dirty oil after only 2500 miles or less

[4WD]

Have seen that many times even on newer engines - especially those with black tailpipes …
The only one ever alarming to me was on the 2013 Charger - the oil was black and very thick in just 3k miles - and smelled strong of gasoline …
This was 5w20 Castrol Magnatec … dealer check it, all good ...
Just been using M1, QSUD, STP, stuff on sale since then and just change it 3k, always very black … car is a short tripper M-F …
All other vehicles do 5k-8k runs

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

I had never used PUP in my engine. WM had it on sale and I bought some. After about 1500 miles the oil was a very dark brown. I made a post on here about it and mostly everyone that replied said not to worry about it. It was the oil doing its job, cleaning my internal engine and parts.

 

[D1dad]

Platinum caused this between 5-10k (cars actual miles) on the Nissan 2.5. Maybe that engine is direct injection? The now fill of valvoline 0-20 is still clean at 3k. I can't believe a brand new engine would have that kind of gunk in it. I have some PP 5-30 that I'm gonna run in an 04 Taurus that maintains light oil color throughout and always has so that'll be the tell when I change it out.

 

[Lubener]

No engine is perfectly clean. I would be more alarmed if my oil was spotless after 2500 miles. Somewhat darkened oil is doing its job.

 

[D1dad]

I guess it goes both ways. I bought a 2000 power stroke, pretty much new and although diesels are notorious for blacking the oil quickly, mine never has and it's at 175k with no blowby to speak of. My 03 altima kept the oil clean while my 09 turns it dark very quick and has a dirty tailpipe. It runs like a dream so I don't worry about it just something's I've noticed.

 

[NavyVet88]

Originally Posted by BlueOvalFitter
I had never used PUP in my engine. WM had it on sale and I bought some. After about 1500 miles the oil was a very dark brown. I made a post on here about it and mostly everyone that replied said not to worry about it. It was the oil doing its job, cleaning my internal engine and parts.


It was

 

[Triple_Se7en]

I agree with NavyVet.
I'd be more worried about the Valvoline that stayed clear for 3K. I have a five quart jug of Valvoline Advanced Syn in my basement. Was going to use that next........ still will. Please darken by 3K. If you don't, I'm removing you..... rain, snow or sleet.

 

[doyall]

Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
... I'd be more worried about the Valvoline that stayed clear for 3K. ...


Absolutely. People are delusional if they think oil either does or should stay "clear", "spotless", "clean" or any other synonym for 3,000 or even 300 miles of use. I have taken enough samples of 100 to 200 miles-in-use oil in even new engines to know better. Looking at the dipstick or doing a blotter test and declaring oil as such only demonstrates willful ignorance.

(Unless no one can tell, this topic has struck one of my few peeves on this forum.)

 

[DGXR]

First I have to say this: dark oil does not always equal worn out oil. It may look dark but be perfectly suitable for many more thousands of miles. Only an oil analysis will tell you the truth. You may already know this, I'm not sure.
However, it sounds like you are saying that the oil is suddenly getting much darker much quicker compared to the last several oil changes, with the only difference being the oil filter in the current run. There are many things that can cause the oil to look darker sooner than it did on previous runs:
poor quality fuel
increase in short trip frequency (more cold starts per mile)
any significant change in driving habits (increased idling time, more spirited open-throttle driving, etc)
any significant change in ambient conditions (especially a radical decrease in temperature)
engine in poor state of tune (neglected maintenance, etc)
engine heavily worn (low compression, oil consumption, etc)
failed component (possibly emissions or fuel related)
poor air filtration
many other things that slip my mind right now.
Also I think fuel dilution (common with DI engines) will increase oxidation of the oil which also turns it dark. I have not owned any DI engines yet so this is not based on experience, but of what I have read, oil turning dark quickly in DI engines is a common thing. I would be curious to find out what is causing this change compared to previous oil runs -- I don't think it could be the oil filter but I guess it's possible... if you eliminate all other possibilities, whatever remains must be true. Good luck.

 

[mbres2000]

Originally Posted by doyall


People are delusional if they think oil either does or should stay "clear", "spotless", "clean" or any other synonym for 3,000 or even 300 miles of use. I have taken enough samples of 100 to 200 miles-in-use oil in even new engines to know better. Looking at the dipstick or doing a blotter test and declaring oil as such only demonstrates willful ignorance.

(Unless no one can tell, this topic has struck one of my few peeves on this forum.)


Hadn't revisited this thread in a while, so missed some of the nasty comments.

I do understand oil will not remain clear, spotless, or clean. I was simply trying to determine why, in 50+ years of driving and working on engines, I had never seen oil get so dirty so quickly in a new engine.

Thanks to many of you for informative comments and suggestions.

However, I have to say the folks on the old car and truck forums I frequent are a lot more diplomatic than what I've seen here. The best of those "experts" aren't self-proclaimed. They come across as knowledgeable, but not arrogant. None of this, "Here we go again," or "Another idiotic question from someone who's not an expert like me."

If questions on this forum get your blood boiling, then take a break from your PC. Or simply move on to the next post that's worthy of your time.

 

[DavidJones]

Cool, after reading the 4 pages of responses, I glad to see that he got his definitive answer.