zog

I opted to change the oil in my 2004 at 1950 miles. So, I bought a Mobil 1 filter and 12 quarts of Mobil 1300 Delvac 15w40 and got started. I was a little concerned since many folks have said teh original filter is a bear to get off...I had absolutely NO problems...spun right off and no spill (well, very little). I drained the oil pan with a 15 qt container and all was well.

I filled the filter with about a qt of oil and spun it back on...lots of room from underneath.

My concern is the NASTY black oil that came out...WOW. Is this normal??? It was black, foamy, ugly, smelled bad, and felt awful....ugh!!!!

I am hoping that is is the result of the first 2000 miles and thinigs will get better...or, am I kidding myself.

BTW, I bought the oil at Walmart for $6.96 a gallon (20.88) and the filter from Autozone for 9.99...total of 30.87. I was thinking about having an oil change place do the first one, but one guy wanted over $70....that was with using Rotella T oil....NOT a synthetic. I simply asked him if he could sleep at night....ouch!!!

hotdram

How did it taste?

Just kidding, welcome aboard Zog, hopefully someone will come along and answer you question because I am not sure.

~Rob

05mxdiesel

Yep, I encountered the same situation. The oil filter was a bear for me though. Oil was fairly black, not foamy. One point I found was to drain the oil pan first, then the filter won't spill everywhere. I did my oil at 1000 miles, so I could put in my fumoto drain valve. These engines run hot and with all the emission stuff on them they turn the oil black, fast. Other people stated that once they get some miles on them they will keep the oil a nice honeycomb color longer. After my first real tow, my oil went from clean fresh oil to black in under 50 miles. Don't worry, at least you know your oil is cleaning your engine.

Lightman

Zog WELCOME to the forum!! You'll meet/chat with some of the greatest people on this forum and TDR. You'll be amazed at how much time some people here will take to help you out. It's all about the CUMMINS!!

You didn't mention if you had an 04 or 04.5. The 04.5+ engines are commonly referred to as '600's', and they are known to blacken the oil quickly. This is normal and not an indication of bad oil quality. If you have an early 04 with the HO 305/555 engine, your oil should stay relatively clean. I see it says HO on your signature so I'm going to assume early 04. I know in 42k I've never seen any black oil in my truck...even after the last run of 20k miles, it was clear through to the dipstick. If you have an early model like mine, I'd check closely the next time to see if you're still turning it black. If so, something might be up.

Jmac

Lightman,
Your oil is clean b/c of your Amsoil bypass system right? How do you like it. How much did it run you? My Amsoil dealer down here keeps trying to sell me a kit for well over $200.

Thanks Jamie

bkrukow

If its a 600,its normal. I dident drop my factory oil till 4500 miles but I checked it at around 500 miles and it was black as tar. The 600 seems to have something against clean oil. After an oil change it will be black as tar almost imediatly. I dont think it stays clean loking for more than a few miles.

zog

Now this raises another question...how do I know if I have the 04 or the 04.5??? The window sticker identified the engine as the HO...I didn;t know there was any difference....how can I further determine the exact engine I have????

BTW...this is a great forum...thanks for all the info

dodgezilla04

look on the drivers side of the valve cover. you will see a white sticker with a barcode, it will also tell you the build date, and the engine output. if it is an 04, it will say 305hp and 555 torque, if it is an 04.5, it will say 325, and 600. I changed my oil at 4000 with delo 400 and a stratapore filter, it was black 500 miles later. good luck.

alltimelow1

I've read many times that the 600 engines turn the oil black after a few miles.
My 555 engine NEVER turns the oil black, it amazes me that at 5000 miles when I change the oil it looks almost like I just put in. 65,000 miles and still the same.

Lightman

No, this is the norm for 305/555 engines - they all run that clean. The bypass setup does keep the oil more free of wear metals and contaminants, but the see-thru oil is normal for stock 305's.

I like the bypass system a lot, and my oil analysis results have been fantastic. As far as the cost, I think it was somewhere around $175, but I also got one of the trick billet mounts from TDR member CPFF/John Strenkowski, along with the billet oil filter adapter. I would suggest contacting him, and tell him you're a forum member. My guess is he'll cut you a nice deal on the whole setup. He's now even offering pre-cut stainless steel braided hoses with all the fittings. It's one pretty setup. It mounts to the block by bolting into existing threaded holes and is very solid/secure. This mounting location also eliminates any of the humming issues experienced with previous mount locations.

bigblock2stroke

my 99's oil would be black after 500 miles with 60k on it.

zog

Hey Dodgezilla....thanks for the engine identification information....I checked and the build date is 5/28/04, and it shows the hp as 325, though it sdoes not refer to the torque (or, I missed it)...anyway, now I know what I have...a 04.5....thanks again!!!!

Lightman

Zog, you should be happy - 600's blackening the oil is normal. If you had a 555, I'd be worried. You may want to look into the white smoke/poor mpg TSB if your truck hasn't had it. Do a search , there have been many threads on this.

cquestad

My oil is black as night when I change...

I am not worried at all.

It is an issue of fueling. Modded trucks have "blacker" oil. Tests fine...

Lightman

CQ of course overfueled trucks will blacken the oil more quickly - but we're talking about a new stock truck with less than 2000 miles on it for the purpose of this discussion. What box/injectors are you running? It seems folks with duration boxes have more instances of black oil - particularly the va 3.2. Just curious.