The Color of Oil Tells Nothing

Originally Posted by atikovi
I would have changed the oil in anything I cared about long before it got as dirty as ANY of those samples. This is what I want to see when I pull the dipstick,
[censored][censored]
 
You are asking a what if scenario without a wrong answer. What a gather Grandpappy and you could state with accuracy is when to change oil but can not state accurately when the oil is done or predict when it will be done.
 
What is gained by doing this?
Originally Posted by UncleDave
[quote=atikovi]I would have changed the oil in anything I cared about long before it got as dirty as ANY of those samples. This is what I want to see when I pull the dipstick, [Linked Image]
What is gained by doing this?
 
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This video is often posted as a reference to not being able to tell if an oil is bad by color - color alone with no context is difficult for sure - but there are visual clues - the guy himself references visual cues. We can notate there is no gold oil in the marginal or bad samples. Also note he shakes the pyrex and references the oil "flowing well" and "not flowing well" - both completely visual references in this context. We can also see how when the last two sample are shaken up the "marginal" and bad oil stays on the side of the pyrex UD
 
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Originally Posted by zeng
... Besides, all 3 oil samples demonstrate good and more than adequate detergency/dispersancy capabilities and are fit for continuing service, inc 38k and 6k samples. Fuel dilution problem (if any,) seems to be absent in all 3 samples. Just my 2cents Edit: Also absence of coolant issue.
zeng, I'm going to post picture of my used oil and have you analyze it. I like your confidence! grin2
 
Originally Posted by doyall
Originally Posted by atikovi
I would have changed the oil in anything I cared about long before it got as dirty as ANY of those samples. This is what I want to see when I pull the dipstick,
[censored][censored]
What you trying to say there?
 
Originally Posted by circuitsmith
I'd be interested in how they feel, rubbed between the fingers.
youd be amazed how sensitive your fingers are to grit - or maybe not since you are asking. as with everything - there is a debate about how small but it seems certain that you can feel grit in the size that a full-flow filter with simply recirculate. looking at them blotted on a business card may yield better results - a paper towel is too porous UD
 
I'm not sure if certain formulations turn dark by nature or not but that's not my experience with the oils I've used in my vehicles. Medium to dark amber is the colour I see after 5000 to 7000 km oil changes. The oils I've used have primarily been conventional 5/10w30 Castrol GTX and Mobil Super 1000 with the odd sprinkling of synthetic in my last two vehicles. Those were Valvoline Synpower 10w30 in my current vehicle and Mobil Super Synthetic 0w20 in my previous Scion xb. Maybe the shorter oil changes and keeping my revs above a minimum helps. Not sure but food for thought nonetheless.
 
Originally Posted by Fawteen
Originally Posted by OilUzer
Samples must be all from DI engines! My non DI engines even the very old cars never gets that color.
The oil on my Silverado's 5.3 dipstick is still clear after 5,000 miles. And guess what? It's DI. The oil in my T gets dark after a couple hundred miles, and it's a "non DI very old car". The color of oil is meaningless, and I've had a couple of vehicles in the past that darkened the oil quick.
Originally Posted by atikovi
I would have changed the oil in anything I cared about long before it got as dirty as ANY of those samples. This is what I want to see when I pull the dipstick
You'd get your britches wound up tight if you ever owned a real diesel.
How does your 442 oil look? My girlfriend's GDI engine has dark oil very soon after a change or black oil in winter immediately after an oil change. My 76 350 Oldsmobile stays clean for a couple thousand miles of short trips (4-5 months). My 305 Chevy (carbureted) stays clean looking for 3k miles.
 
My experience with my own vehicles is the previously well maintained ones the oil stays clean for 5k miles or longer varying depending on the usage and how long 5k miles took. Since my experience with under maintained vehicles was only customer's vehicles I changed the oil on....the less frequently they changed it the faster it turned black. Some would have chunks of sludge come out the drain plug or on the dipstick. I've had no change in color based on brand. It was only badly maintained vehicles with dark oil. I don't have experience with bypass filtration so unless that makes a huge difference my personal experience makes me guess that the 37k mile oil was the one left out of the blotter test and not the Franken brew. I don't mean to offend with my lack of trust, but from what I've seen none of those oils look like 37k mile oil, not even close.
 
I go 7500 miles with synthetic and it leaves just a tinge of gold on the heads. The oil gets very dark, but it's still clear when seen on the dipstick. I'm sure the cause of this is just heat and a small amount of soot.
 
Card stock would be better for blotter tests. In any event, no, colour means nothing, unless something is totally out of the ordinary. If I'm using the same oil all the time over the same intervals and something goes totally weird, like milkshakey or black when it never gets black, then it's time to pay attention. Other than that, forget it.
 
Originally Posted by Ihatetochangeoil
...Sample 2 is Amsoil SS 5W30 with 37,774 miles on it (and I have UOA on it, still usable)...
I'm not sure if it's been asked yet, but can you post the UOA. I'd like to see how the UOA looks compared to the color.
 
Originally Posted by RDY4WAR
Originally Posted by Ihatetochangeoil
...Sample 2 is Amsoil SS 5W30 with 37,774 miles on it (and I have UOA on it, still usable)...
I'm not sure if it's been asked yet, but can you post the UOA. I'd like to see how the UOA looks compared to the color.
Yes, are you going to post it? Also, the Amsoil with 37k was that a FF filter or bypass and how long was it in service timewise? Any top offs on that oil? Curious...
 
Originally Posted by PWMDMD
Originally Posted by zeng
Fuel dilution problem (if any,) seems to be absent in all 3 samples. Just my 2cents Edit: Also absence of coolant issue.
How on earth do you think you can tell either one of those statements by looking at those pics?
Link by OP.

0 fuel dilution ;Capture.PNG


0 coolant ;Capture.PNG
 
So while dark oil does not necessarily infer that it is depleted--most depleted oil will typically darken with time. A diesel (or even gas) engine that is letting a lot of combustion by products past the rings and into the oil, will typically turn oil black very quickly. I have used a series of short interval oil changes to clean up diesel (or even gas) engines and free their rings and as a result have cleaner/lighter looking oil for a much longer period of time. Most oil that turns black rather quickly is a result of the oil formulation (Amsoil turns dark quickly), or an engine that is getting combustion by products into the oil, or has sludge build up. Sludge and combustion by products are typically darker than fresh oil. If you are using an oil in a clean and mechanically sound engine that gets progressively darker till the end of its interval of usage--that could be an indicator of add pack depletion. Under these circumstances I do pay attention to oil color. If i use x oil in a newer clean/sound vehicle and it stays lighter to the end of its change interval and I use that same oil in an older less clean vehicle that was just purchased, I will typically run short oil change intervals until I can go the full distance on a recommended interval with the oil looking clean at the end of it's life cycle. That to me is a somewhat reliable indicator of having cleaned up the engine. The title of this thread makes a baseless categorical claim with no exceptions and therefore is wrong--while the color of the oil may not always tell what is going on it sometimes is a clear indicator of something amiss or something improving if you have trend data on the oil color.
 
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