Oil Change Query

[TONUP]

Yesterday morning I did an oil change on the T2, this time I used a Fram filter and so far it appears to have seated properly, a recent blue filter with Jap writing on it leaked badly around the rubber seal for some reason.

I have a query regarding the oil in these trucks. Very soon after the oil and filter change and after running it for a very short time, I dipped the oil and noticed that the new oil was already quite black already. Has anyone else noticed this?

I am changing the oil around every 3,000 miles.

Thanks

Alan

 

[(RIP) PLANK]

pretty common on a diesel, you never completely drain all the old oil out and it mixes with the new. :thumb2

 

[mowerman]

I agree... I too fitted a light blue one with jap writing and that leaks around the seal however much it is tightened.. will try a different make soon when I do the oil again... also oil gets dirty VERY quickly !!

 

[solarman216]

Turbo diesels are renowned for this, but as a cheap quick check on your oil status when you are due an oil change dip your oil and put a drop on a bit of glass then place another bit of glass on top and squeeze gently, look at the result, after you have done your oil change and run the engine for a few mins do the same test, easy to see the difference yea, and it is only a matter of grading and experience and you can tell straight away if a motor is due an oil change without knowing what miles it has done, Rick

 

[macabethiel]

black oil

Yesterday morning I did an oil change on the T2, this time I used a Fram filter and so far it appears to have seated properly, a recent blue filter with Jap writing on it leaked badly around the rubber seal for some reason.

I have a query regarding the oil in these trucks. Very soon after the oil and filter change and after running it for a very short time, I dipped the oil and noticed that the new oil was already quite black already. Has anyone else noticed this?

I am changing the oil around every 3,000 miles.

Thanks

Alan

That's normal for a diesel engine oil, its due to the high detergent content of the oil blended for a diesel. The detergent effectively washes your engine holding carbon particles in suspension. The better the quality of oil the quicker it can appear to be black. A cheap diesel engine oil may stay clean for for a week. Trouble is all that carbon is gumming up the inside of the engine as sludge and carbon deposits instead of being held in suspension.

You could change your engine oil every 500 miles and it would still go black in colour after a relatively short amount of running. Synthetic diesel oils have some better additatives and different molecular structures in the hydrocarbons to resist breaking down at high temperatures. An extra ingredient is micronised chalk, this helps neutralise the formation of sulphur based acids that corrode your engine from within. That why low sulphur fuels are better for your engine.

At the top of the tree are the low ash synthetic diesel oils specially developed for common rail engines and turbo,s these can extend injector and turbo like by resisting oxidation - vbut boy are they expensive at £15 plus a litre.

 

[briggie]

That's normal for a diesel engine oil, its due to the high detergent content of the oil blended for a diesel. The detergent effectively washes your engine holding carbon particles in suspension. The better the quality of oil the quicker it can appear to be black. A cheap diesel engine oil may stay clean for for a week. Trouble is all that carbon is gumming up the inside of the engine as sludge and carbon deposits instead of being held in suspension.

You could change your engine oil every 500 miles and it would still go black in colour after a relatively short amount of running. Synthetic diesel oils have some better additatives and different molecular structures in the hydrocarbons to resist breaking down at high temperatures. An extra ingredient is micronised chalk, this helps neutralise the formation of sulphur based acids that corrode your engine from within. That why low sulphur fuels are better for your engine.

At the top of the tree are the low ash synthetic diesel oils specially developed for common rail engines and turbo,s these can extend injector and turbo like by resisting oxidation - vbut boy are they expensive at £15 plus a litre.

very informative , thankyou :thumb2 , i was told to do a engine flush every 6000 miles to help too :nenau

 

[TONUP]

Some great replies there.

Thanks guys.

Alan

 

[rustic]

Turbo diesels are renowned for this, but as a cheap quick check on your oil status when you are due an oil change dip your oil and put a drop on a bit of glass then place another bit of glass on top and squeeze gently, look at the result, after you have done your oil change and run the engine for a few mins do the same test, easy to see the difference yea, and it is only a matter of grading and experience and you can tell straight away if a motor is due an oil change without knowing what miles it has done, Rick

I've never tried that, seems a good way to check. :thumb2
In the past people used to rub the oil between finger and thumb, no longer seen as a safe thing to do.
But if you do get black oil on your hands, it's a pain to clean off, especially used diesel engine oil.

 

[macabethiel]

engine flushing

very informative , thankyou :thumb2 , i was told to do a engine flush every 6000 miles to help too :nenau

Interesting thing about engine flushing is it started decades ago when oil technology was very basic and when petrol engines did not have positive crankcase ventilation. It used to remove / reduce the vile sludge that you used to get.

Then it fell into disrepute with some manufacturers saying it could void the manufacturers warranty. The argument being that some of the flushing oil would remain in the sump and dilute the oil. Then manufacturers like Mercedes started introducing it back on the market as it was a nice little earner for service departments and as many Merc owners were from a generation when they had experienced engine flushing it was a win win earner.

I have always used a good quality oil and filter and changed it on the basis of either every 12 months / or 5,000 miles on diesel engines or on modern petrol with fully synthetic oil every 12 months or 10,000 miles.

I had an Opel Manta GTE back in the 80's I bought it with 40K on the clock and changed the oil every 5,000 miles using standard Casrtol GTX or Duchams Q20/50. At 120K I replaced the timing chain as it was starting to clatter.

When I removed the cylinder head to do the job I did a de-coke and the valves were checked with a micrometer and the valves were still within the manufacturers tollerances and there was no measurable wear in the cylinder bores.

 

[lacroupade]

Well I've just looked at the Castrol site and interestingly when I stick in my T2 reg it comes up with Castrol Edge 5-30W fully synthetic......a fairly expensive oil but that Opie do a decent price on.....also exactly the same oil as I have to stick in my petrol Z4...weird, I assume as its synthetic it doesn't need to differentiate between petrol and diesel?.....:nenau

 

[macabethiel]

Well I've just looked at the Castrol site and interestingly when I stick in my T2 reg it comes up with Castrol Edge 5-30W fully synthetic......a fairly expensive oil but that Opie do a decent price on.....also exactly the same oil as I have to stick in my petrol Z4...weird, I assume as its synthetic it doesn't need to differentiate between petrol and diesel?.....:nenau

Interesting site by Castrol I would think that the specification for fully synthetic is so high it can be used for both petrol & diesel.

On Mercs they use a lot of the Castrol SLX Longtech Professional range but its hard no source cheaply.

 

[lacroupade]

Interesting site by Castrol I would think that the specification for fully synthetic is so high it can be used for both petrol & diesel.

On Mercs they use a lot of the Castrol SLX Longtech Professional range but its hard no source cheaply.

Well Opie do a good deal on Edge when its on offer so I might give it a go next time. Normally £12-15/litre but paid well less than that last time with Opie for the beemer.:thumb2

 

[rustic]

Well I've just looked at the Castrol site and interestingly when I stick in my T2 reg it comes up with Castrol Edge 5-30W fully synthetic......a fairly expensive oil but that Opie do a decent price on.....also exactly the same oil as I have to stick in my petrol Z4...weird, I assume as its synthetic it doesn't need to differentiate between petrol and diesel?.....:nenau

If you have used standard mineral oil in the past, eg Castrol GTX say 10-40W, what are the consequences of using fully synthetic on the next oil change.

I used semi synthetic after using standard mineral. Just in case, was I right?

 

[lacroupade]

Doesn't seem there are any issues, just bang it in. Apparently synthetics are much more tolerant of higher temps as well and much less prone to degrading. Thats why a lot of modern cars can go so long between oil changes. My beemer went 18000 until the oil service light flashed on and just had its second ever change at 35000.