My V6 4L SOHC Explorer has a tendency to dirty the oil fairly quickly. Not sure what the reason is but it's practically black at 5000 miles. Have had 3 Explorers and they were all the same way. Have several UOAs done in the past and the results were all good, and Blackstone complemented me on my vehicle maintainence. Can I extend the OCI? I'm assuming that carbon deposits in the oil won't do any harm?
Is it ok to run dirty oil?
- Thread starter edweather
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I get nervous when I see the oil on the dipstick as black, because even when it's amber colored it drains out black, so you can about imagine.
But then I have to remind myself that the oil is simply doing its job, and is no implication whatsoever that the oil is shot. Some may even tell you that black is good. And some engines just do that to oil. I wouldn't worry and go with what your oil analysis recommends.
But then I have to remind myself that the oil is simply doing its job, and is no implication whatsoever that the oil is shot. Some may even tell you that black is good. And some engines just do that to oil. I wouldn't worry and go with what your oil analysis recommends.
Originally Posted By: edweather
My V6 4L SOHC Explorer has a tendency to dirty the oil fairly quickly. Not sure what the reason is but it's practically black at 5000 miles. Have had 3 Explorers and they were all the same way. Have several UOAs done in the past and the results were all good, and Blackstone complemented me on my vehicle maintainence. Can I extend the OCI? I'm assuming that carbon deposits in the oil won't do any harm?
What does Blackstone recommend ??
My V6 4L SOHC Explorer has a tendency to dirty the oil fairly quickly. Not sure what the reason is but it's practically black at 5000 miles. Have had 3 Explorers and they were all the same way. Have several UOAs done in the past and the results were all good, and Blackstone complemented me on my vehicle maintainence. Can I extend the OCI? I'm assuming that carbon deposits in the oil won't do any harm?
What does Blackstone recommend ??
If it were we'd have no need to change oil or use filters. It stands to reason that if clean oil is good, then dirty oil is bad. My car is similar to OP's in that the oil is black by 3000 miles, I use good syns and filters, but still find it hard to let it go past mid 4K changes.
If you're using MC filters they are good but not as efficient as many others.
Try a Bosch / Pure One. That made a difference on my Ford.
Some will say soot is too small but the reality is that there is some filtering of soot and there will be more filtered by a more efficient filter, especially as it ages.
Try a Bosch / Pure One. That made a difference on my Ford.
Some will say soot is too small but the reality is that there is some filtering of soot and there will be more filtered by a more efficient filter, especially as it ages.
The oil in a diesel it turns black immediately but it tests fine. So there's really no way to know without testing it
You can't judge oil by it's color. In my experience, my cars with iron block engines turned the oil dark very fast, while my aluminum blocks kept the oil it's amber color.
Originally Posted By: LineArrayNut
If it were we'd have no need to change oil or use filters.
Either that, or Blackstone and the competition would be out of business if just looking at the oil were good enough.
If it were we'd have no need to change oil or use filters.
Either that, or Blackstone and the competition would be out of business if just looking at the oil were good enough.
You can't go based solely on oil color. Some oil additives will darken with use, it's not that they're used up or done working, but rather that's how the additive reacts to heat. So some oils will darken and go black quicker than others, that doesn't necessarily mean that the oil needs to be changed or that there's soot in the oil.
What did Blackstone say in regards to your OCI? They have more info than just what the oil looks like, so I would take their recommendation over that of what the oil on the dip stick looks like
What did Blackstone say in regards to your OCI? They have more info than just what the oil looks like, so I would take their recommendation over that of what the oil on the dip stick looks like
Originally Posted By: Chris142
The oil in a diesel it turns black immediately but it tests fine. So there's really no way to know without testing it
Not necessarily true. When I ran a trucking company with 3 class 8 dump trucks in which I did all the maintenance, the oil after a change stayed fairly golden for quite a while as in more than 1000 miles.
The oil in a diesel it turns black immediately but it tests fine. So there's really no way to know without testing it
Not necessarily true. When I ran a trucking company with 3 class 8 dump trucks in which I did all the maintenance, the oil after a change stayed fairly golden for quite a while as in more than 1000 miles.
Appreciate the feedback. It's been a while since my last UOA. Still running the same engine (4L V6 SOHC) now. Just stopped getting UOAs because they were always excellent and I'm sure at the time Blackstone said that I could increase the OCI. Even so I just kept changing the oil at 5K miles. Have been using Syntec, MC oil filters, and either Fram or Purolator air filters, and the oil always turns black quickly. I like the suggestion that aluminum blocks keep the oil better because that's the case with our Colorado, which is the reason I knew my oil was black compared to our other truck. The Colorado oil is alot better looking at 5K miles. Someone suggested that it might be the cheap air filters I'm using, but I don't fully buy that idea. Also like the suggestion of the Bosch / Pure One oil filter. It's worth a shot.
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Originally Posted By: FoxS
If you're using MC filters they are good but not as efficient as many others.
Try a Bosch / Pure One. That made a difference on my Ford.
Some will say soot is too small but the reality is that there is some filtering of soot and there will be more filtered by a more efficient filter, especially as it ages.
I'd add Mobil 1 filters to that list. Small particles can do harm too, only they take a longer time to do it. Does it matter? To me it does. Some people don't keep a car long enough for it to matter.
If you're using MC filters they are good but not as efficient as many others.
Try a Bosch / Pure One. That made a difference on my Ford.
Some will say soot is too small but the reality is that there is some filtering of soot and there will be more filtered by a more efficient filter, especially as it ages.
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