blbrizzi

I'm fairly new here, but have a question I haven't seen come up, and yes I have done the "search" thing. Basically, what's happening is this. I just recently acquired a 99 Infiniti I30t, right after the oil changes have been completed I have noticed the oil has stayed dark. Yes, I'm getting it done by a quick lube place, but watch to make sure they are doing it right, this hasn't happened to my other vehicles which I have also taken there, so I'm a little confused why it's happening with this one. Is it possible not all the old oil is coming out during the change? What should I look for?

Brent

sbslacker

iTrader: (1)

Are you saying that your oil is the same dark, dirty color before and after the oil change? Do you have the previous owner's maintainance records of the car? If you're bringing the car in there warm, then I don't see any reason why the oil would not drain completely. They DID change the filter, right?

blbrizzi

Yes, that's what I'm saying. The filter has been changed all 3 times I have had it done. I bought the car with approx. 30,000 miles on it, I bought from a dealership, and the records didn't come with the vehicle. I don't appear to be using any oil at all, the car runs fine, but the oil stays dark even right after the change, and I do mean right after. And yes the oil was changed when the car was completely warm. Is it possible that there was some sludge buildup in there before I got the car, and it's taking it's time coming out?

Brent

kvzeyde

You might take a look and see what the new oil looks like before your oil change place puts it in. Maybe it just has a dark color. No other explanation comes to mind.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

A few things come to mind. First, try having them use a different brand of oil and see if the color is the same, some oils are just darker than others period. The other possibility is that you may have a filtration problem, it could be an air filter issue which is letting an excessive amount of dirt into your system. It could also be an oil filter issue as well. If the pasageway to/from the oil filter is restricted in anyway and the filter is being bypassed the "clean" oil being put into your engine can be circulating unfiltered or partially filtered, leading to an extremely short service life and a contamination problem.

thrustinj

No not all the oil comes out of the engine when you change oil. The oil pan keeps some of the old oil, along with any crude that built up.

I may be wrong here.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

You are correct, 100% of the oil will not come out of the engine. If the oil is warm and you allow it to drain for a while, you should be able to get the majority of it out. It should take a while for the fresh oil to darken under normal use, assuming the oil is not dark when it goes in in the first place. As a side point, the color of the oil is not an accurate indication of when it needs to be changed. I believe a Pennsylvania based crude oil will darken faster than Texas based crude oil, though I may have this backwards.

bill99gxe

iTrader: (1)

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....threadid=10060

triax37

I've read that some of the "quick oil change" places do it like this:

1. Change filter
2. Use a type of syringe to suck out as much oil as they can (or want) from the oil pan.
3. Pour in new oil

This method would leave in even more used oil that would be just in the filter. I don't know...just something I've read. That's why I don't mess with fate and do it myself. If that's not an option, the Nissan/Infinity dealership is only going to charge $20-$25, and I'd assume that they would do it right.

SuDZ

Well you assume anyway......


SuDZ

csnow

I do an oil change just about every three weeks regardless whether or not my car needs it. Each time before I do my oil change I drop in a can of oil flush (can be found at any automotive store). The oil flush helps breakdown the dirt and thins the oil out.

Just drop in the flush before you drain your oil. Start your car and get it up to normal operating temp. Remember if you car is cold and you change the oil, its thick and drains out slow (not good). The warmer the better, always be carful you can get burnt.

Eric L.

On a broken in engine, it is not unusual for oil to get dark really quick. As long as you are changing the filter each time, it should not be something to worry about in my opinion. If you are really worried, then do a Blackstone oil analysis on your used oil (like when you change it) and then take another sample 500 miles later when the "new" oil is dark. Blackstone should be able to predict if you are experiencing unusual wear in the engine.

Str8ridin

Anybody consider that the 'quick lube' place isn't really changing the oil or perhaps adding used motor oil in to save money? Try going to a different place.

kvzeyde

1eyedcalibandit Quoted Message:

I do an oil change just about every three weeks regardless whether or not my car needs it. Each time before I do my oil change I drop in a can of oil flush (can be found at any automotive store). The oil flush helps breakdown the dirt and thins the oil out.

Just drop in the flush before you drain your oil. Start your car and get it up to normal operating temp. Remember if you car is cold and you change the oil, its thick and drains out slow (not good). The warmer the better, always be carful you can get burnt.

MAYBE the above works if it is done starting when the engine is new. Years ago, I know I tried it on a car I bought used and all it did for me was make the engine use lots of oil. I have never used oil flush since.

blbrizzi

Uhh, one problem with this, I watched them change it each time. Anyway, today it was taken care of. I decided to do another oil change myself, the only reason I was having the quick lube do it was for warranty purposes, which I have since been told is unnecessary, so from now on I will do it myself. After letting all the old oil drain out, I decide to run a couple of quarts through just to see what happens, and the oil continues to run black for the first 1 and a half quarts then it becomes clear. I then refill the oil, and check it, now I can't see it because it's so damn clear, but that's what I wanted. It's a good possibility the car wasn't serviced correctly by the po, are there any other problems I should look for? Considering the po didn't care

Brent

jflowers1974

Have you changed the PCV valve? I get my oil changed every 2500 miles and each time the oil coming out would look pitch black yet still be fluidic/oily. I changed the valve and the oil looked great.

csnow

I bought my car from the Nissan dealer used in the middle of 2000, 97' SE 5 speed with 56k on it, now a year and half later it has 116k on it as of this morning. I have had no problems with burning oil.

Ps the car you bought was years ago, has nothing to do with my Maxima, im just stating that I havent had one single problem with burning oil because of oil flushes.

I have spoken with the dealer and automotive store part guys, some have negative comments, others have positive, use at your own risk!

csnow

Just keep an eye on the color and remember to smell your oil cap each time you change it. Do oil changes every 3k and you should be fine,

? how many quarts are you using, do you have an oil cooler on the car?

shane

When i change oil i put the drain plug in and take off the filter,after that drains out i take the drain plug off again and lot of oil is still in there(surprised me).is this good what i do or bad or does it matter thanks

blbrizzi

I used 4 1/4 qts. just like the manual says, it's just that the oil is so light in color it's hard to see. No oil cooler to my knowledge, what would I look for if there was one? Would it be beneficial to get one?

Brent

2DMax

iTrader: (2)

Is it a diesel? (kidding)