Very Dark Oil

[BlazerBoyLT98]

Ok, so about 6K miles ago I ran a gunk engine flush through per the directions on this site. I changed the oil and put in Mobil 1 5W-30. After about 6K miles I noticed some oil leaking and I have never had an oil leak previous to this. I lost about a quart before I changed the oil, figured I would just change it instead of adding a quart. When I changed the oil I noticed it was much darker then usual, basically it was black and almost had a watery consistancy. Never had this issue before the flush or before switching to synthetic. I have never changed the oil and had it that dark before. I think I am leaking from the remote oil cooler lines. Any ideas guys on why the oil is all of a sudden so dark and why I am all of a sudden leaking from the remote oil cooler lines? Thanks!

[slreno1217]

the color is probably from old residue still left in engine and pan from the flush if this is opnly the first change since the flush. also synthetic oil is much thinner than conventional oil, and leaks can occure with a thinner oil, have heard it alot when switching, especially on older high milage.

[xtrememeasures10]

Its not that synthetic is bad. ppl give me this all the time at work "i switched to synthetic and you said my oil will keep the motor cleaner." well actually the detergents in the synthetic will clean your engine as you drive. All the sludge build up thats blocking parts of your motor from being lubricated will be broken up and brought down into your oil pan. Eventually after all that crap is gone it will be clean. I used synthetic on my last truck when i bought it at 60k til 100k then i sold it. it didnt start showing up clean until aound 80k.

As far as leaks. I dont believe synthetic oil causes leaks or any of that bs. The leaks are already there. synthetic will make them more noticable because of the way it flows so readily and cleans so well. It goes back to the detergents. Remember all that dark oil that came out. Thats all the crap that turned into gel and got stuck in the motor in areas. That gel was stuck around parts that have gaskets b/t them. when you put in synthetic it cleaned it out. exposing the cracked gaskets to the oil, thus causing it to leak oil.

Hope that clears i up a lil bit for ya. sucks that your leaking oil. Find where your leak is. if its something easy. replace the gasket and torque it back down to its torque value. IE Oil pan Gasket. well good luck dude.

[BlazerLT]

Originally Posted by BlazerBoyLT98

Ok, so about 6K miles ago I ran a gunk engine flush through per the directions on this site. I changed the oil and put in Mobil 1 5W-30. After about 6K miles I noticed some oil leaking and I have never had an oil leak previous to this. I lost about a quart before I changed the oil, figured I would just change it instead of adding a quart. When I changed the oil I noticed it was much darker then usual, basically it was black and almost had a watery consistancy. Never had this issue before the flush or before switching to synthetic. I have never changed the oil and had it that dark before. I think I am leaking from the remote oil cooler lines. Any ideas guys on why the oil is all of a sudden so dark and why I am all of a sudden leaking from the remote oil cooler lines? Thanks!

What you are seeing is the synthetic cleaning out the engine like it should. This is normal.

You sure you leaked a quart, you could have burnt a quart over 6000 miles which is not abnormal.

[BlazerBoyLT98]

Originally Posted by BlazerLT

What you are seeing is the synthetic cleaning out the engine like it should. This is normal.

You sure you leaked a quart, you could have burnt a quart over 6000 miles which is not abnormal.

I was hoping the darkness was due to the cleaning, which is a good thing. Positive I leaked oil, I saw it on the fround in a few different spots. I have owned the bazer since 60K now have 113K and have always changed the oil myself. Before every oil change I check the dipstick just like I do every couple of fill ups at the gas station and it has always read to the very top of full on the dipstick. I noticed some oil on the ground one day and checked the oil level and it was still where I did not need to add oil but was lower then usual. Week later it was into the add oil range. I have never known this truck to burn any oil and it has always run very well and I am getting real decent mileage. I did notice when I changed the oil last night that the oil filer weighed a ton (not literally) after I let it drain. So I am assuming there was a lot of junk in there and hopefully now iti s gone. Oil presure has dropped back to where it should be when the oil is fresh as it was kind of high right before I changed it. I will let you guys know what happens when I go for a good ride tomorrow and see if any more oil is leaking. Thanks

[BlazerLT]

Originally Posted by BlazerBoyLT98

I was hoping the darkness was due to the cleaning, which is a good thing. Positive I leaked oil, I saw it on the fround in a few different spots. I have owned the bazer since 60K now have 113K and have always changed the oil myself. Before every oil change I check the dipstick just like I do every couple of fill ups at the gas station and it has always read to the very top of full on the dipstick. I noticed some oil on the ground one day and checked the oil level and it was still where I did not need to add oil but was lower then usual. Week later it was into the add oil range. I have never known this truck to burn any oil and it has always run very well and I am getting real decent mileage. I did notice when I changed the oil last night that the oil filer weighed a ton (not literally) after I let it drain. So I am assuming there was a lot of junk in there and hopefully now iti s gone. Oil presure has dropped back to where it should be when the oil is fresh as it was kind of high right before I changed it. I will let you guys know what happens when I go for a good ride tomorrow and see if any more oil is leaking. Thanks

What you could have been seeing is the oil pressure getting higher due to a slightly plugged oil filter and oil thicker than usual due to the cleaning.

The drop to the add mark could have been from the oil being so dirty that it started to burn.

I know my engine will not burn a drop and then all of a sudden it will consume a lot more just before the oil change. This is normal.

Just be patient, the leak might be temporary and the synthetic will reswell the seal with the new oil.

[BlazerBoyLT98]

Didn't notice any leaks today, have not checked the oil but did not see any spotting on the ground. I think I will change the oil more frequently for a while until it starts looking cleaner longer. Didn't know synthetic would really clean that well, it is truly amazing. I am getting the oil at such a cheap price it is no big deal to change it more often. If I expierence more leaking I may switch back to regular oil for a while to see what happens.

[xtrememeasures10]

My truck does the same thing blazer. 2500 miles no oil burnt off. b/t 2500 and 3000. it will burn a half quart. If your going to take your truck 6000 i would not switch back to conventional.

[BlazerBoyLT98]

Originally Posted by xtrememeasures10

My truck does the same thing blazer. 2500 miles no oil burnt off. b/t 2500 and 3000. it will burn a half quart. If your going to take your truck 6000 i would not switch back to conventional.

I agree, I am not burning oil though. I noticed little puddles under the truck by the remote oil filter and cooler lines. I am wondering if maybe, highly inlikely but maybe, I had a faulty oil filter or oil filter gasket. That is eaclty where I notice the oil on the ground and it was on the back of the door, but I am thinking it could have dripped that way as it is the lowest point in that direction. We shall see....

[blazee]

Sometimes the gasket on the oil filter will stick and stay on the housing, this will cause the new filter to leak.

When I switch my Blazer over to Mobil1 the rear main leaked for a while then quit. Now, I go 6,000 miles and don't lose a drop.

[BlazerBoyLT98]

Originally Posted by blazee

Sometimes the gasket on the oil filter will stick and stay on the housing, this will cause the new filter to leak.

When I switch my Blazer over to Mobil1 the rear main leaked for a while then quit. Now, I go 6,000 miles and don't lose a drop.

I will have to look for that, I usually make sure to check the filter housing for any gasket residue, never seen any, I try not to over tighten it. I will have to check out the rear main seal. I need to get her up on a lift so I can do numerous things I have been meaning to do!

[s10blazerman4x4]

I was told by my mechanic after he engineered the oil pan so i wouldnt have to replace that that my rear main was goin because its still dripping. I was wondering if it was because i switched from 10w40 to 5w30 i am on the second full change since then had about 3 in between to try and fix the pan leak myself im gonna go back and see if that fixes it. hard to sell a rig with an oil leak but amazingly i can get 2000 if i trade it in which is pretty cool

[BlazerBoyLT98]

Well........ The leak, now possibly leaks, have seemed to slow down. I am now seeing oil dripping from the drain plug and by the remote oil lines. But not much, even since the weather has gotten warmer and run the ac it has not seemed to drip anymore, maybe even less. Who knows, we'll see, just don't have any money to do any major replacing of anything!

[BlazerLT]

The seals will reswell.

The oil drain plug leak can be fixed with a new washer.

The cooler line leak can be fixed by replacing the lines.

[s10blazerman4x4]

Welcome back LT did you have a good trip? I had my leak fixed just leaking at seals