Oil Color? - IDI Engine - VWDiesel.net The IDI, TDI, and mTDI source.

• Oil Color? by Jolly1977 on 10 Dec, 2008 09:32
• When I change the oil in my Dodge PU, it stays a nice clean tan color for the entire 3000 miles.  But....  When I change/check the oil (I use rotella 15-40 oil and Wix filters) in my '80 Rabbit 1.6 NA its very dark, even after a fresh oil change.  And when I say dark, its black!  I've seen other Rabbits like this.  Is the oil getting contaminated, is this common to old diesels?
• #1 by zukgod1 on 10 Dec, 2008 09:58
• Is your Dodge a diesel? My Cummins will last for about 800 miles before it turns black.
  
  The oil in diesels is designed to keep the soot suspended so it doesn't build up elsewhere in the system so it will be black.
  
  Ugly yes but that's what it's suppose to do.
• #2 by arb on 10 Dec, 2008 11:03
• The CD-4 (or above) rating the PowerStroke requires is specifically for soot suspension. Since Mobil-1 does not have this, its not a acceptable for this engine.
  
  Yes, normal for all diesels I've touched. The best for how long before the oil became black was the Mazda diesel in my 85' Escort because it had 2 oil filters - primary and by-pass.
• #3 by saurkraut on 10 Dec, 2008 12:27
• Quote from: "arb"

  The CD-4 (or above) rating the PowerStroke requires is specifically for soot suspension. Since Mobil-1 does not have this, its not a acceptable for this engine.
  
  Yes, normal for all diesels I've touched. The best for how long before the oil became black was the Mazda diesel in my 85' Escort because it had 2 oil filters - primary and by-pass.

  
  
  The CD rating has been obsolete for years.
  
  The most current Commercial Rated Oil (Diesel) is CI-4
  
  See: API_ratings
• #4 by Jolly1977 on 10 Dec, 2008 19:20
• Yup my Dodge is a gasser.  The 3000 mile interval for a oil and filter change is probably critical for diesels.  Is the same true if you run a synthetic oil?
• #5 by 8v-of-fury on 10 Dec, 2008 21:24
• this guys a real winner
  
  Yes oil changes are critical.. they suspend the soot therefore if the oil i in there for to long it will not keep the soot from going elsewhere. Gas engines do not use the oil in the same way as diesels, they don't have to worry about soot.
  
  Synthetic or not.. oil changes are necessary.
• #6 by rabbitman on 12 Dec, 2008 16:48
• Quote

  Yes oil changes are critical..

  
  Unless your my brother, he changed his oil last november and again this november on both of his cars, a toyota and nissan, 11,000miles on the toyota :shock: pure torture.
• #7 by carrizog60 on 12 Dec, 2008 23:58
• and waht about the  new cars?
  with oil change in 30.000km gaps.. :shock:
• #8 by Smokey Eddy on 13 Dec, 2008 01:35
• s'pose you could run synthetic for longer.
  That's what i've heard anyways.
• #9 by theman53 on 13 Dec, 2008 05:53
• Wix is better than f  f  f  fram, but I still like this filter. It is actually for a TDI but the only difference is the E at the end of the part# and the drainback function.
  http://www.autohausaz.com/search/product.aspx?sid=dc5433mqjnyzq4552u2krjfm&makeid=800026@VW&modelid=1359996@JETTA%20TDI&year=1998&cid=20@Engine%20Parts,%20Seals%20%26%20Gaskets&gid=5340@Oil%20Filter
  
  There is a difference in oil filtration. I would sometimes get a buzzer and the oil light when I ran the non factory filter, but that might have been just me. I love to maintain and keep stuff running so I usually buy 6-10 of the filter above and don't have the shipping costs as bad.
  All that being said change your oil regularly. If you do go to synthetic and want an 8,000 mile oil change then change the filter half way and add new oil to top it off. I don't think too many filters are useful after 4,000 miles, once again that may just be me. I am getting well into the 2,000 dollar range on a rebuild, so a less than 10 dollar filter is peice of mind to me, but its your car have fun.
• #10 by arb on 13 Dec, 2008 07:57
• Quote from: "Jolly1977"

  Yup my Dodge is a gasser.  The 3000 mile interval for a oil and filter change is probably critical for diesels.  Is the same true if you run a synthetic oil?

  
  
  My 2 PowerStrokes I used Mobil Delvac-1 which is a full synthetic for industrial diesel engines. It has an indefinite run time if: you change the filters on the normal cycle; you have the oil analyzed at the filter change time.
  
  Using the fully synthetic Mobil-1 filter and this procedure, I went 100,000 miles per change and the lab report still shows it was in spec. Understand, that every 6,000 miles 2 out of 16 quarts was changed with the filter. I pulled the valve cover at 100,000 for an internal inspection - no deposits, no sludge - it looked factory new inside.
  
  This oil comes in 1 gallon jugs as the smallest size and must be gotten from a full service truck stop or and industrial supply shop. It is not the same as Delvac-1300.
• #11 by Typrus on 13 Dec, 2008 08:24
• Our 02 Excursion 7.3L is 1500 miles on an oil change and is still dark amber.. Rotella... Freaking me out lol.
  
  Our Passat never gets clear in terms of oil. Our 99.5 7.3L goes maybe 500 miles. Pretty typical.
  
  
  Get a bypass filter if you can find a place for it. FS2500 is great. Well worth it. Cheap insurance policy basically.
  
  
  Schaeffer's Supreme 9000 is another one of those infinite oils. Some truckers are several hundred k miles into their oil drain. Have to get it from a rep. Awesome stuff though.
  
  
  For gassers, the newer synthetics are recommending 15,000 miles oil changes. Little do they tell you that in the majority of the tests, the filter was changed every 3k. If you change the filter every 3k and add, say, a can of BG MOA and LubroMoly MOS2, you'll be golden. My Camry 2.2L never complains. Still wish I had a 2AD-FHV though...
  
  
  BTW, shameless plug for LubroMoly MOS2.
  Molybdenum DiSulphide. USE IT! IT ROCKS. Lol. Schaeffer's has it added already, but most oils don't. I'd highly recommend it.
• #12 by smutts on 17 Dec, 2008 13:27
• This is interesting reading for us on this side of the pond, as 5000 miles for oil and filter are what is in the book for the old IDI engines, is the difference due to engineering or marketing? :?
• #13 by jtanguay on 17 Dec, 2008 17:07
• Quote from: "smutts"

  This is interesting reading for us on this side of the pond, as 5000 miles for oil and filter are what is in the book for the old IDI engines, is the difference due to engineering or marketing? :?

  
  
  european oils are much much better than ours...  :wink:
  
  FS-2500 filter demonstration check out how cool that is!
  
  amsoil sells a nice 15 micron absolute filter for our engines.. and its full flow.
• #14 by arb on 18 Dec, 2008 06:43
• Yeah, very cool, but no sales information or pricing on their site.