I noticed this a while ago, and am just now posting about it. Every now and then when I pull my oil dipstick out, I see this black gunk on it, even after a fresh oil change. Now of course I realize that oil gets dirty, but this stuff is like... actual DIRT, and I haven't seen it till recently. Yesterday, there was even a strand of hair on there. I'm always careful when filling up my oil. How is this crap getting in my oil, and how do I get it out?

 

Sludge. May wanna sea foam?

 

Maybe the area around the dipstick hole is dirty and the dipstick caught some of the dirt

 

that could be a possibility, but for some reason i doubt it.. i know nissan offers this service called an "engine flush" basically to flush out all the dirt and grime out of your engine.. is there any way a do-it-yourselfer could do such a thing in their driveway? i dont like all that bullsh*t being in my engine

 

Pour some Seafoam or Motul engine cleaner into your oil before your next change.

 

If you've been changing the oil on time and kept up with maintenance then your engine should be clean. Does it show any signs that the engine may be having problems?

 

UOA.

 

oil?

 

yeah, engine flush with that BK stuff might reduce bit by bit, seafoam too if you can.

i cant remember what BK thing is, there's number(s) after it, i saw it at the stealership and i just cant recall it.

 

If your engine indeed has sludge then I would do a few oil changes with about 500 miles in between. Then I would add a bottle of Auto-Rx and follow directions.

 

USED.

OIL.

ANALYSIS.





In case you don't know what "UOA" stands for. You're just guessing otherwise.

 

damn, that'll get expensive cause i use synthetic.. for all that, i might as well take it to nissan and let them flush it.. lol.. i'm nervous about seafoam because i've read about some bad experiences with it.. the engine doesnt show any signs of having problems.. i just replaced my plugs and valve covers, and it's very smooth (with the exception of an intake leak that i gotta fix).. i was having a performance problem, but i think it was my spark plugs and/or a vacuum leak.. but yeah.. so i guess i'll just put some engine cleaner crap in there before i change my oil next time

 

i was wondering that actually.. lol.. can i just take that to a local shop/store and have them do it? i heard you have to ship it out somewhere for the analysis

 

How long have you been using synthetic?

What did your crankcase look like when you replaced your valve cover? If you didn't see black crud or varnish then you're probably fine. I wouldn't use any cleaning products in the engine if you don't really need it. Change or clean your PCV valve if you haven't done it in 50k miles.

 

pull the dipstick out.
Take high res pic of dipstick.
post here.

I'm betting you're just getting grime off the top of the dipstick tube and freaking out needlessly.

 

i actually did take some pics of the dipstick, but the dipstick cmae out blurry while the background was clear (just got the camera, gotta learn how to work it.. lol)

i've been using synthetic ever since i got the car at 49k.. now i'm at 73k.. the crankcase looked fine.. no dirt or grime or anything.. i actually took pictures of those too that i can post up when i get back home.. a new PCV valve actually came with the rear valve cover

 

I think you have nothing to worry about.

 

:matt93se:

 

Just a little bit of useless information here... you can go back and forth between conventional and synthetic oil as often as you would like and do no harm. So you can do the whole 500 mile oil change with conventional oil and be just fine.


The problem that occurs from SWITCHING to synthetic oil after conventional oil has been used forever is that conventional oil contains paraffin waxes that get cought and "build up" around seals of oil passages. Synthetic oils are put together in a lab so there are no natural waxes or anything like that in the oil. Therefor the synthetic oil will "clean" your oiling system flushing out all the waxy buildup. Being that the seals are most likely dried out by now because they have never been oiled because of the waxy buildup blocking any oil from oiling them that is what would cause any oil leaks.


But since you have always used synthetic you will not develop that problem in the short period that you would be using conventional oil.


Just a little food for thought.


Eddie

 

I wouldn't put any cleaners in your oil it's just not good for the engine I read a recent thread adressing this. Once a year to remove any crap in the engine I buy an extra 5qts of Mobil 1 0w 20 drain the old oil and change the filter put the 0w 20 in and let it run at idle for 20-30 minutes then drain that oil and put in new 5w 30. You'd be suprised how dirty the new oil comes out after just a little while. It seems that there is still a lot of dirty oil left after draining and the thinner oil seems to help flush all the dirty oil left behind out. It may seem expensive but a big jug of Mobil 1 is only $25 at my local walmart and an extra $25 once a year isn't that much.

 

I use: http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

Some discussion of the results here and there are more in that subforum if you look around.

http://forums.maxima.org/fluids-lubr...60k-miles.html

 

I think hitting the redline 2-3 times right before an oil change is better than idling for that long.

 

I had that stuff show up once. I was using Mobil 1 clean 5000. After 5000 miles I checked the oil and saw the crud. Checked it repeatedly until no more crud came out on the dipstick. Changed the oil with normal cheap dino and it hasn't returned. No worries.

 

we need pics

 

i'll try to get some clear pics up

 

Put the camera on macro mode. (should be a symbol that looks like a flower or something). It focuses it for really close shots.

 

OTOH, why not just put cheap dino oil in for the 'intermediate' oil change that you are going to dump out in an hour?