Oil Question

[hks003]

So, the tractor I bought in January is my first experience with a diesel engine. It's an LS G3038. When I bought it, it had 140 ish hours on it. The guy I bought it from said he changed the oil at the 50 hour mark per the manual, and had the receipt for the oil and filter.

Now, when I bought it, the oil was relatively dark already, and now at 170 hours it's slightly darker. If this were my truck, I'd be changing it. But, my manual says to change the oil at 300 hours. I'm seeing different places online where it's expected to see diesel engines turn oil black pretty quickly due to soot.

What's the general concensus here? Do you change it per the manual, or do you look for some other sign than color to know when to change it?

 

[3Lfarms]

You can’t tell by looking at the oil when it’s time to change it. As long as it’s not grey (meaning water has gotten in it) and it doesn’t smell like diesel fuel (that would indicate an injector or possibly a high pressure pump problem), then run it the recommended change interval.
Change it earlier if you feel better, but it sounds like it was changed on schedule, so it’s fine as is.

 

[fruitcakesa]

There is so much soot and the like from diesel combustion that motor oil almost immediately turns dark, no worries

 

[jaxs]

The manual,always do what the manual says,not what I say,not what they say,not what their manual says. ALWAYS do what your manual says. WHY??? Because I said!

 

[Roadworthy]

Some diesels blacken the oil more quickly than others. My Mitsubishi oil turns almost black shortly after I change it. I pay no attention to the manual, I just change it every spring. I think I average fifty hours use each year but I don't think it hurts to change the oil that often.

 

[hks003]

I appreciate all the information! I feel better about it now, that's for sure.

 

[oosik]

My first tractor, Ford 1700, turned the oil black - like India ink - within ten hours. My 2009 Kubota M6040 has no noticeable change when I change it annually.

 

[bdog]

As others said I would not worry about the color. You have had it 9 months and only 30 hours. I think you will hit the time limit way before the hours.

I own 17 things with Diesel engines. I change the oil in them at 200 hours or once a year which ever occurs first. Oil breaks down over time due the combustion byproducts. I would not run it much over a year without changing it regardless of the hours.

250 hours probably won't hurt anything and I have even seen some manuals that say 300 or more. I stick to 200. Oil is relatively cheap.

 

[MHarryE]

Diesels differ from gasoline engines if the oil you are comparing to is a gas engine truck. Even the newest emissions engines which are not allowed to burn oil like the older engines get blackened by soot quickly. My diesel pickup is a 2003 and my mini-excavator is 2005, but all my diesel tractors (4) are 2015 or newer. Can’t tell the difference between them 30 hours after a change - they are all black. The newer ones have longer 400 hour change intervals. The best is to use the latest CK-4 oil which has better oxidation characteristics and reduced shear (oils, especially mineral oils with viscosity enhancers), can shear down so a 15W-40 becomes more like a 15W-30 at oil change time. Those characteristics, plus easier on any emissions system, are the reasons the CK-4 oil was introduced in 2016 to replace CJ-4.

 

[RalphVa]

Every other year on the tractor, which is about 150 hours. On my truck that only gets 1,000 miles/yr, I change about every 5 years.

Ralph