Color has only limited diagnostic value... - Saab 9-5 Bulletin Board - Saabnet.com
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Color has only limited diagnostic value...
Posted by eric strauss (more from eric strauss) on Sun, 2 Nov 2003 17:20:48
In Reply to: Oil Color?!, Sean, Sun, 2 Nov 2003 15:32:05
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Hi Sean,
This question sounds like the kind of issues I pondered in the early '70's when the first high "detergent" motor oils appeared on the market. Oil would look "soiled" almost immediately - which was actually an indication that the oil is doing its job. My experience for nearly twenty years of using Castrol GTX 5w/30, 10w/50 (API SE, SF, SG, SH ...) in trucks, cars and motorcycles was that it "dirtied" within 50 miles, or so.
The color to REALLY worry about is a cloudy grey/brown - which indicates that water is entering the lubrication chain, either though blocked vapor venting, water intrusion from puddles, or coolant leakage.
The rate at which your oil "dirties" is impacted by many variable including driving habits, turb-charging, engine warm-up time, general engine tolerances, etc. If its any value, both of my Saabs ('02 Aero manual, '03 Aero auto) "dirty" their oil within a few dozen miles. Same for my BMW, and Audi tt. My two Preludes still looked pretty clean after 1-2K miles. I now use only the 0w-40 Mobil 1 in my cars (5K intervals), although I have experimented with the Shell Rotella 15w-40 during the summer (3K intervals)
Spark plug color and oil consumption rate is a much better diagnostic tool..
Varoom
eric
posted by 24.60.216...
Posts in this Thread:
- Oil Color?!, Sean, Sun, 2 Nov 2003 15:32:05
- If oil change were based on color, then, Dick in Falls Church, Mon, 3 Nov 2003 07:11:29
- Re: Oil Color?!, Dean, Mon, 3 Nov 2003 06:16:05
- Oil Cooler..., Stephen Goldberger, Sun, 2 Nov 2003 20:24:41
- Try an oil analysis, Dennis, Sun, 2 Nov 2003 18:59:04
- Color has only limited diagnostic value..., eric strauss, Sun, 2 Nov 2003 17:20:48 <-- Viewing This Message
- Re: Oil Color?!, saab2, Sun, 2 Nov 2003 16:38:40
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