First diesel oil change - oil black when checked

[Oil_Rookie]

My son just had his first oil change on his new 2019 Ford F-250 diesel. It's his first diesel and he's visiting us and had it done at a local dealer that I've never been to. After he got home he checked the oil and it was very black. Since it was his first time he went back to the shop to ask about the color. The owner told him that it will turn black after driving a few miles. He rubbed some oil from the dipstick in his fingers and I guess it looked like it was fresh oil but my son isn't sure. He watched them drain it and I can't imagine them putting in old oil so I'd like to know if this is normal. Thanks for any feedback.

 

[Jarlaxle]

100% normal on a modern diesel.

 

[simple_gifts]

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...04310/all/Freshly_changed_oil_in_a_Diese

 

[bdcardinal]

Its totally normal. Also in the linked thread there was a response about EGR causing that, back in my wrench turning days I remember the 7.3L diesels doing it and they don't have EGR.

Supposedly if you do the super duper double bypass filter setups the oil will get not quite as black.

 

[CarbonSteel]

It "practically" turns black as you pour it from the bottle into the engine. Completely normal courtesy of the nature of a diesel and the emissions systems which dump exhaust gas back into the engine.

 

[walterjay]

It will never be anything but black. That is the way it goes with diesel.

 

[NYEngineer]

Hmmmm... I wonder if in automotive diesels the oil gets black from combustion getting by the rings while idling or in low load conditions... When the rings arent being forced out against the cylinder walls.

Ive worked on diesel generators forever. 17 years servicing them and the last 17 as an in house generator guy for a big company. Ive found that oil stays clear much longer in engines that run loaded for more time than unloaded. Even moreso on later model, electronically injected engines.

 

[Zaedock]

Back in black
I hit the sack
I've been too long I'm glad to be back

 

[Charlie2015]

Like what everybody else has said. You pour in golden new oil and as soon as you start it up, the oil is black.

 

[mattd]

I find every truck is different. Mine stays more of an amber color for more than 3000 miles on my 6.0 PSD.

 

[JMJNet]

Diesel engine produces carbon/soot and it is floating in the oil.
If the oil does not go black, that means the carbon stays in the engine.
So, good oil should go black in a diesel engine.
This is also why there is special diesel rated oil to make sure the oil can deal with the carbon production.

It is also good to change it when the engine is somewhat hot, otherwise, it will be thick like molases.

 

[fdcg27]

Owned a couple of Mercedes IDI cars and the oil was jet black on drain and had a distinctive scent.
The fresh oil would darken almost instantly.
Just the nature of the beast.

 

[UncleDave]

Every diesel I had and have but one turned the oil jet black nearly instantly.

We had a tractor that had a frantz filter on it - the amber color lasted a little longer with that.

UD

 

[OilReport99]

Diesel = Black Oil = No Problem.

 

[Chris142]

The oil will be black as soon as the engine is started. 100% normal.

 

[mattd]

Originally Posted by JMJNet

If the oil does not go black, that means the carbon stays in the engine.


Every Diesel engine is different. A majority do turn them black quickly. However for some reason the 6.0 PSD does not turn it black as quickly than most. This is not just my truck but many others I have serviced. I've worked on everything from the PSD, ISB,ISL,ISX Cummins, DDS60, DD 6 and 8V92s, and IH DT466 am DT530. Most of those turn it black very quickly but the IH DT engines turn them darker more slowly. The inside of the engine in my truck was spotless so your blanket statement is not accurate.

 

[Trav]

Oil turns black in a diesel very quickly. Normal operation.

 

[UG_Passat]

Welcome to diesels.

This is why you can't judge oil condition by color

 

[SteveG4]

Diesels are dark, black even...

Originally Posted by Zaedock
Back in black
I hit the sack
I've been too long I'm glad to be back


Black on Black II by Heart

Daddy's little soldier boy
Mama's little pride and joy
Both hands on her apron strings
"Don't you touch that dirty thing"

A warning signal from above
Inspection with a clean white glove
They say that opposites attract
Like right and wrong, black on black

Like pleasure and a little pain
The sacred and profane
Ice and fire counteract
Like black on black

 

[antonmnster]

Once I changed the oil in a Toro Workman with a 3-cyl Daihatsu diesel. It turned black within 5 minutes of running. Because work was slow and there was a barrel of oil nearby, I changed it again within a couple days. Almost instantly, it was ink black again.