My oil turns black pretty quick to on my 04, but I work it like a mule. Now my buddy has an 03 like mine and his wife drives it to work every day and he has never towed anything or even hung his foot in it the first time. His oil still looks new when he changes at 5k intervals. I guess it has alot to do with how hard you run it. In the off season my oil looks much better than it does when Im working it.

 

Black oil in a CTD is normal....

Here is a response regarding oil conditions direct from the source.

Summary: Condition of Oil

Solution:
Thanks for your Email message. You have contacted Cummins, Inc. at our Customer Assistance Center located in Columbus, Indiana. This is our worldwide headquarters and has been our home since Clessie Cummins founded the company February 3, 1919.
We expect the oil to be black in a few hundred miles.
Newer engines that produce very small amounts of NOX accomplish the reduced NOX production, partially, by reducing the combustion pressure and temperature.
Combustion of diesel fuel at lower pressures and temperatures produces more particulate carbon. Some of this particulate carbon passes through the crankcase as normal blowby gas where the carbon is washed out of the gas by the oil splashing around in the engine.
The oil manufacturers have improved the ability of oil to suspend this carbon so that it is not filtered out by the engine oil filter since this would shorten the filter life and oil change interval.
The carbon particles are extremely small and present no danger to the engine since, when suspended, they are just another part of the liquid oil.
Some engines achieve much faster break-in than others and the faster this occurs, the less blowby gas goes through the crankcase early on. This can retard the first charge of engine oil turning black but it will still be black right after subsequent oil changes due to the mixing of residual oil that does not drain at the oil change.
Residual oil in the oil pump, oil cooler, oil passages and several small pockets of oil within the engine do not drain and since the oil is able to suspend several times the carbon that previous oil formulations could the new oil becomes black almost instantly upon starting after an oil change.
We thank you for your interest in Cummins products. We occasionally misunderstand a question. If our answer to your communication looks like we have misunderstood your e-mail please reply with further inquiry.

 

I don't want to jack this thread, but since it was brought back up.... I remember reading somewhere in this wonderful place that I shouldn't go to synthetic oil on my CTD till after 10 or 15k. Yet while re-reading this thread, Drew you are already using it at 9400?? Can someone enlighten me as to when I shoudl switch or if I can now. I have run Amsoil and RP my whole life butI never owned a new truck. I have a little over 2k on the clock now and am planning a 3k road trip in late August, I reckon by the time I get back I will be around 6k. I was gonna change the oil pre-departure with dino oil. I guess my questions this time are two fold. Should I wait till after the trip, can I run Synthetic now?

 

Wow I'm surprised in the stroker the oil was fairly clear. What years did you start driving the stroker? Every diesel truck I have seen, From 84-current. Ford dodge, and chevy and also even big rigs like cat motors, smith detroit, and mercedes engines all have black oil due to the fact that the engine produces alot of sulfer.I know a bunch of people who drive diesel rigs and also know a couple diesel mechanics. I'm not saying I know everything but I've seenquite a few diesel engine's, and all of theoil i've seen come out of everyone it was black black black. Crazy that your stroker had clear oil. I'm amazed! I think it's a rareity because I know a couple guys who have strokers. they have black oil too! I'm confused. Ones an 05 and I test drove a 04 it had black oil. One guy I know has a 01 and he takes care of his rig garrunteed oil changes. His is black. Way way confused.

Hey drew. I talked to the amsoil guy. He had a bypass filter system on his truck. He told me he's running 85k on his oil. He just kept buying filters and having oil analysis. I'm thinking about going synthetic but i'm scared with 123k on my truck that the seals are warn and it might start leaking. Any suggestions?

 

i just started running synthetic. no problums at all.

 

How many miles do you have on your truck?

 

129009km

 

You live in canada? Or is that post to register like 129k standing for 129009 miles, or is it kilometers? crap gotta do math. ummm... carry the one. Minus the three. Uhhh.. Like 80,000 miles? Give or take?

 

yah its 129009km so yah 80,630 miles

 

I currently have 47K on my truck. . .and went darn near 10K on the oil. . .I could tell a difference when I changed the oil. I hope that clears things up a bit on that end.

BTW, I suggest the chageover time for synthetics around 15-20K to allow the engine to break in properly. synthetics do a far better job of protecting internal motor parts than dyno oil, this will lead to longer break in times due to the advanced protection.generaly after 20K anything that needs to be broken in will be and synthetics can be used more effectively.