My '03 stays 'honey' colored for at least a 1000 miles. I read on here somewhere it has to do with injection event changes in +2004.5 engines.

 

I'll be interested in seeing how my by-pass filter impacts this.

 

My 03 used to keep the oil honey colored for at least 3000 miles but then something happened and now it's like there is a lot more soot for it to pick up.

 

I have the Oilguard By-pass and the oil is still black. No changes in the oil's color. Delo 15w-40.

Sid

 

Don't expect your oil to look cleaner with a bypass filter. It won't.

 

Glad I read this. I checked my oil (it was supposed to be fresh when I picked the truck up) and it was black. I figured the dealership hadn't done the oil change; still don't know for sure, but at least there is the chance this is the one thing they didn't lie about.

 

I think it's magic. I put in brown oil and start the engine, and presto it's black.

 

Mine used to be black. Almost muddy infact. Just like a magnetic drain plug. Now, after 2000kms it almost still purple. Even after running 10000 kms on the previous batch of oil, I could still read the stamped writing and hatch marks through the oil. I'm not advertizing, it's just a fact that you can shovel the coal out of the crankcase with a bypass filter. Check my signature for details.

 

Update: Just over 1,200 miles and the oil is still honey brown.

 

When I used to change oil at a Chevy dealership I would see the oil black as soon as the engine was cranked, and I'm talking on the first oil change. Your engine makes soot, and it doesn't all go out of the exhaust. I like the idea of the bypass oil filter and want one too. Strangest thing I ever saw was a buddy's truck when he first bought it. It is an 01 with an EZ and had 90k mi on it, the oil had the better side of 3k on it and it was gold as it came out of the bottle! Now as soon as he put the Juice on it the oil went straight to black. Best I could figure is the PO had driven it easy enough and the EZ was bumping the timing enough to completely burn the fuel. My point is though, don't be concerned that you have been cheated, as long as the filter is new then they changed the oil.

 

We have found that the trucks with Cat have puke black oil immediately, and the previous CTD's without Cat had very clean oil for a diesel right up until change.

 

All class 8 semi's that I am familiar with make the oil black and yet the engines are good for a million miles. Can't see that black oil is a problem.

 

I change mine every 10,000 miles and by then it is brown. Not black. If I do a serious tow through the mountains it gets a little darker. I'm curious why everyone seems to be gettting black oil so fast. Are you guys working yours a lot harder than I am? Also I (only?) have 92,000 miles on mine.

My TDI gets black pretty fast and my old Mercedes and 6.9 Ford blackened the oil almost immediately. But not the CTD.

Wetspirit

 

I'm at 8k miles on my most rescent oil change. I can still see the markings on the dipstick. 61k on truck.
Chip

 

I'm going out on a limb here but maybe some have really tight rings which does not allow alot of soot blowby?? Following the same theory, maybe the engine was not broken in properly keeping really tight clearances inside the cylinder. Just throwing ideas don't take my word on this. Heck, maybe all of us have blown valve seals and yours are intact!