> any oil - that's used in an
> internal combustion engine SHOULD be black at any normal change interval.
> If not, then get ready for problems 'cause the oil's not doing its job of
> removing combustion contaminents and other assorted crud.
Not necessarily. There are plenty of caveats, like "normal change interval."
I stick to the old 3K oil/filter interval myself, but know more than a few
folks who prefer a 1.5K. I think that's overkill, but whatever floats their
boat. Their oil is demonstrably lighter in color than mine, but at 3K mine
is certainly not black.
There's also environmental factors at work. If you live in a humid climate,
you'll typically get a lot more condensation in the pan. A lot of the darkness
is caused by the moisture dispersants reacting with water (you never boil out
100% of the moisture under full operating temp). A lot of it is caused by
combustion by-products as well, so it stands to reason that those of us with
heavy feet or in hot ambient temperatures will end up with darker oil at a
particular interval than the lighter-shod, colder folks.
FWIW, when I'm towing during the summer months, the oil is typically darker
than during the winter. Still not black, though, and I don't think I'm cruising
for a lube-related problem.
Ron
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