fred

iTrader: (2)

hi, my engine oil is perpetually black, i can change at 500 miles, full synthetic (mobil 1) and filter change, and after 500 miles, the oil is really black already. i know that it darkens with age, but even my dad said that it looks like it is 5k miles old already. how do i fix, or is it fixable?
thanks

Mizeree_X

iTrader: (9)

An oil's "potency" has nothing to do with its color. Don't worry about it. If you are concerned about the engine, take samples of the oil and send them to Blackstone labs for testing.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Well that is unusal. Want to make sure? Send a sample to Blackstone labs. For about $19, they can analyze the oil and advise if they see something that would indicate a problem with your engine (causing the oil to turn black quick).

That is probably THE ONLY way to know for sure.

fred

iTrader: (2)

where is this blackstone labs, and how long does it take?
thanks

Torkaholic

Blackstone will usually email you your results either the same day they receive the sample, or the next. They are pretty fast. For an example of what their reports look like, see the stickies or the thread I started below, regarding particle counts.

What you are observing is abnormal. It's true that an oil's color generally does not indicate its suitability for continued use. On the other hand, if a car with a tight clearance engine is blackening fresh oil this fast, something's probably going on. Two candidates would be either excessive blow-by, or perhaps the engine is dirty from neglect earlier in its life, and the new oil is just picking up that crud.

Blackstone also offers an optional particle counting service (on which I am now sold...can you tell). It costs another $20 over the regular test. I think it's worth it, as it puts your otherwise abstract wear metals in perspective. If you have an excessive number of particles in the wear-causing size range,
that would likely indicate a dirty engine. It may also lead you to a different filter choice. Just some initial food for thought. Good luck with it.

kcryan

iTrader: (1)

mabye do an engine flush depending on milage?
but blackstone sounds like the way to go, im gonna send them some of mine somtime

UncleMax98

Does the oil smell like gasoline? Check the PCV valve in case it is clogged.

bladerunr

iTrader: (14)

Check bobistheoilguy.com for the Blackstone Labs link. Read through the forum and learn about oil and oil sampling.

thekenone

try throwing some seafoam in the oil before u change it. there is another brand that will do it (can't remember the name) but its found at autozone. maybe that would help.

fred

iTrader: (2)

ok thanks guys. i know that when i got the car, the oil was as black as kcryan's allante, but 5 oil changes and 6k miles later, i thought it should be pretty well cleaned out by this point...

Torkaholic

Fred:

Clearly something's going on, and you're not pleased with it, and rightfully so. As a contrast, I drove an 88 Civic for 10 years, from zero to ~150k miles (hey, no one's perfect...), and the oil never got close to black. Prime culprit candidates in my mind would be either there's a lot of varnish and sludge in your engine, in which case, it's unlikely that a few mere oil changes will clear the problem. A lot of people have reported good results with Auto-Rx; you might consider this option before some of the harsher, fast-acting cleaners. Another possibility is excessive blow-by resulting from worn rings.

It's good that you've got all these members offering their ideas, but right now, all this is speculation. If you want some hard facts, it's time to do the oil analysis. A basic test from Blackstone is $25. If you don't want to get under the car, or want to sample now, before draining the oil, another $25 will get you a good quality sampling pump, also from Blackstone. The sampling tube goes right down the dipstick opening -- very easy. If you want to take it a step further, order the "Dyson Package" when you send a sample to Blackstone. Terry Dyson is a professional oil analyst who will provide you more info than you'll get on the basic UOA report. His basic read, which you get by email, is another $10 on top of the basic report. The pump will last for years, and this $60 will get you a huge amount of info before anyone has to break into your engine. Be sure to review the sticky on oil analysis, right in this sub-forum. Again, good luck with it.

SunMax

iTrader: (2)

First of all, did you notice the engine require less new oil? I don't know how many quarts your engine take, but if you get a full mark on the dipstick while putting lesser oil than the manual, then you might have a lot of sludge in the engine.

When I was on the SR20DE (Sentra SE-R) forum, there was a missing-oil issue. It was due to the build-up of sludge and they exactly had the same problem as yours: oil get black fast. What the owners did was a engine flush. A lot of them recommended STP engine flush. You can give it a try since it doesn't hurt anyway.

Dave Holmes

Torkaholic is right on about the oil analysis. That is the only way you'll find out what is causing it short of tearing your engine apart. I'd spring for the basic analysis and Dyson interpretation at the least. The pump would be nice, but you can do without if money is tight. I have a one man bleeder (a basic vacuum pump kit) I bought from AutoZone for about $20, and I can suck out 4 oz's at a time through my dipstick (had to do it to my tranny due to a slight overfill). The kits from Blackstone are free, just check out their site and request some. http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

They're really quick about sending free sample bottles. And I'd ask for a couple. They are handy little bottles.

I'd be careful with some of the quick type engine flushes. They can sometimes break off large pieces of gunk that can clog oil passages, clog filters, etc. A slow cleaning which will dissolve any gunk (which is what it sounds like to me) would be better than an "instant" flushing from a risk standpoint. But without an analysis or teardown, I'm just speculating as to what it is.

Dave