The engine oil is black, should I change the engine oil?

foka

I don't think it's time to change the engine oil, but the color turned black. Do I need to change the engine oil?

barneygumble99

foka wrote: »

I don't think it's time to change the engine oil, but the color turned black. Do I need to change the engine oil?

If it’s a petrol car change it.

If it’s a diesel car end hasn’t reached the recommended time or distance interval , I wouldn’t change it. Oil in a diesel car will be black soon enough after a service.

biko

Engine oil is always black, even after a short time (depending on the car age etc).
But if it's been a year or longer since oil was last changed then you may as well change it.

What make and year is car?
Do you plan to DIY it?

newmember2

biko wrote: »

Engine oil is always black, even after a short time...

No it's not, on a diesel yes, on a petrol no.

biko

I suppose there could be variations of "black" so let's say I mean very very very dark

blackbox

biko wrote: »

I suppose there could be variations of "black" so let's say I mean very very very dark

Nope. Engine oil in a properly serviced petrol car wouldn't normally go beyond light brown.

dodzy

blackbox wrote: »

Nope. Engine oil in a properly serviced petrol car wouldn't normally go beyond light brown.

Not a chance. Perhaps your version of 'light brown' is different to mine but I've oil-changed petrol cars for years. I'd say with confidence that rarely did I ever wait until the recommended service interval before changing, particularly with the 1.8T quattro, and light brown was a colour I never seen. Very dark brown (definitely nearer black that light brown) would be the norm with what I've witnessed over 30+ yrs.

tikkamark

I’ve actually done a fair bit of research on this and I’d agree with what’s been said so far,in relation to diesels having spotlessly clean oil it can actually be a bad thing for a diesel because it relies on a certain amount of carbon on the piston rings to operate efficiently and reduce wear.There is company’s making Diesel engine flushing agents that you add to cheap oil then let it run for 30 minutes then drop the oil and filter as normal to completely get rid of carbon and the black deposits but that effectively brings the engine to as new spec which can in turn accelerate wear.
Stick to regular services at bang on the recommended intervals with quality oil and you will be fine.

newmember2

dodzy wrote: »

Not a chance. Perhaps your version of 'light brown' is different to mine but I've oil-changed petrol cars for years. I'd say with confidence that rarely did I ever wait until the recommended service interval before changing, particularly with the 1.8T quattro, and light brown was a colour I never seen. Very dark brown (definitely nearer black that light brown) would be the norm with what I've witnessed over 30+ yrs.

I change the oil in a petrol engine every 4-6k miles and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference to the new oil I'm putting into it.

jmreire

newmember? wrote: »

I change the oil in a petrol engine every 4-6k miles and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference to the new oil I'm putting into it.

Try that on a diesel engine........ a few hundred KLM's after an oil and filter change on a diesel engine, and the color will be black, pure unadulterated black,,and not any shade of it either. With petrol engines, regularly changed oil ( especially in an engine with low mileage ) will keep much cleaner.
Whether diesel or petrol engines, you need to follow the manufacturers servicing instructions,,,,don't go by the color.

barneygumble99

OP sets up an account just to ask that question and completely disappears. The mind boggles.

slystallone

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/113374379#Comment_113374379

Would you recommend that oil filter is changed at same time as the oil itself?

barneygumble99

Changing the oil and not the filter is like washing your feet and putting back on dirty socks

greasepalm

Oil filter takes the crap out of the engine and when blocked you will need a new car + oil and filter changed now will protect your engine better for winter driving is when its under a lot of stress and needing more lubrication

BlakeS94

I've often changed oil in my various diesel cars, took it for a short spin, and the oil was black again. One of the jobs of engine oil is to catch and suspend dirt and particles within the fluid as a means of "cleaning" the engine. Then when the oil is drained so is the dirt. But diesel engines are dirty as a by-product of their combustion process. So new oil will always turn black very shortly after a service. It means the oil is doing its job, nothing got to do with how old the oil is. Just change oil and filter at or even before recommended service interval and all will be well.

Likewise I changed the oil in the missus petrol suzuki, it was also what I'd consider black, not as black as diesel, but black nonetheless.

If I'd a choice between only changing oil or only changing oil filter, would have to be the filter every time. A blocked filter will destroy and engine much quicker than dirty oil.

Dial Hard

There are certain threads where you just somehow know by the title when it appears on the front page that it's going to be an ancient one dragged back up for no discernable reason...

BlakeS94

People have to entertain themselves somehow, Boards is a ghost town these days besides the same few knowledgeable folk who seem to be genuinely experienced with cars lending a hand to damsels in distress (myself included)