Oil & Fuel Oil Color??

[duckhunt]

I checked my engine oil level yesterday and noticed the color was black/grey. Is that normal? My tractor has about 35 hours, bought new in May. I remember checking the oil back in early summer and dont remember it looking so dark. I'm rather green to diesel engines, this is my first, so I just wanted a 2nd opinion. My dealer told me (when I bought it) to bring it back at 50 hours and he would take care of all the maintenance.


Please advise.

Thanks,

Jonathan

 

[Bedlam]

Oh yea it turns BLACK right away for me.I believe its normal. someone else I am sure will explain

 

[bp fick]

Super, over simplified answer.

Well, you know that black puff of diesel that your tractor puts out in the first 10 seconds or so, when you fire it up? Well, the tractor is cold, the rings are cold. Everything MUST expand, to some degree, when it warms.

Meanwhile, the compression simply blows by, down into your crankcase. This is just part of the deal, especially during warm up.

Wipe your finger in your exhaust pipe. Do this when the pipe is cold !!!!

Soot? Sure. Well, that's what's suspended in your oil too. No problem, until it exceeds the alloted time or becomes excessive. You are quickly approaching that time. Then, change your oil and filter and start all over again.

 

[duckhunt]

Thanks for the replies.

 

[RPW]

Yep, oil in diesels turns black pretty quickly. As bp mentioned blow by on the rings. Here's an important difference between diesels and gas powered engines, because diesel has a higher sulper content than gas (even ULSD) the sulpher will combine with condensation in the engine to create sulphuric acid. This is why you need to run a diesel for a period to obtain normal engine temperature and keep it there for a period of time to evaporate the water out of the oil. When I owned a diesel truck and car (many years ago) the rule was if you only need to drive 2 miles or less go the long route. I had my wife drive about 10 miles out of her way just to go to the store. It paid off in longevity of the motors. Same goes for tractors. If you have to store your tractor for a long period of time IMO change the oil as the last step prior to storage. If possible change oil after engine has been run abit and is still warm, change oil run just long enough to circulate fresh oil, shut down and store.

 

[duckhunt]

Do you apply this same theory to tractors. Most of my operating time is short intervals. 10mins or less. Go get a scoop of dirt, pick something up with fel, go check the mail (haha) etc..

 

[Soundguy]

reduced run times are always the most problematic... ideally.. you would/could run the machine till all sumps came up to operating temps and flashed off extra moisture.. etc.

as for the original post and the 'grey' .. do keep an eye on that.. might just have been some moisture on the stick or watery emulsion in the stick tube... when water and oil are mixed.. it makes a milkshakey-looking emulsion... clean oil is yellow.. sooty diesel oil will be darker.. etc. as long as the oil is not emulsified.. but is just darkening.. that's quite normal on a diesel. and the older they are.. the faster it soots back up as it's nearly impossible to clean one out by flushing, vs a hottank.. etc.

soundguy

 

[JGY]

Do you apply this same theory to tractors. Most of my operating time is short intervals. 10mins or less. Go get a scoop of dirt, pick something up with fel, go check the mail (haha) etc..

That's interesting ... I drive my tractor to the Post Office all the time to check the mail! Then again, I own the Post Office -- the building that is!

Joe

 

[duckhunt]

Soundguy,

Its not milky grey. Its just really dark. Like I mentioned earlier, I've always had gas burners, ATVs, Mowers, etc. When the oil looked like this @ 35 hrs, something wasnt right.

Now yall have me more concerned about my operating temps, and warm up times. I live here in Louisiana, and humidity is nothing new. I'll probably start letting her warm a bit more.

Jonathan

 

[JGY]

... My dealer told me (when I bought it) to bring it back at 50 hours and he would take care of all the maintenance.


Please advise.

Thanks,

Jonathan

I wish my dealer had been that nice! Long story ... unhappy ending.

Joe

 

[duckhunt]

JGY,

I'm didnt mean free of charge. He's real nice, helpful etc. but can generate an invoice faster than lightning.

 

[RalphVa]

It'll take your oil a little while when the tractor is new for the oil to turn full black. After this, at every oil change, the oil will never be completely clear again because it'll pick up some soot from leftover oil in little niches in the engine. On my old Benz, its oil turns black immediately after starting it after an oil change. On my 2004 tractor, it took a while for the oil to go black, but it has not gotten as black as the Benz's oil. It'll actually be kinda charcoal after a change.

If you've changed oil before, you can do your 50 hour service. It's a little more involved because you change out the hydraulic oil, gear oil in front, engine oil, etc. I did mine in stages so as not to have so much used oil to take back to recycle.

Ralph

 

[Soundguy]

Soundguy,

Its not milky grey. Its just really dark. Like I mentioned earlier, I've always had gas burners, ATVs, Mowers, etc. When the oil looked like this @ 35 hrs, something wasnt right.

Now yall have me more concerned about my operating temps, and warm up times. I live here in Louisiana, and humidity is nothing new. I'll probably start letting her warm a bit more.

Jonathan

Diesels like a lil warmup and cooldown if they have turbo's.. and if you have been or need to work the hyds.. past that.. diesels come up to op temp by working.. a diesel 'idleing' will actually run cold.. and sometimes start to slobber.

run er good and put her up.. she'll thank you for it..

soundguy