Oil changes

[KDAWG97M3]

So I have a question, my oil is very dirty even after only 1k miles, I know this, as I had to change my oil after the pan was stripped, why would my oil be so dirty? I know the family I bought the car from used to let it set for months on end why traveling back to SA, what can I run to "clean" the motor? My mechanic said just keep changing the oil every 1k miles....seems expensive? And ideas. My X is 4.4 if it matters. Thanks

[Big "J"]

Use a half bottle of Seafoam in the oil and drive it hard for 10 minutes then let it cool and change the oil. Put the other half in your gas tank to help with cleaning your injectors. If the engine sounds and feels good with no codes, no worries.

Good Luck!

[motordavid]

Not a fan of Seafoam for modern engines, and it is usually used in intakes, (very carefully, and atomized vs pouring in), vs oil sumps, where it calls for a oz or so, per quart, followed by a few hundred mile hot oil change.
Here are the ingredients from a post by JCL, and easily found on the Seafoam MSDS:
Those three petroleum products they reference are:

"1) light mineral oil (not a synthetic) of unknown properties
2) naptha, properties not specified, but something usually associated with lighter fluid and white camp stove fuel
3) rubbing alcohol

Three things I wouldn't put in a modern engine, especially when they displace the required synthetic lubricating oil. Hence my reluctance to use it. Also the reason that BMW specifically advise against using such additives."


If it were my car, I would do 2 short interval, back to back hot oil changes...

The 'color' of modern synthetic oil, after being in the car for a short time, is not the 'indicator' one would think.

Your car, from sitting so long and with unknown/seldom maintenance and previous oil changes, may have some sludge or internal buildup, but none of us can diagnose that from reading.

Your mechanic's advice is not bad/wrong, but maybe overstated, imo. Do a very hot oil/filter change, drive a few hundred miles, do another. It may alleviate your situ...
Not trying to start an arm wrestle on 'additives/cures', but there are no magic bullets, in my experience/reading.
GL, mD

[JCL]

I agree with MD (maybe not suprising, that).

Colour just doesn't matter (unless it is milky white). It has nothing to do with the quality or lubricating quality of the oil.

If you had a diesel, your oil would be black in 100 miles or so. Similarly, it would mean nothing about the quality of the oil.

To understand why this situation exists, we need to go back to the campaign that was conducted by the oil change industry over the past thirty years or so. The convinced everyone to do 3000 mile oil changes, and they used the colour of the oil in their ads as a reason. It was bogus then, and it is bogus now. It is amazing how many people still believe it, though, with respect to the colour. And some even still do 3000 mile oil changes on a vehicle designed to run a lifetime at intervals of 4 to 5 times that.

Additives in your sump can be dangerous and destructive. They don't always play nicely with the seals your engine uses, and there is a lot of variability with respect to the concentrations that are either safe or effective. Putting in too much can kill an engine.

I won't put Seafoam in an engine that I care about. If it was a junker, and I wanted to clean it out, I would use my own naptha (which is much cheaper), I wouldn't pay their price for it. Naptha is sold as camp stove fuel, or white gas. Just remember that it doesn't lubricate anything, so after you run your engine for a few minutes, drain out the oil and put clean oil in, don't leave it in there.

It is much better to simply do a hot oil change. Put in the proper oil. Do another in 1000 miles. You can repeat the cycle again if you like, but there are rapidly diminishing returns to that.

[kmagnuss]

I'm another one against putting seafoam in the oil...

I have been known to put a quart of ATF in the oil though and run it for 20 miles immediately before an oil change. But again, this is on older cars... never had the need to do it on a modern engine. IMO I wouldn't worry about the color of your oil at all... but if it really concerns you do a couple 100 mile oil changes back to back with some good ole dino oil (to save on $$).

[ard]

good advice the last few posts...

How many miles on the car? It may, actually, not be dirty at all...so you may have no issues at all. As pointed out the color is NOT an indicator, and letting a modern synthetic 'long change interval' oil sit for months is NOT an issue as well.

The detergents in the fresh oil will, to a certain extent, clean up the engine- so a few short change intervals would me a plan- but again, there is no real indicator you have an issue.

FYI- The oil in these cars can go one year sitting in a garage with no issue.

A

[PersonaNonGrata]

I would go with what motordavid and JCL stated.

If you are really curious I guess you can spring for a Blackstone oil analysis if that would make you feel better.

[E53inLA]

The MB forum I follow suggested this:

Blackstone Labs

So I sent oil samples from my X5 and E320 for analysis @ $25 each.

Nothing abnormal from my samples, but I feel it was $ well spent.

[JCL]

I wouldn't bother with the oil samples, unless you are trying to extend the oil change interval beyond the recommended interval. Then, you can look at the TBN change over several samples and see how it is holding up.

All the metal samples that they report on aren't a comment on your oil, they are a comment on engine wear rates. One sample doesn't tell you anything. Multiple samples can help you establish a baseline for trend analysis, but many people don't bother to get more than one or two samples, and if you change your oil you have to start sampling again, you can't learn much from an interval that includes an oil change.