OK
i know that this may open up a can of worms here, but why is it that everyone has to run real good oil in their rides? I mean, i run this el cheapo wal-mart tech 2000 stuff in all my trucks BUT i drain it at every 1500 miles when it starts getting really grungy looking. I have yet to have any oil related failures or major engine catstrophies. I dont know if that can be attributed to the oil, the drain intervals or pure luck. In any event, i think the higher cost oils are a waste of $$$. Heck, if you drain it out routinely, arent you preventing sludge buildup that these fancier oils claim to eliminate also?---i guess I just dont understand these oil debates at all....anyone care to shed some light or educate me if im missing an important concept with regard to this issue?
THANKS
~~NUT~~

 

If you change it every 1500 miles, it will ending up costing you the same (if you use cheap oil) as if you bought the good oil and changed it every 3,000 miles.
By the way how the freak does your oil get so dirty in 1500 miles! What do you do let it idle all day long?:-staun

 

bronco
yr guess is as good as mine on how the oil gets so darn dirty. I rarely let my truck idle for long periods and the motor seems pretty healthy (minimal blowby). I use the truck mainly to haul firewood and landscape supplies and i notice that every time i change it, it QUICKLY goes from a light beige to almost coal black. I figured that the oil is cleaning something inside! The past history of the truck is not well documented. I was thinking of running a cup of diesel fuel in it and letting it idle for a few mins under NO load to clean it out some but diesel, like kerosene, is a strong solvent and i DONT want to strip off all boundry lubrication and **** up the bearings!
regards
~~NUT~~

 

Normally I go 3000 miles per change, but on my '77 F100 300 I6 I changed oil every 2000 miles because it got black well before that.

INLINE SIX POWER! '95 F150 XL
300 Cubic Inches of Low RPM Truck Torque! And twin-I-beams too!
"Drive a stick young man! There'll be time for automatics when you're old and unable."

 

I've seen many cars that have bad valve guides that let gas into the oil which will cause it to turn black. Next time you change your oil smell it and see if it smells like gas. Let us know what it smelled like! HOPE THIS HELPS!!!!

 

I would bet that the inside of your motor has a lot of build up in it. So long as you keep changing your oil AND filter you should be fine.

It wouldn't scare me at all to drain all the oil and refill with diesel and let it idle for 20 minutes. Drain. And refill with your favorite oil. If you're worried, pull the valve cover. That usually gives a good indication of how much buildup is inside the motor.

 

and I care about maintenance. Any SL oil is near synthetic compared to what they were 10 years ago.

 

Some more grist for the mill....
Every time I change my oil, it looks "black". As many of you know I've had several (4 or 5) samples tested and they were all "black" when I sent them to the oil lab. They all passed the oil test with flying colors.
I never think much about the oil being so dark. It's been used for 3 - 4 - 5,000 miles. Everything I can see in the valve train is spic-and-span, so I don't worry about it.

What about you guys? What does you oil look like when you drain it?

Brian A

 

I figure dark oil means its doing its job by taking dirt and soot and other goo away from the working parts of the motor. Any vehicle I have ever owned, reguardless of miles has gotten the oil black after 3 or 4 thousand miles. The Mobil1 5w30 in my 2002 Ranger is pretty dark after 3K but I will run it to 5K, I figure changing it sooner is a waste of money.

 

When I change my oil every 2800-3000 miles it's a very dark brown. Don't wait until your oil turns black to change it. The reason your supposed to change it every 3000 miles is because oil looses it's lubricating properties after a certain amount of run time. You shoul dchange your oil more often if it's exposed to extensive idling. Also your oil should never turn dark black. That could be caused by one of two things. Gas getting into the oil, or simply by not changing it often enough!!!

 

Hey bronco
just out of curiosity, i went outside and pulled the dipstick and guess what? the crap that is in there smells really foul; wreaks of a strong gasoline odor! I know the float is not leaking nor am i running excessively rich! I wonder if this is what is oxidizing the oil
I couldnt imagine what would happen if i sent a sample of my oil out to be tested! The lab would prob tell me that my vehicle is an environmental AND health hazzard! Im going to change the oil sunday again and i think im gonna stuck some pennzoil pure base junk in there and see how long that takes to turn black. guys, FYI, last time I pulled the valve covers, I had thick caked on junk all around the valves. I chipped most of the hard stuff out and cleaned the rest off with a paintbrush and kerosene. It looks pretty clean now but yet the darn oil comes out murky....gotta love the ole fords....

regards
~~NUT~~

 

guys, FYI, last time I pulled the valve
>covers, I had thick caked on junk all around the valves. I
>chipped most of the hard stuff out and cleaned the rest off
>with a paintbrush and kerosene. It looks pretty clean now
>but yet the darn oil comes out murky....gotta love the ole
>fords....
>
>regards
>~~NUT~~
Have you tried the ATF trick? Apparently, since ATF is so detergent, you can drain the engine, refill with ATF + filter, run it for 10-15 minutes, drain, repeat, until the ATF comes out clean. It would seem that it's a lot better than runnining those harsh engine flushes.

XXL

 

you titled this one "opinions" so here's mine- unnecessarily short drain intervals put a strain on the used oil hazmat disposal industry (i hope y'all are smart enough to not pour it onto the ground )

 

>Hey bronco
>just out of curiosity, i went outside and pulled the
>dipstick and guess what? the crap that is in there smells
>really foul; wreaks of a strong gasoline odor! I know the
>float is not leaking nor am i running excessively rich! I
>wonder if this is what is oxidizing the oil
>I couldnt imagine what would happen if i sent a sample of my
>oil out to be tested! The lab would prob tell me that my
>vehicle is an environmental AND health hazzard! Im going to
>change the oil sunday again and i think im gonna stuck some
>pennzoil pure base junk in there and see how long that
>takes to turn black. guys, FYI, last time I pulled the valve
>covers, I had thick caked on junk all around the valves. I
>chipped most of the hard stuff out and cleaned the rest off
>with a paintbrush and kerosene. It looks pretty clean now
>but yet the darn oil comes out murky....gotta love the ole
>fords....
>
>regards
>~~NUT~~

Yikes! If you are chipping off crud then this is dangerous for your engine. There is a safer modern way to clean the inside of your engine using ester technology. I just ordered 3 bottles of this ester based cleaner called Auto-Rx (www.auto-rx.com) to use in my Toyota V6 that's known for sludging up and will use the same stuff in my transmission. It basically disolves sludge and deposits and converts them to liquid goo that get's stuck in the oil filter, and it isn't a solvent like kerosene. You run it for 500 miles in fresh oil and filter and then change it out. You probably need 2 treatments from the sounds of it.

 

Finally changed the oil in the beast. The stuff that came out was back and fuel diluted. I ran some rotella in it this time. Now, if this truck runs true to form, it will be all black again in 500 miles..... i know that this isnt normal but we shall see...
regards
Ben