Dirty nasty stinkin oil!!! Flush?
Senior Member
Joined: 01-10-2008
Posts: 681
From: NJ
If you are already running synthetic oil, it may be cleaning out the deposits left by the previous owner. Also, if it is synthetic oil, you can clean up the oil by repeatedly changing the filters. By some cheap filters, run them about a week, and you will see the oil clear up.
Senior Member
Joined: 08-06-2008
Posts: 1,761
From: Grand Haven, MI
Now that's a better idea than adding a 2nd filter that would need to be changed as well. Probably save you some $ and no risk involved.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 12-20-2008
Posts: 835
From: durham north carolina
YES , 275+ miles a day - 6 days a week
catdaddy, if you are really driving 3300 miles every 2 weeks. That is in excess of 235 mile every single day. that means that you spend about 4 hours a day, every day, in your ride if you are mostly at expressway speeds. If I subtract the time that you are on this site 
(me too), I figure most of these miles must be expressway. That is the best kind of miles you can get for oil life as long as it's not too hot.
If you don't follow what the DIC says, you are really wasting your money. If you buy good oil and good filters there is no reason that you should have to do it much less than that. GM did a lot of research on this.
It is up to you, but that's my
(me too), I figure most of these miles must be expressway. That is the best kind of miles you can get for oil life as long as it's not too hot.If you don't follow what the DIC says, you are really wasting your money. If you buy good oil and good filters there is no reason that you should have to do it much less than that. GM did a lot of research on this.
It is up to you, but that's my
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 12-20-2008
Posts: 835
From: durham north carolina
filter deal
i think i'll try that filter changin deal. any recomnendations on filters? i think i paid around $6 at the chevy parts dealer. i tryed to get them to give me a deal on a case of them when i was there.
Senior Member
Joined: 07-13-2006
Posts: 1,567
From: Geneva, FL.
catdaddy; Go to blackstone labs. web site have them send you a test kit. put some of your used oil in it and send it back to them to test. That way you know what going on with your oil! You can look & smell it all day and you still won't know if it is good or bad. Have it tested ! I can see your point about saving money but just cause it looks dirty don't get rid of still good oil. After
about three test you can see how far you can go before you need to changing the oil.....
Here is the site http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free_test_kit.html
about three test you can see how far you can go before you need to changing the oil.....
Here is the site http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free_test_kit.html
Senior Member
Joined: 01-04-2008
Posts: 2,366
From: Long Beach, Ca
If I pulled out my stick out and saw dark brown oil that smelled burned
i'm not trying to start some big debate. i don't see how anyone could pull their oil stick out and see dark brown oil that smells burned , and not want to change it . i am serious , and i am looking for advice. i would really like to put a remote filter on. if i continue to drive all these miles daily my engine will have 85800+ miles annually. i plan on keeping it for as long as possible. i'm allready looking for a replacement engine to keep in storage. my hhr is paid for i need to do what is required to keep it. thanks. this is the 1st time i've used synthetic , so i'm not used to seeing my oil look like that. this is the 1st time i heard that synthetic will look dirty. i don't know what the guy put in it before. he restores /owns some classic cars, 57 chevy , 69 camaro, old impala , so i think he took good care of it.
I would see a doctor right away!
Senior Member
Joined: 07-05-2008
Posts: 5,464
From: Akron Ohio
are you people saying that i should wait for the dash thing? i had some motorcraft synthetic here that i had bought to put in my van , before the trans went out. i put in that and a quart of some champion protectant/treatment that got because it was cheap/being disconitued or something , it says its time released. and filter i got from the chevy dealer parts. i think the owners manual suggests different maintainance for severe duty. i plan on using mobil 1 from now on. i also want to add some Zmax treatment , i think it may work better on a cleaner engine , so i may add the seafoam , before the Zmax. also , are you people telling me that your oil looks dirty brown and smells at 56% on the dash -dic- thing? i do not mean to sound redundant. some things bother me worse than others , and this dirty oil , being the life of my engine , is one of those things.
All you need is a good oil a filter and change it with the DIC.
There are more a few additives that are good but there are many more that are worthless and in some cases do more damage than good. Anyone remember the Slick 50 mess.
That may be the burnt smell you have.
Do yourself a favore and just use a good oil and filter and stop right there. If GM does not recomend it don't put in. If you have to put something in make sure you dang know what it is and not just get it on sale.
There a lot of additives that not only gunk up the engine but will fowl sensors and converters.
If the aftermarket aditives were so good they would be in from the factory to cover the warranty. The Factory is using a synthetic as this kind of oil is the best for extreem conditions.
Don't over do or over think this deal. Good Engine care is a lot simpler than some think. Also there are a lot of snake oil people ready to take money on things you really don't need.
In the old days oil was lacking and engine quality was not what it is today. So put away the aditives and just feed the engine a good oil and follow your meter.
How often so you see a bearing go bad on a new engine? Most times the car is rusted away or some other system on the car fails before a lubricated part does.
Last edited by hyperv6; Jan 30, 2009 at 01:27 PM.
Platinum Member
Joined: 05-09-2006
Posts: 6,805
From: "Upland" Mesa, Arizona
Oil is rally a mild solvent as well as a lubricant. It's job is to trap, control and carry dirt to the filter while still lubricating the engine.
If the oil did not get dirty it is not doing its job. Even soap is based on oil from animals.
Unless you have an engine problem your doing some extream driving and getting the engine very hot or is in a very dirty enviroment you should be fine.
I can't tell over the web but if the engine is in good working order the smell is nothing to worry about.
If the oil did not get dirty it is not doing its job. Even soap is based on oil from animals.
Unless you have an engine problem your doing some extream driving and getting the engine very hot or is in a very dirty enviroment you should be fine.
I can't tell over the web but if the engine is in good working order the smell is nothing to worry about.
You really cannot make people believe this because they will not use common sense. Why do people believe used oil is supposed to be near clear like new oil (rhetorical)???? I've mentioned this before, but hardly anyone believes it.
Senior Member
Joined: 07-05-2008
Posts: 5,464
From: Akron Ohio
That is not what worries me so much but to dump an additive into the oil "because it was cheap/being disconitued or something" and then worry about a smell and dark color make me wonder.
As for clean oil coming out that is not so strange. I have had customers in the past where I worked that would change oil way too often. It was clean and would come out just as we put it in.
We had one old man with a 1960 Chevy with a 348 in it. The oil was changes every 1,000 miles. He had 300,000 miles on it so you can count the oil changes. The guy I worked with in the 80's would drain the oil and save it for his own cars since it was so clean. He had never had to pay for oil ever. He was not the only one that over changed the oil. I had dumped a lot of good oil over the years.