Oil & Fuel Black Oil at 16 hrs

[WillowLakeMassey]

Hello All,

I had a few questions about my MF 1635 if anyone can help....

I checked my engine oil today and the level is good but was surprised to see the color of the oil is quite dark...almost black. Is this normal for a new tractor? I have 16 hours on it. First scheduled oil change is supposed to be at the 50 hr mark of course.

My second question is in relation to using my rear blade to plow snow. I have found that if trying to plow any snow deeper than a few inches I loose traction and the tractor "chatters/shakes" trying to regain traction. Sure don't like this feeling and seems hard on the driveline. Is this normal?

Thanks very much for any help

Merry Christmas to all!

 

[ray66v]

Hello All,

I had a few questions about my MF 1635 if anyone can help....

I checked my engine oil today and the level is good but was surprised to see the color of the oil is quite dark...almost black. Is this normal for a new tractor? I have 16 hours on it. First scheduled oil change is supposed to be at the 50 hr mark of course.

It's a diesel, some of the black stuff coming out of your exhaust pipe ends up in your oil. Yes, it's normal. Diesel oil is designed to hold it, rather than have it get all over the inside of your engine.

It would be nice if they would just put this in the owners manual, so every single new owner doesn't have to ask.

I don't know about your rear blade, never plowed snow with one.

 

[WillowLakeMassey]

Thank you very much, I really appreciate that info! Whew!

 

[irvingj]

Yep. Ray beat me to it... as diesel burns, a fair amount of soot is produced; that's all it is. And yes, that's the black stuff, if the engine's running "rich," maybe just started, that you see coming out the exhaust.

Diesel oil (designation "C" for compression ignition, rather than "S" for spark ignition) is designed to capture and hold in suspension particles of soot, one of the jobs it does that makes it particular to diesels. Most diesels will blacken their oil very quickly; that's normal. (Be sure to use C-designated oil-for-diesels when you do your oil change...)

 

[Baby Grand]

... My second question is in relation to using my rear blade to plow snow. I have found that if trying to plow any snow deeper than a few inches I loose traction and the tractor "chatters/shakes" trying to regain traction. Sure don't like this feeling and seems hard on the driveline. Is this normal?

Thanks very much for any help

Merry Christmas to all!

I'll assume you're not lugging the engine, which is bad for the engine and simple to fix - more fuel or lower gear (or back off the HST pedal).
I'm not sure how much your MF 1635 weighs, or how big a rear blade you have, but I'll assume you are loosing traction once you get a decent sized pile of snow behind the moldboard.
3 things you can do:
1) Add weight to the rear tires (Wheel weights or load the tires).
2) Add chains to the rear tires.
3) Step on the differential lock when it starts chattering/shaking.
-Jim

 

[LD1]

Yep, oil turning black is very normal.

Now the blade question, only 2" of snow sould be no trouble at at all.

So what are some of the circumstanses?? Is your tractor 4wd? Are you in 4wd? How big is the blade? is it wet heavy snow? is their a layer of Ice under the snow? Are you plowing going forward or in reverse?? Are you angling it to the side, or just trying to push a huge amount straight?

Give us some more details. My kubota l3400, which is one of the lighter tractors in the ~ 35HP range, pushes a 7' blade in reverse until the snow comes up over the top of it.

 

[WillowLakeMassey]

Yep. Ray beat me to it... as diesel burns, a fair amount of soot is produced; that's all it is. And yes, that's the black stuff, if the engine's running "rich," maybe just started, that you see coming out the exhaust.

Diesel oil (designation "C" for compression ignition, rather than "S" for spark ignition) is designed to capture and hold in suspension particles of soot, one of the jobs it does that makes it particular to diesels. Most diesels will blacken their oil very quickly; that's normal. (Be sure to use C-designated oil-for-diesels when you do your oil change...)

I'll assume you're not lugging the engine, which is bad for the engine and simple to fix - more fuel or lower gear (or back off the HST pedal).
I'm not sure how much your MF 1635 weighs, or how big a rear blade you have, but I'll assume you are loosing traction once you get a decent sized pile of snow behind the moldboard.
3 things you can do:
1) Add weight to the rear tires (Wheel weights or load the tires).
2) Add chains to the rear tires.
3) Step on the differential lock when it starts chattering/shaking.
-Jim

Yep, oil turning black is very normal.

Now the blade question, only 2" of snow sould be no trouble at at all.

So what are some of the circumstanses?? Is your tractor 4wd? Are you in 4wd? How big is the blade? is it wet heavy snow? is their a layer of Ice under the snow? Are you plowing going forward or in reverse?? Are you angling it to the side, or just trying to push a huge amount straight?

Give us some more details. My kubota l3400, which is one of the lighter tractors in the ~ 35HP range, pushes a 7' blade in reverse until the snow comes up over the top of it.

iringj...I really appreciate that info re: the oil.

BabyGrand...thanks, by lugging the engine I assume that would mean I am staining it by working it into high of gear. My tractor is a powershuttle transmission and I think I am in an appropriate gear with sufficient power. I have thought about the chains so I like that suggestion. I have also stepped on the dif lock pedal as well and it seems to help.

LD1...my tractor is 35 hp an weighs approx 3500 lbs. I plow in 4wd and pull the bladeforward. Sometimes straight. When I angle it, the windrows get to heavy and the traction/chattering becomes the issue. My rear blade is 7'. The snow is not really wet, just typical and for the most part I am plowin on a small layer of packed snow to preserve the gravel on my driveway.

Thanks again to you all for all that great info.

 

[WillowLakeMassey]

....I should have also noted....I am running R4's...

 

[Transit]

Willow, at 16 hours the rings have not seated yet and there is a lot of blow-by. Stop lugging the engine, very, very bad for any engine and more so while breaking in a new engine. Do not use synthetic oil now, maybe at 200 hours.

 

[ray66v]

Do not use synthetic oil now, maybe at 200 hours.

Old advice dies hard. Please read up on this, it was true decades ago, but it is no longer the case. Unless you have an engine was designed to be broken with a specific breaking oil. (<1%)

The lubricity of mineral oil is now exactly the same as synthetic oil, under normal operating conditions. So, it won't make a bit of difference which one you use to break in your engine. In fact most high end vehicles are now shipped from the factory, with synthetic oil in them.