Oil does not get dark after 15 hours use

[Erweiss]

Hi,
I'm a newbie here and very dangerous as I know a little bit about engines and tractors. But only enough to get me in trouble. About 3 mos. ago or more I changed the oil in my Craftsman GTS6500 Kohler Twin 26hp. I always check the oil but noticed that even after 10 to 15 hours of use (engine has a total of 130 hours runtime) the oil is still clear. Sounds good but it worries me that it is in such good condition after running it in this Florida heat. Does that sound possible or does anyone think there might be a problem? Are there any other things I should check? Thanks in advance for your responses.
Eric

 

[RandyT]

Sounds like the engine is running clean, without any blowby from the rings. I wouldn't think about it for another minute. the day will come when you wish the oil would stay clean.

 

[murphy1244]

:welcome: to TBN

 

[Soundguy]

only oil I expect to get black fast is in diesels...

 

[3930dave]

Hi Eric - If you've been changing the oil and filter on schedule, you've got nothing to worry about.

What can cause the oil to go dark fast (gas engine) is if you buy a used piece of equipment, and the previous owner had been neglecting the oil changes - in other words, black sludge is built up internally due to lack of maintenance.

The detergents in fresh oil will go to work dissolving the sludge - in a case like that, you can see the oil darken faster than in a well maintained engine.

Guys will watch for this, on the first oil change that they do on Used equipment - if it darkens fast, then they will move up the next oil change accordingly. You'll see Soundguy's posts on this, on (really) old Ag tractors that he resurrects - many have sat for a very long time before he gets them, so a normal approach that restorers use is to plan on a very short Oil Change Interval, using the lowest cost approved oil that is available.

(Just FYI, to put some context on comments you may have seen - my guess is yours is doing just fine.).

Rgds, D.

 

[Erweiss]

Hi,
I'm a newbie here and very dangerous as I know a little bit about engines and tractors. But only enough to get me in trouble. About 3 mos. ago or more I changed the oil in my Craftsman GTS6500 Kohler Twin 26hp. I always check the oil but noticed that even after 10 to 15 hours of use (engine has a total of 130 hours runtime) the oil is still clear. Sounds good but it worries me that it is in such good condition after running it in this Florida heat. Does that sound possible or does anyone think there might be a problem? Are there any other things I should check? Thanks in advance for your responses.
Eric

Thanks to all. I thought that it was too good to be true. I did in fact buy this GTS used with 95 hours on it. It was in excellent condition with the exception of a bad battery and a few dings in the hood. Cleaned it up and it's like new. I was happy to find out that it had the TurfTorq K66 Tranny which allows me to use ground engaging equipment. Thanks for your input and thanks for welcoming me on board.
--Eric

 

[Soundguy]

just keep an eye on it.

probably just a very clean machine.

 

[jerrybob]

Welcome to TBN......sounds like everything is fine with your machine. No need to worry.:thumbsup:

 

[creekbend]

Sounds like a excellent and good running motor. BTW, welcome aboard.

 

[doxford jim]

Eric,

Good to hear that your engine should be OK.
I have a new JD170 lawn mower and became concerned on the TuffTorque transmission after reading of failures and repairs.
Check out this link - it will lead you in the right direction should you have any transmission problems.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/164892-tufftorq-k46-repair-guide-pictures.html

I will be doing an oil change on my transmission once the weather improves here (currently 3 ft of snow and ambient temperature of -6C or 20F)
and I can work in my shop in comfort. You will have the advantage of being able to purchase the parts relatively cheaply with living in the USA.
HTH
Jim