seem to darken quicker, and one might think it's cleaning faster, but it may just be the way the oil runs through its cycles. Each time I switched, I always notice (or imagine) something. It's too light. It's too dark. It looks strange on the dipstick.

You should have seen the LPG taxis. In some of them, the oil never changed colour much over the entire 10,000 km interval!

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted by jbutch
... However on my last oil change I went with a very different oil, Rotella MV 5w-30 which is CK4/SN Plus (not GF5) and the engine is very happy with this oil so far, very quiet and smooth. Now, I have 3000 miles on this oil and it's just barely getting dark.

Does that mean that it's not cleaning enough compared the other oils? ...
I've wondered about that too. I've used three brands of synthetic so far in this car, and all of them darken much less than (non-synthetic) oil in previous cars I've had and known. Is a lot of carbon being left stuck on the pistons, or does this car simply not form as much?

 

[LeoStrop]

The color of the oil also has a lot to do with the type of fuel you are using, maybe using a better gas can be better for the oil, who knows.

I don't think that the oil not getting dark, means it's not cleaning the engine. It has more to do with the type and amount of fuel, formulation and aging of the oil.

This is a 15W50 SL Semi after 2000 miles on my 94 Kadett that only runs on ethanol:

 

[tiger862]

Originally Posted by LeoStrop
The color of the oil also has a lot to do with the type of fuel you are using, maybe using a better gas can be better for the oil, who knows.

I don't think that the oil not getting dark, means it's not cleaning the engine. It has more to do with the type and amount of fuel, formulation and aging of the oil.

This is a 15W50 SL Semi after 2000 miles on my 94 Kadett that only runs on ethanol:

On my Grand Caravan it states that if you run E85 the OCI will be shorten according to oil change light. It states oil change would be 4000 miles instead of 10000.

 

[DoubleNickels]

It could be because E85 is higher octane.

 

[FA_WRX]

I believe shorter OCIs with ethanol are do to increased fuel dilution trends. It takes more ethanol by volume to make power. Therefore lower gas mileage and higher chance for dultion. This is my amateur take anyway.

 

[LeoStrop]

I am not saying the oil is good by how it looks, but can't really tell why you should do short OCIs running E85.

I have to do a UOA to see what could be the problem.

One thing that i can say is better, is that the engine is much less prone to develop sludge.