Table of Contents
Routine maintenance of your car involves changing the engine oil at recommended intervals. Monitoring the engine oil color is essential for maintaining the engine’s optimal performance.
The oil changes, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, play a vital role in ensuring the engine’s cleaning, averting corrosion and rust, proper lubrication to its rotating components, and prolonging the engine’s lifespan.
Are you thinking about what color your car’s engine oil should be? Don’t worry; this article explains the different colors of engine oil and dipstick color chart.
What Color Should Oil Be On Dipstick?
The engine oil of your vehicle may exhibit various shades of amber, influenced by factors such as the oil type and the vehicle’s age. The combination of specific additives can result in slightly darker oil, which might also darken more swiftly. If you follow the recommended oil change schedule, your oil typically maintains an amber hue for a significant duration.
As time passes, your engine oil collects leftover bits produced during the air-fuel mixture combustion. This makes the oil look darker over time. When you wait longer before changing the oil, it gets even darker. This change in color shows that the oil is doing its job properly.
For diesel engines, your oil may rapidly turn black shortly after an oil change. Hence, adhering to the maintenance schedule is advisable for diesel engines, while this guide is better suited for gasoline engines.
Dipstick Oil Color Chart
1) Amber
The engine oil usually looks amber, which is a good color. High-quality oil should keep this color when you add it to the oil reservoir.
If your dipstick shows amber oil, you’re fine to continue driving for a bit. Just keep an eye on it to make sure it stays the same.
2) Dark Brown or Black
When the color of your engine oil converts into dark brown or black, it typically indicates that your oil is dirty or has been exposed to excessive heat.
After your engine has used the oil for a while, it can get dirty and might have things in it that shouldn’t be there. Using this dirty oil for too long could hurt your engine and make it need expensive fixes. It’s a good idea to change the oil and get your car checked by a mechanic soon.
3) Rust
If you have an old model car or if you reside in a notably humid environment, you might observe a shift in the engine oil’s color to a rust-like hue. Excessive humidity may lead to the accumulation of condensation on the dipstick and make the metal part turn rusty. This can make the oil look rusty too.
Sometimes, if something is broken, transmission fluid can mix with the oil and make it look brownish-red. Such color of the engine oil is a clear indicator that your car requires immediate attention from a professional.
4) Cream/Milky
The milky color of the engine oil indicates an issue that needs immediate attention. This usually means something bad is happening inside the engine. It might be because of a damaged part called the head gasket, which may make your coolant mix with the oil. However, the replacement of a blown head gasket is costly.
You might also see creamy stuff on the oil cap or white smoke from the tailpipe. If you don’t fix the main issue quickly, it could become an even bigger and more expensive issue. Sometimes, if water gets into the oil by accident, just changing the oil might fix the issue, but that’s not very common.
How to Read Oil Dipstick
To read the oil dipstick, follow the following steps:
1) Park Your Vehicle
Before any further actions, ensure to park and secure your car. Opt for a level surface and engage the handbrake.
Switch off the engine and allow a few minutes for it to cool down properly. When your engine is cooled down, you’re ready to go ahead. While it’s acceptable to assess oil quality and level with a slightly hot engine, exercise caution when touching components, as they might still retain heat.
2) Pull Out Dipstick
Lift the hood of your car and locate the oil dipstick, which could have a yellow handle or be labeled “Engine Oil.” If you’re unable to locate it, consult your vehicle’s service manual for the engine compartment diagram.
Carefully pull out the dipstick, being careful not to let any oil drop onto the engine. If oil does drop, it might odor burnt when the engine warms up. You may put a paper towel or a cloth underneath to catch any drips.
3) Wipe Dipstick
Clean the dipstick by using a rag or a paper towel. Your current focus is not on reading the levels; the goal is just to ensure the dipstick is free from debris.
After cleaning the dipstick, reinsert it into the tube. Push it all the way in.
4) Pull Out Dipstick Again
Now, draw the dipstick out again and look at the oil level. You may also put a paper tower at the bottom to catch oil drops, but refrain from wiping the stick.
Before reinserting the dipstick, take note of the oil level and observe the motor oil’s color, both of which are important aspects to consider.
5) Check Oil Level and Condition
The dipstick features two markings. The upper marking signifies a full level, while the lower marking indicates a low oil level. Your aim should be to maintain the oil level between these two marks. If the level is insufficient, adding oil is necessary. Conversely, if it surpasses the full line, some oil needs to be removed.
Now, it’s essential to assess the color of your engine oil. You may refer to the provided color chart to determine its condition. Should the oil appear dirty, it’s advisable to change it, even if the oil level falls within the appropriate range. Running the engine with dirty oil is counterproductive and can be detrimental to its performance.
How Often is Oil Change Needed?
In the past, it was common practice to change oil every 3,000 miles. But improvements in technology and better oil types now mean that many vehicles can drive 10,000 miles or more before needing an oil change.
To find your specific interval, consult your car’s service manual. The manufacturer’s suggestions, particularly crucial if your vehicle is under warranty, provide essential guidance. The manual will also specify the appropriate oil type to use.
Conventional oil necessitates more frequent changes, whereas synthetic and synthetic blend oils, though pricier, offer extended change intervals.
How you drive also matters. If you’re often in really hot or tough conditions, or if you’re towing a lot, you might need to replace your oil more often. These situations make your engine work harder, so it needs oil changes more regularly.
Your vehicle’s model and engine matter too. Diesel engines often call for more regular oil changes compared to petrol engines. Turbo engines may also occasionally require more frequent changes.
When uncertain, refer to the oil color chart mentioned earlier. These color indications indicate when an oil change is necessary. If the color remains amber, there’s no immediate need to replace the oil.
FAQ Section
What does the color of engine oil mean?
Typically, fresh and clean oil has an amber color. When the engine oil ages and darkens, it might suggest the presence of contaminants, elevated temperatures, or the influence of additives that cause the oil to darken through regular usage.
What is the color of bad engine oil?
The bad engine oil has black or a very dark color. The oil that is notably thick, black, or very dark often specifies exposure to contaminants, leading to the accumulation of soot.
Why is engine oil dark?
When the soot accumulates in the engine oil, it causes it to turn black.
When should I change my oil color?
When the engine oil color converts into dark and thick color, it’s an indication that an oil change is due. However, there’s a warning to this observation. The fresh oil has a light amber color, but it naturally darkens quickly once within the engine.
Why does engine oil change color?
When the engine burns oil using spark plugs, it makes less of the black stuff called soot. Instead, the oil gets older and changes color because of things like how hot the engine gets, how long the oil has been used, and how it mixes with other things in the oil and the engine. So, the brown color is a sign that the oil is getting older and might need to be changed.
How often should I change my oil?
In the past, vehicles usually required oil changes every 3,000 miles. However, contemporary lubricants now permit significantly extended intervals between servicing, ranging from 5,000 to 7,500 miles and even up to 15,000 miles if employing full-synthetic oil.
What color is pure crude oil?
Crude oil, sourced from the crust of the earth through drilling, contains a brownish-black color. This oil is passed through a refining process to get valuable products like lubricating oil, kerosene, diesel, and petrol.
Read More
