Dirty oil, but clean dipstick.
- Thread starter shock
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Super Member
New oil, changes to dark almost immediately. The main cause of darkened oil is not "dirt" but heat.
As oosik states, you cannot compare a thin film of oil to a panful as the density of oil particles is not only blocking light but adding to its color saturation as well..
As oosik states, you cannot compare a thin film of oil to a panful as the density of oil particles is not only blocking light but adding to its color saturation as well..
Robin Veerman
Veteran Member
No not always. Did you read post #2? The oil in my tractor is nearing 100 hrs and is just now starting to get noticeably darker…
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It does start to change color very quickly. I changed mine out at 50 hrs and it was darker than what was first put in there for sure.
But you're right, I should have stipulated however as the word 'immediately", is relative for me in comparison to other things not so immediate such as changing oil out at 1000 miles instead of 5000 with respect to autos.
1000 miles to me would be "immediate" in the scheme of things and to think I actually did that when I was a pup.
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how quickly it turns darker depends on the engine series & type of use. of course, lots of cold starts & short runs will darken oil quicker. it takes quite a while for oil to turn completely dark in my Tier II engine.
check the dipstick with engine dead cold. it should be close to oil pan color. the idea of checking dipstick with slightly drained oil is a good one to compare
check the dipstick with engine dead cold. it should be close to oil pan color. the idea of checking dipstick with slightly drained oil is a good one to compare
it did.
hube2
Veteran Member
Oil does some odd things sometimes. When I check my oil cold the oil on the stick is black. When I check it hot it appears nearly clean. Yes, I check my oil before and after using the tractor. I assume then when I check it after running that the soot is evenly distributed in the oil and when it cools the soot settles out and gets deposited on the dip stick.