I have a Ford Mondeo Estate 2.0 TDCi. The car was registered in Oct 2003 and has done 31,000 miles. It is in good condition. I had a major service carried out a the local Ford dealership 2 days and 25 miles ago. On inspecting the oil this afternoon, I found it to be black and pretty dirty looking. Is this to be expected in a low mileage diesel so soon after a major service? Any advice appreciated.
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Yes, not uncommon in diesels. It's tiny particles of soot from the combustion process, and is quite normal. Usually visible in the oil within a minute of starting the engine after an oil change.
Cheers
DP
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Unfortunately with diesels, if you drive them around the block after an oil change it will be black again.
Also, many garages now suck the oil out rather than drain it out which I think compounds the problem, as there is bound to be more old oil left in using this method. What I would do is get some of the oil between your fingers and test to see if it 'feels' like new oil, ie isnt too watery etc, of course washing your hands right away after.
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My oil looks the same after a service as it did before.
Except it is now overfilled..............
Save me topping up for a while anyway.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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Yup, as said, "Normal".
I actually predicted "diesel" before opening the thread!
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As others have already said.....
As well as my reply to a previous post on this subject.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=43681&...e
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Sorry,
But feal that i must disagree had the Oil changed on My Mondeo TD(1.8) at a pretty good fast fit centre 1500 miles ago, check the oil weekly and it 'scertainly not black thou' it's not as clean as it was when filled. From the receipt it's Duckhams Semi Synth. Suggest that who ever did the job didn't fully drain the old stuff out.
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Normal. All the BMW diesels I have owned have oil as black as a black thing within a couple of days of being changed.
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not keen on the idea that many garages suck the oil out , i wouldnt use them again, cant beat getting engine warm and dropping oil and leaving it 5 minutes to drip dry, as an aside ive just done 500 mile in my diesel [merc with 95,000 on clock] and its still 90% clean,. yet changed oil and filter on other diesels in the past and theyve gone black straightaway.
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cant beat getting engine warm and dropping oil and leaving it 5 minutes to drip dry,
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A popular opinion but I am not convinced.
This has been discussed many times before.
Some models of well know car brands do not have a drain plug.
You have to suck the oil out of many or most inboard boat engines.
On a MB owners site in the US an owner found the suck it method got MORE sludge out than draining it.as makers
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my opinion only here...............
henry k...........twaddle ( is that alright moderators?\\\\\)
how many sumps have you removed in your life and seen where the pickup pipe goes (this is where the oil is sucked from) i have lost count of thesumps ive removed and i would never use a suction system to remove oil.
Its ok on a boat as it would sink if you had to remove the drain plug and then drill a hole in the hull to get your container underneath but boat engines run low hours in comparison to a car.
sorry young man
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my opinion only here............... henry k...........twaddle ( is that alright moderators?\\\\\) how many sumps have you removed in your life and seen where the pickup pipe goes (this is where the oil is sucked from) i have lost count of thesumps ive removed and i would never use a suction system to remove oil.
It does somewhat defy logic, but I've seen the reports on MB's that say sucking is better, and that's with manual vacuum pumps. I imagine the dealers use something mechanised, which would suck the oil out quickly (therefore holding deposits in suspension).
MB's are designed for this, with a tube (it's not a dipstick tube anymore, my car doesn't have one) that the oil vacuum unit clips onto. With the manual systems I guess it's critical to get the tube as near the bottom as possible, but without it bottoming out. They do that by cutting the end of the tube at an angle.
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my opinion only here............... henry k...........twaddle ( is that alright moderators?\\\\\) >> sorry young man
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The first sump I removed was about 35 years ago so obviously not been doing it as long as you.
I have noticed that my sump plugs have not been on the bottom of the pan but on the side.
My logic says that either the vehicle has to have tipped more than I can achieve else the thickest crud will remain.
On the other hand an extractor tube may well reach right to the bottom of the sump.
Obviously this may vary by model / make.
The MB example I was refering seemed to be carefully done and had several photos.
It did include removing the sump to demonstrate the end result.
I have always changed oil the traditional way and have not yet bought a Pela or similar.
I just cannot believe that the likes if MB would risk their reputation etc by adopting suck rather than drip for oil changes.
I am keeping an open mind on engine oil extraction methods.
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i would rather pull the plug on my bath water than have it sucked out , think that explains how better it is to drain ? lot more chance of "mucky bits" leaving ?
suppose this new fashion of vacum tubes cuts down on money spent in making a tapping in the sump and supplying a sump plug? possibly?
give it a few years see if they still think its a good idea?
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i would rather pull the plug on my bath water than have it sucked out , think that explains how better it is to drain ? lot more chance of "mucky bits" leaving ?
I am in a hose pipe ban area. As a regular sucker I do not see any difference. ;- )
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>>suppose this new fashion of vacum tubes cuts down on money spent in making a tapping in the sump and supplying a sump plug? possibly?
And all the undoing of under trays. My undertray was missing some of the many fasteners and I seem to see more undertrays hanging off these days.
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As most people have said, the majority of diesels will blacken oil far quicker than a petrol equivalent. That said, 2 days and 25 miles is a little short to have oil as dirty as you infer. If you are still not happy, you may want to bite the bullet and go to a fast fit centre. Many now offer oil and filter changes for little more than the cost of the oil and filter. If you want a genuine part - take along a Ford filter from the spares dept. Check your handbook for oil spec . Ask the centre what oil they are going to use. Watch them do it (so you know its done, and can see if they suck or drain !!!) Check the oil straight away....run for a few minutes to mix, then check again. then check every couple of days and see what happens. If it stays clean(ish) confront your dealer. If it goes black, then thats the way it is!
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My guess is what happened is:
you left car for service.
Car left for 2 (say) hours.
Engine cold.
Driven on to ramp. Engine still cold
Oil drained.
Sump plug reinserted after 3 mins
Filter changed.
Result: lots of drirty oil still in sump and in engine where it has been reciculated after retsart. It's cold and viscous so does not flow quickly.
You could have half a litre of oil dirty oil in engine.. hence dirt.
I change mine when warm and leave to drain for 10 mins: result oil clean after 1000 miles...
madf
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In answer to the question yes oil goes dirty very very quickly ? carbonisation- secondly I was dead against this method of vacuum oil extraction. However it is widely used in Marine circles and before anyone dares differ common rail engines are now fitted to boats and the Pentas are very car/truck derived. I do both now as I extract about 99% by the vacuum and then remove the sump plug whilst doing the other filters when I replace the plug there is usually no more than a cup full in the pan !!
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