Black oil after 2000kms

[shane_3800]

Or drill out the one you have. @Fu Manchu has a great thread on it.

The only way to be sure oil is "used up" or at the end of it's service life is to have it tested. Colour alone is not a guide.

Something @shane_3800 might be able to answer, how many of the modern engines you service have engine oil heat exchangers that use the engine coolant?

The reason I bring this up is because oil temperature is critical to the proper functioning of the engine but also the oil, too hot or too cold is not good for oil. Too much heat kills the oil from a lubrication point of view, not enough heat and the oil can't burn off contaminants that accumulate in the crank case and you get into sludge issues. Oil temperature needs to be just right (like baby bears porridge). A oil/coolant heat exchanger helps to get oil up to temp faster and also helps to keep it at the proper operating temp but unfortunately this is not something Holden/GM considered for our engines (except the 3800 V6 cars that went to Middle East).

Increasing oil volume is great for extended service life (more oil, more capacity to carry contaminants before it reaches saturation) but if you don't get that oil up to full operating temp what you actually get is.....sludge.

Mom or dad doing the school run in the morning and a quick trip to the supermarket isn't great for getting that engine oil up to temp, if you read many owners manuals you'll note that they say that type of use is considered hard use and you should half your oil service interval.

Something I've not considered, but turbo cars are probably good for heating oil reasonably quickly. Running engine oil through the turbo would be a great way to ensure it heats through quickly....

Engine oil sludge issues....fit a turbo

Yea nearly every car these days runs a oil cooler.

 

[shane_3800]

That's well and good, but unless you have an identical vehicle driven the same way with same km's and shorter oil change intervals, strip both engines and compare them for mechanical condition and sludge contamination, the longer oil change interval theory isn't proven is it.

I respect your 16 years, but I've got 46 years in the game if we're measuring anatomy!

Unless we're focused on penny pinching on oil costs, extending oil change intervals won't result in a cleaner engine and longer life is the bottom line! There's no mechanical advantage whatsoever leaving oil in an engine for extended periods of time.

I agree it's a hard point to prove.

 

[kleanphil]

About as handy as a no armed brick layer…..

I can do oil changes and that’s about it.

OK i'm going to have to query your first remark here. Now firstly just about anyone with no arms isn't handy at all , unless it involves sucking , Now if you said " as handy as a masturbater with no arms ", i could go along with that. Now if you said as "Handy as a bricklayer with 1 arm " now were talking , because as we know, the drummer from Def Leopard only had 1 arm but he could still drum , even a painter with 1 arm can still perform. I only tell you all this because i am a bricklayer, and because i know 80% of brickies are all ready useless , you only have to take 1 arm and you got it covered . God i gotta get back to work , this chrissy break as been too long

 

[RevNev]

I agree it's a hard point to prove.

Yes, extended oil change intervals being fine, is like the engine is fine on 91 octane fuel.

A couple of years ago data logging a stock FGX XR6 Falcon NA engine, we noticed knock sensor intervention on 98 and on 91 the recommended fuel, the engine predominantly ran on knock sensor retard. It took the addition of 15% Toluene in 98 raising the Octane (RON) to 100 to stop knock sensor intervention completely. The ideal fuel for the engine with the greatest longevity potential is 100 octane we can't buy from the pump.

The LFX VF V6 engine suffers knock sensor intervention on 98 at full throttle under 5500rpm also!

 

[Immortality]

Damn you guys must be backwards there, we get 100 octane at the pump Not bad for a country of sheep shaggers

Hademall is going to have a field day miss-quoting me!

 

[Immortality]

Yes, extended oil change intervals being fine, is like the engine is fine on 91 octane fuel.

The LFX VF V6 engine suffers knock sensor intervention on 98 at full throttle under 5500rpm also!

Just thinking, that same tuneup is probably fine in the nice chilly northern regions of continental US with their fuels.

 

[RevNev]

Damn you guys must be backwards there, we get 100 octane at the pump Not bad for a country of sheep shaggers

Hademall is going to have a field day miss-quoting me!

Shell had 100 octane for a couple of years around 2010 but it was discontinued. Prior to 2000, quite a few servos had Avgas at the pump. E85 is getting a bit slim at the pump in SA, quite a few servos have dropped E85.

 

[Immortality]

We had avgas and e85 at a few servos but those have mostly dissapeared but now NPD has 100octane at all their servos instead of 98.

 

[greenacc]

Yes, extended oil change intervals being fine, is like the engine is fine on 91 octane fuel.

A couple of years ago data logging a stock FGX XR6 Falcon NA engine, we noticed knock sensor intervention on 98 and on 91 the recommended fuel, the engine predominantly ran on knock sensor retard. It took the addition of 15% Toluene in 98 raising the Octane (RON) to 100 to stop knock sensor intervention completely. The ideal fuel for the engine with the greatest longevity potential is 100 octane we can't buy from the pump.

The LFX VF V6 engine suffers knock sensor intervention on 98 at full throttle under 5500rpm also!

The LFW is just as sensitive. It seems to be run ok on any fuel at the pump, but as soon as you mix different grades, like E10 and 95 you can hear the engine isn't happy and feel the timing becomes retarded. Must be the knock sensor kicking in.

 

[RevNev]

Generally speaking with any change to a car, modification etc, it must provide a mechanical advantage. Like oil and fuel, if there's a mechanical advantage extending oil change intervals or using lower octane fuels, I'd consider it but if not, I personally don't consider or recommended it.

In relation to costs, it's always fascinated me in motorsport where an organiser will implement a crap tyre for example saving competitors $200 when it costs 5k to do a national race meeting with a car capable of winning races. The underfunded teams can't afford $4,800 and still don't enter the meeting, so why bother saving $200 at the mechanical disadvantage of less tyre grip?