crazytiger Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Bought my LGT used with 37K on the odometer. The first time I put in for service, I had my local dealer put Mobil 1 synthetic in it. This is the first time I have ever used synthetic motor oil. I have checked the dipstick regularly since I had the car serviced. For the first 2K miles, everytime I checked the dipstick, it looked good -- the fluid was "semi-clear" and at the right level. Well, I checked the stick yesterday (I am about 200 miles from needing my next 3K oil change) and the oil was BLACK, but still at the right level. I asked my neighbor about it (I consider him to have a fair amount of car knowledge) and he said that the synthetics can actually "clean" your engine. Perhaps the synthetic oil caused some old deposits to "break loose" in the last few hundred miles, thus completely contaminating the oil???? Can someone please help me shed some light on this? I just have a hard time understanding how the oil can go from being "good" to "bad" almost overnight......... TIA!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenchan Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 color does not necessarily mean that it lost its properties. my synthetics turn pretty dark after a couple thousand miles after change. i wouldn't worry about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTTuner Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Keep in mind when the oil is hot, it has a lighter color than when cold. Yes, most synthetics have a greater capacity to hold contaminates in the oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deneb Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 I had the exact same experience with M1, black within 2k miles. However the other posters are correct in that black oil doens't necessarily mean anything's wrong, and that synthetics can have a cleaning effect on an engine. However, with your miles, I doubt the engine was that dirty to begin with unless the previous owner did very little maintenance. Still, I don't know that I'd worry about it. If you're concerned, send your used oil in for UOA (Used Oil Analysis). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krzyss Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 How often do you plan to change oil? Krzys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenchan Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 ^^ on mine im running the gold cap Mobil1 and M110 filter. im going all 15k miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vimy101 Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 ^^ on mine im running the gold cap Mobil1 and M110 filter. im going all 15k miles. I'm going with a regular Mobil 1 and Mobil filter changed @ 6k. Let us know how things go especially consumption. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenchan Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 I'm going with a regular Mobil 1 and Mobil filter changed @ 6k. Let us know how things go especially consumption. im using the silver cap + factory filter on my other cars and change once a year or about 7k+ miles. As far as consumption, i did the legacy's oil change about 5wks or so ago, my wife already put in over 4k miles and i noted zero consumption that i can see on the dipstick. will continue to monitor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabidMonk Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 Have a UOA performed. It will tell you exactly what is in your old oil and whether the contaminate levels are out of norm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vimy101 Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 Have a UOA performed. It will tell you exactly what is in your old oil and whether the contaminate levels are out of norm. What does a UOA cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillboy Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 Every oil I have ever used (I'm 49) has been black after 2,000 miles. Use the right API service classification, the right weight for the prevailing ambient temperatures (based on the car manufacturer's recommendations), keep it full and change it regularly, and don't worry about it. It is still ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vimy101 Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 Every oil I have ever used (I'm 49) has been black after 2,000 miles. Use the right API service classification, the right weight for the prevailing ambient temperatures (based on the car manufacturer's recommendations), keep it full and change it regularly, and don't worry about it. There are some schools of thought that you can extend synthetic oils' life by changing up the filter. Noob question: How is the 2.5l boxer set up for oil loss when changing the filter only? (Hella Bearse game going on right now!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabidMonk Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 UOAs typically range from twenty to fifty dollars. blackstone lab kit --> http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free_test_kit.html handy BITOG link --> http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/whatisoilanalysis.htm BITOG is a great site in general . . . http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/ Hope these help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vimy101 Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 UOAs typically range from twenty to fifty dollars. An oil change in other words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itzed Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 Every oil I have ever used (I'm 49) has been black after 2,000 miles. Use the right API service classification, the right weight for the prevailing ambient temperatures (based on the car manufacturer's recommendations), keep it full and change it regularly, and don't worry about it. I agree with your philosophy, but I'm wondering what kind of oils you've been using that are turning black in 2K. I've also changed a lot of oil in my days and yeah, after 3K-5K it darkens with oxidation and contaminants, but I wouldn't say my oil has ever been "black" after 2K. Maybe you need some better lights in your garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itzed Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 There are some schools of thought that you can extend synthetic oils' life by changing up the filter. Noob question: How is the 2.5l boxer set up for oil loss when changing the filter only? (Hella Bearse game going on right now!) The Legacy's filter is completely upside down and all the oil would come out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarrisburgJoe Posted November 19, 2006 Share Posted November 19, 2006 I haven't changed my oil and filter yet on my new 06 legacy, but having it up on ramps to check out the layout underneath looks as though the oil filter is almost perfectly vertical. Buy changing out the filter only, it looks as though you will only lose the oil that was in there, requiring the adding of about .5 qt. make up oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilh Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 The Legacy's filter is completely upside down and all the oil would come out.Wrong. The the oil filter feed line is well above the sump. Certainly some oil will come out, but hardly "all". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillboy Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 I agree with your philosophy, but I'm wondering what kind of oils you've been using that are turning black in 2K. I've also changed a lot of oil in my days and yeah, after 3K-5K it darkens with oxidation and contaminants, but I wouldn't say my oil has ever been "black" after 2K. Maybe you need some better lights in your garage. :lol: The eyesight and memory go when you get old. Maybe I was speaking of "relative" color (and I don't come from a mixed race family). Black by the strict definition of the color...no. "Black" in comparison to the light golden color it was when new...yeah, quite a color change after a couple thou of short trip, city driving. The Legacy's filter is completely upside down and all the oil would come out. The oil filter mounts higher than the oil pan, so you will loose some oil but not all of it if you change the filter only. It is still ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itzed Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Wrong. The the oil filter feed line is well above the sump. Certainly some oil will come out, but hardly "all". Yeah, I wasn't thinking about the height of where it mounts to the block as compared to the oil pan. But I would never really consider changing just the filter - that's the worst part of the job - everything else is fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucas569 Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Yeah, I wasn't thinking about the height of where it mounts to the block as compared to the oil pan. But I would never really consider changing just the filter - that's the worst part of the job - everything else is fun. i read that by changing the filter alone (cause the oil is still good aka synthetic,etc) and by topping off that it extends the oil dramaticly, in fact those extended life oils advise you to change the filter in between. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itzed Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 i read that by changing the filter alone (cause the oil is still good aka synthetic,etc) and by topping off that it extends the oil dramaticly, in fact those extended life oils advise you to change the filter in between. Interesting. I had been assuming (since the oil stays so clean), that there really isn't much debris in the filter whenever I change mine. I guess someone would have to send it off and cut one open and find out if it's really got anything substantial in it. If not, then I guess this theory of changing just the filter is little more than just draining "some" old oil and adding "some" fresh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandman Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 UOAs typically range from twenty to fifty dollars. blackstone lab kit --> http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free_test_kit.html handy BITOG link --> http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/whatisoilanalysis.htm BITOG is a great site in general . . . http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/ Hope these help. We use National Tribology - http://www.natrib.com. they're near my office so I can drop off the samples and speak to the analyst in person. Who Dares Wins スバル Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenchan Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Did Target always carry Mobil1 synthetic silver cap 5w-30's for $4.09 a qt?! i was running some errands yesterday and could not pass up the price. i use the gold cap on my Legacy but use the silver cap on my other cars. that's like a $10 saving vs Autozone and about a $5 saving from Walmart's 5Qt jugs, no? i prefer the qt bottles so this works out very nicely for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenchan Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 just an update on my oil consumption. i checked my oil at about the below intervals and here are my findings. im currently testing a Mobil1 gold cap 15k mile oil with a Mobil1 filter. Start: Dip stick oil level at middle (i like to keep it in the middle) 5k miles: oil near low so added 1/2 qt to full. 10k miles: oil at middle. it looks like the motor eats a little less than 1/2 quart every 5k+ miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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