"well it was black the last time I changed it , but that was only @ 3k after buying the truck so i was not sure how long it had been in there."

ctrhenry - so the truck had 8800 miles on it when you got it. It could be that previous owner never changed the oil --- not even the factory installed oil. You could be battling a clean up from previous lack of maintenance. Point is, since you got the truck, your oil changes have produced black oil. Until you do a good clean up protocol (your plan is not bad but costly) I am not sure you can fully evaluate it. As you note from others, they find dark or black oil during their changes. I agree with others ... do a good clean up on it and then try to assess it ... don't try to assess it before then because you could be chasing a ghost.

rovman