My 2000 F450 is a bucket truck and the motor runs all the time when operating bucket. Therefore my oil is black when i change it.
I'm looking for a way to have clean oil after i change it.
In the past i have drained my oil and then added a gallon of oil and then cranked and let it run for few mins and then drain again and change filter.
It does seem to clean crankcase out and the new oil looks cleaner.
1) is 1 gallon, 4 qts enuff oil to run engine for a few mins or should i use 2 gallons?
2) is there an additive i can mix with the oil to clean it before i drain it for second time?
Marvel mystery oil? B-12 cleaner?
I heard a half gallon of diesel in the crankcase along with that gallon of oil will help clean it?
Thats 2 questions. Dont spank me too bad if the diesel or b12 idea is too absurd??
Thanks in advance
Steve

 

diesels get black oil fast and faster if left running at idle for periods of time


the oil cooler, oil rails, HPOP contains a few quarts of oil that does not come out during an oil change


IIRC you need two gallons of oil to keep it running or the injectors get air and make it hard to start up


trying to get the oil clean isn't going to be easy, some use oil bypass filtering to get there


Some have drained the rails, cleaned out the HPOP, rebuild the oil cooler and get cleaner oil for a while

 

Will half gallon of diesel be enuff?
I'll add diesel along with 2 gals of clean oil run for little while and drain again. then change filter add new oil.
I have it draining old oil for several days trying to get all out as possible.
Thank you Sir

 

I wouldn't run diesel in the oil period. Change brand of oils. Mine always ran dirty till I ran Shaeffer oil and now mobile 1. They tend to stay clean looking longer the most other brands I've run. But diesel oil even in a truck that is run on the road will get dirty looking very fast. It's just the way the oil works.

 

On my '02, the oil was turning dark the day after I changed it. That's normal. You never get all the old oil out of the motor, so some soot carries forward. And those motors don't burn very clean.

 

That all sounds like a lot of trouble. Why are you concerned that your oil is not pretty?
It's clean, you just put it in there

 

NO ADDITIVES if you like your 7.3!!! Black oil is normal and comes with the territory. Just run it, change regularly, and sleep well at night. Not a thing you can do that isn't a waste of money.

 

How long do you go inbetween oil changes? What brand of oil do you use? And like most mentioned it's just the nature of a diesel engine. I was one of the guys that used to change the oil in the hpop and oil rails, it did keep the oil clean up to 4K but after doing it so long I got tired and I let it be.

 

^k at least, like to change it sooner more often because of my idle time, it get lots more hours than it does mileage
shell rotella 15 40
It stays pretty clean after i waste that 2 gallons of oil flushing it out.
Just a preference to have clean oil i guess.
But i do have another 7.3 f250 and oil was always so much cleaner and stayed cleaner than my 450. Maybe that why i want clean oil??
Thanks for all the advice.

 

My experience with diesels, and a lot of bucket trucks is that if u change it and stays pretty, that engine will die in the near future.

I would not worry about the darkness. I think you are dead on correct tracking the hrs. Too many folks don't and have a lot of issues. Depending on your duty cycle, you could try changing it at an earlier interval but i think you would benefit greatly by doing an oil sample at your current interval and seeing what it comes back as.

 

Maybe send a sample of your "black oil" to Blackstone and let them tell you if there's anything wrong?

 

After reading these comments it does seem im a little **** and ocd about clean oil. Haha I will run the 2 gals to flush it out before i change the filterand add new oil. Just as a personal preference and to waste 30 dollars on the 2 gals of oil. Has worked ok in the past. Just like to hear how others feel about my ocd.
Thanks for all the comments guys.

 

Your oil is doing it's job. That's what it's supposed to be doing. Keeping the contaminants in suspension.

 

Run 2 gallons to flush it out?!!

 

If you're oil isn't getting black, it isn't isn't holding contaminants in suspension and it's building sludge in the engine. I'd just be happy that your oil is doing a good job keeping your engine clean.

If you're dead serious about keeping the oil pretty, as others suggested a bypass filter system may be your magic bullet.