It DOES show up in the color of the oil. That is the POINT.
An oil that turns dark from use is oil that doing a good job. It’s the oil that never picks up the dirt that is failing.
Oil not dirty
- Thread starter lmichael
- Start date
An oil that turns dark from use is oil that doing a good job. It’s the oil that never picks up the dirt that is failing.
fried1765
Well-known member
Equipment
Kubota L48 TLB, Ford 1920 FEL, Ford 8N, SCAG Liberty Z, Gravely Pro.
Mobil one in my MB E350 looks relatively clean when I change it every 5K+.
That means it is "not doing it's job"?
OK, well I hope not to start any disagreement or misunderstanding over this….Mobil 1 has a great reputation and is certainly a fine oil. I don’t know how many “hours” or miles are on your MB… if it’s relatively new then it likely hasn’t got much dirt in it….and it has a relatively clean-burning engine. If that’s the case then the “relatively clean” oil at 5K makes sense, wouldn’t it...?
BTW, Mobil 1 has a history of which many folks are unaware. It was marketed in the ‘80s for aviation use…and aircraft engines started failing all over the place. Mobil removed it from the market for aviation use …(after paying $$)….because aircraft then and now, still use leaded gasoline….. and the Mobil 1 failed to scavenge the combustion by-products (a lot of lead-bromide and other lead deposits) from the engines. This lead to mechanical breakdowns….not a healthy thing in machines that can’t simply pull-over to the side of the road.
Mobil 1 is a fantastic oil for modern vehicles because modern cars have sophisticated emisisons designs that they run cleaner than older engines do. If you use it in a fairly new machine…. it would not show a lot of dark-color unless it was overheated.
fried1765
Well-known member
Equipment
Kubota L48 TLB, Ford 1920 FEL, Ford 8N, SCAG Liberty Z, Gravely Pro.
Well....I'd be cautious about using oil 'color' alone as a diagnostic tool for whether or not the oil is performing. There are many reasons why oil changes color from amber (new) to a darker color and the time in which that takes place.
Certainly 'dirt' is picked up by engine oil and hopefully trapped in the filter (to a certain micron level) and oil with enough 'dirt' in it will appear darker, this is a fact too plain to require argument.
But simple oxidation, thermal break down, oil picking up soot and combustion gases from blow by are more likely suspects and contributors to oil darkening.
Even if a person has tried two types of oils (one getting darker than the other) in the same engine, for the same amount of time, under the same conditions, we still can't say conclusively that one has 'failed' owing only to color. It would require a 'sample' be sent off to someplace like Blackstone for analysis.
It could mean the oil(s) that had been used had done their job well and the engine is very clean internally. He thing about M1 and leaded fuel? I smell a little BS there. I used it for years before unleaded became the law of the land. When it first came out I was using it in my 69 Caddy Coupe De Ville. 472 high compression. Needed leaded premium, used it in my BMW R60/6, and my friend also used it in his 66 Triumph Bonneville. and i=his 70 Camaro RS. All used leaded fuels all performed wonderfully on the new M1 in the round metal can.
I don’t put out B.S. unless it’s a very-obvious joke of some sort. The Mobil 1 failure on leaded fuel aircraft engines is well-known in aviation circles and resulted in FAA action. Mobil removed it from the aviation market as the result. Don’t belive me? Fine… look it up yourself… but don’t throw doubt on others comments if you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Mobil Withdraws AV-1 - What Do I Do Now? - AVweb
In a press release on June 10th, Mobil announced that it had decided to permanently withdraw its AV-1 fully synthetic oil from the market, and was recalling
www.avweb.com
”Plaintiffs obtained a preliminary injunction requiring Defendant Mobil Corporation to provide notice to all potential class members of the risks associated with past use of Defendants’ aircraft engine oil. In addition, Plaintiffs negotiated a proposed Settlement, granted final approval by the Court in November 1995, valued at over $12.5 million, under which all Class Members were eligible to participate in an engine inspection and repair program, and receive compensation for past repairs and for the loss of use of their aircraft associated with damage caused by Mobil AV-1.”
As for YOUR use in engines and leaded fuel: From Aviation Consumer: “Note that Mobils automotive variant, Mobil 1, is recommended only in engines using unleaded fuels which, these days, is virtually everything on the road.)”
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Not referencing M1 from Walmart or in today's market. I was referencing M1 from the early 70s when it first came out. Which is why I noted the use of leaded fuels.I don’t put out B.S. unless it’s a very-obvious joke of some sort. The Mobil 1 failure on leaded fuel aircraft engines is well-known in aviation circles and resulted in FAA action. Mobil removed it from the aviation market as the result. Don’t belive me? Fine… look it up yourself… but don’t throw doubt on others comments if you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Mobil Withdraws AV-1 - What Do I Do Now? - AVweb
In a press release on June 10th, Mobil announced that it had decided to permanently withdraw its AV-1 fully synthetic oil from the market, and was recalling
”Plaintiffs obtained a preliminary injunction requiring Defendant Mobil Corporation to provide notice to all potential class members of the risks associated with past use of Defendants’ aircraft engine oil. In addition, Plaintiffs negotiated a proposed Settlement, granted final approval by the Court in November 1995, valued at over $12.5 million, under which all Class Members were eligible to participate in an engine inspection and repair program, and receive compensation for past repairs and for the loss of use of their aircraft associated with damage caused by Mobil AV-1.”
As for YOUR use in engines and leaded fuel: From Aviation Consumer: “Note that Mobils automotive variant, Mobil 1, is recommended only in engines using unleaded fuels which, these days, is virtually everything on the road.)”
When I began using it unleaded fuels were a rarity. You actually had to look long and hard for them. As for how that relates to today's M1 I have no clue. Back when I began using it, it was only available in one weight as well (5W20) and with proper oil filter intervals was rated to go 25k miles in the engines of the day.
kubotafreak
Well-known member
Equipment
GRAND l6060, L3560, B6100, gr2100, tg 1860, g1800, g1900, g2160
To the “OP” the only thing negative that show up as you described is fuel in oil. Some engines run clean, especially if you do service back to back. An example would be if work was done to the machine. (As Lugbolt suggested) Once the oil turns black in a diesel it can have varied soot content until the point to oil starts to thicken. It is really hard to visually tell between the two, and it often takes 10k equivalent miles of use to thicken the oil. Newer oils are great at suspending particles. You should see this quality on the dipstick and on the valvetrain. The oil will be black as tar, however the metal will be really clean. If you were to wipe the surface, all the black would simply wipe off.
If there is fuel diluting, it will smell strongly of fuel. An easy way to test if fuel contamination has happened is to drop some of the oil on a paper towel. The oil will form an absorbed ring with the fuel wicking out further. This can be caused by leaking injectors or pump.
Another thing is to have the oil tested. It does not take much fuel to make the oil loose suspension qualities. Then the contaminates precipitate out, thus clear oil. You may just have a clean low blow-by engine. Something not to be sad about.
If there is fuel diluting, it will smell strongly of fuel. An easy way to test if fuel contamination has happened is to drop some of the oil on a paper towel. The oil will form an absorbed ring with the fuel wicking out further. This can be caused by leaking injectors or pump.
Another thing is to have the oil tested. It does not take much fuel to make the oil loose suspension qualities. Then the contaminates precipitate out, thus clear oil. You may just have a clean low blow-by engine. Something not to be sad about.
Another point. I wasn't trying to indicate the report was BS only as it applied to automotive gas and diesel and equipment diesels as aircraft engines are a whole different animal. Air cooled (primarily) large displacement (relative), low revving, very varied operating conditions dependent on altitude, and so on. Other than the fact they're internal combustion they really have nothing in common with the engines we've been discussing. So I did not mean for you to take it wrong. Just wanted to point out that it was a totally different animalI don’t put out B.S. unless it’s a very-obvious joke of some sort. The Mobil 1 failure on leaded fuel aircraft engines is well-known in aviation circles and resulted in FAA action. Mobil removed it from the aviation market as the result. Don’t belive me? Fine… look it up yourself… but don’t throw doubt on others comments if you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Mobil Withdraws AV-1 - What Do I Do Now? - AVweb
In a press release on June 10th, Mobil announced that it had decided to permanently withdraw its AV-1 fully synthetic oil from the market, and was recalling
”Plaintiffs obtained a preliminary injunction requiring Defendant Mobil Corporation to provide notice to all potential class members of the risks associated with past use of Defendants’ aircraft engine oil. In addition, Plaintiffs negotiated a proposed Settlement, granted final approval by the Court in November 1995, valued at over $12.5 million, under which all Class Members were eligible to participate in an engine inspection and repair program, and receive compensation for past repairs and for the loss of use of their aircraft associated with damage caused by Mobil AV-1.”
As for YOUR use in engines and leaded fuel: From Aviation Consumer: “Note that Mobils automotive variant, Mobil 1, is recommended only in engines using unleaded fuels which, these days, is virtually everything on the road.)”