Black oil really fast after change

getut · Dec 9, 2004

Hey guys...

I need some advice since this is the first diesel anything that I have owned (CK20HST). I changed the oil the first time a few weeks ago and am at about 5-6 hours on that change. I checked the oil last night and noticed that the oil on the dipstick is already black. Not thick and black....consistency seems the same, but it is black. I took it out and put it back in a few times cleaning it each time to make sure I wasn't just picking up some residue in the dipstick tube but it didn't seem to make a difference.

Some of the work that I was doing had me working with spreading the leftovers of a fire pit, so I started thinking maybe the black oil so fast was a result of that. I had also changed the air filter at the oil change so popped it back off and looked at the air filter, it wasn't in bad shape and seemed to have a good seal, so here I am asking these questions.

Is the black oil normal in a diesel pretty fast... maybe due to the diesel itself? Don't think it matters but I replaced all the fluids with Amsoil synthetics.

cdt80 · Dec 9, 2004

Black oil in a diesel is extremely normal. I'm not sure exactly why it does this but it will look black after even an hour or two of running time. Just make sure to use engine oil labeled for diesel tractors as listed in the manual. Trust me don't even give it a second thought. It is normal.

virgil · Dec 9, 2004

welcome to the world of diesel engines. it get black,,,,real fast

virgil

getut · Dec 9, 2004

Ok.. good.

I was thinking that it may just be because of the diesel but wasn't sure since I had never owned one, but it makes sense with all the soot that blows out of a diesel exhaust that some of that remains.

Consider it purged from my mind.

Oh.. it was the Amsoil Series 3000 HD Diesel oil (5W-30) for my area in NC. I didn't think I needed to go with the super thin stuff where I am.

DK35vince · Dec 9, 2004

( welcome to the world of diesel engines. it get black,,,,real fast )

I like it that way ! At least you can see the oil on the stick /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Now if the transmission oil would turn black so I could see it I'd be set /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

getut · Dec 9, 2004

I was just making sure that my wife wasn't P-O'd about how much time I've spent with my tractor instead of her and was pouring some of the ashes from my fire pit down the oil filler. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

bczoom · Dec 9, 2004

( I was just making sure that my wife wasn't P-O'd about how much time I've spent with my tractor instead of her)

So it's not just me... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Back on subject, my oil turns black quickly as well.

Vince - I took care of that tranny issue by dumping my old engine oil in the tranny. I can see it on the dipstick now! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif (just kidding...)

btolle · Dec 9, 2004

I was concerned that my new Kubota B7510 oil was NOT black after the first 10 hours of usage. I am used to black oil in my old Kubota diesel. I am confident that it will turn black in the next few hours.

All these new fangled tractors take some getting used to!

Bill Tolle

DK35vince · Dec 9, 2004

( Vince - I took care of that tranny issue by dumping my old engine oil in the tranny. I can see it on the dipstick now! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif (just kidding...) )

Hey, now theres an idea /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
Shouldn't take more than a few quarts to get it darken up to where I can see it. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

cdt80 · Dec 9, 2004

It could be worse, some of our larger major brand farm tractors have a plastic brown colored dipstick and first of all the oil won't stick on the dipstick long enough to see it and secondly it is nearly impossible to see the oil when it is clean and new. It is so bad we have had employees way overfill the crankcase when changing oil. They didn't ever see the oil on the stick. They also have sight guages for the transmission and that gets hard to see when the inside gets a light film on it. I'll take the old steel dipstick every time.