The color of your engine oil.

Would like to hear opinions.

Toyota synthetic 0w20 oil change, color of oil neutral, driving 4000 miles after the oil change, using the dipstick oil color is nearly the same.

I checked the oil on a buddy of mine 4R driving 8K and oil was dark brown.

Yes, yes, I know another oil debate. All input welcome

 

My observations have been the same, but the most I've ever gone between oil changes is just under 7000 miles. After three years since new I just did my third oil change at 18k miles. I simply don't put that many miles on it. I'm on an annual change interval due to low usage.

My 12' Sequoia, I was doing the 10k interval, but the oil would look pretty dark and nasty. I recently decided to put it on a 5000 mile interval. Wife drives it all over, mainly city driving.

After watching the Car Care Nut, I decided to go with a 5k interval or close to it.

 

I suspect it depends greatly on where you live and what you do with your 4Runner.

My oil looks pretty nasty when I change it every 5k. Mostly dark-dark brown. I do quite a bit of offroading in the mountains for 8 months out the year, and snowboarding in the winter. And in CA, we have big wildfire season every summer now (or so it would seem) which messes up the air quality pretty bad.

 

Send it to blackstone and get a definitive answer instead of relying on color.

it’ll save you money and give you an actual answer

 

To clarify, I don't drive 8000 miles to change Oil 4k & filter, I checked the oil on a buddy of mine driving 8K and oil was dark brown.

Sorry, I rephrased my opening post.

 

Mines always dark brown when I change it at 8k-10k miles. Let’s me know I used it for what it’s for

 

Sorry, I rephrased my opening post.

 

Some people just love to change the oil every hundred miles and spend all day under their truck.

This engine does not operate under high temperatures or high pressures, nor is it made of exotic materials which would suffer if you don’t have peak oil performance.

I would also like to follow that up that not changing the oil regularly is not going to lead to catastrophic engine failures with this motor type which will probably be the last thing to break on your truck.

I would argue if you want to be obsessive and change fluids to prolong the life of your truck, you should probably worry about the differentials and transfer case first.

 

We gonna compare oil color now lol.

Gas color next?

 

I change all fluids before the manual limits, always worked for me.

 

Everything has a why?

 

With most of my vehicles when I reach 50.000 miles, I replace sparkplugs and do a compression test, at least this reveals the condition of my engine's valves, its valve seats, and piston rings.

 

I don't really pay attention to color. I just drop it at 5K for new oil. It's obviously darker but don't know how much darker.

 

I’m old school. I do that at 100k, but that is a great way to find out as well. Blackstone is cheap. $30 or so, and gives you a ton of info

 

If you're worried about your engine oil getting dirty, replace the air filter more often.

I also own stock in air filter production.

I kid. I kid.

 

I do that as well, looks like miller light now. Stella I prefer.

 

Me too, I'm a Dinosaur, that's why I do all these crazy things we used to do. No Blackstone back then, no bichromatic microscopes and no analytical systems for the separation and interpretation of wear and contaminant particles in used lubricant oils, hydraulic fluids, coolants, fuels etc.

 

inspect your engine air filter ..... my engine oil looks like new @7500 miles.. drops down 1/8-1/4 qt ..hard to read the oil stick. I suck out the old oil 45 mins... OLD oil filter looks like new..

 

I change mine every 50 miles color is amber. Cheap insurance

 

You suck out the old oil for 45 minutes? What does that mean?

 

Sometimes i wish it was Army green

 

Perhaps we don’t want to know? Lol

 

I have heard that before, some people are using a topsider oil changer with a clear vacuum hose and suction probe that reaches down through the dipstick tube to the bottom of the engine pan. A vacuum pump creates a suction that pulls the dirty oil into the oil tank. You can take the tank off and use this each time you change oil; hence, I don't know how good this is, supposedly, no mess involved. I have never used this system, maybe some members can elaborate more.

 

I’ve heard about this sucky version of oil changes with some of the European makes. If I recall correctly, I heard MB and maybe BMWs don’t even come with oil pan drain plugs anymore.

 

Plenty people suck the oil out. Its how I change my oil in my boats outboards. But thats only because it drains all over the lower leg.

Cleaner yes. But 45 minutes for an oil change no thanks.

 

I use an extraction pump for oil changes on my wife's VW. Filter is on the top of the engine so no need to get under the car. Haven't timed it...but definitely way less than 45 minutes to do the job.

I/we use the extraction method for oil changes on some machinery where I work as well.

 

well I suck out , drain out the old oil for 45 min ...new engines have small ports that take much longer time to remove the old oil....

 

Tips on reading your motor oil color:
https://parts.olathetoyota.com/blog...ion-guide-what-different-oil-colors-represent

 

Can the next thread be about the smell of the engine oil?

 

I wish they sold oil infused with incense so that when older vehicles burn oil it would smell nice in their path