I bought a 92 F350 IDI non-turbo awhile ago and since ive had it the oil has been really really black. Ive changed it 3 times since and as soon as I start it up after changing it; still black. I have been told that it is my piston rings, but i dont see any signs of fuel on the dipstick yet. There are 165,000 miles on it. Anyone have any ideas?

 

welcome to diesel bombers and how black is black it doesnt take long for the oil in a diesel to look black

 

just really black. I didn't think it was supposed to be that black. so you think that's normal and not the rings?

 

i dont know for sure how does it run and does it smoke alot and smell like oil burning and is it using oil like alot and when you change the oil or check does it stain your hands or wipe off easily

 

It runs just fine, and it doesnt smell like its burning oil. There's just a little bit of white smoke when it's cold started, but when its warmed up there's no smoke at all. No, the oil doesn't stain either. It seems to run great so I thought that the black oil was normal until I was told it was my rings.

 

it will blacken up quickly. every older diesel i ever worked on turned black quick.

 

sounds to me like your good to go

 

Black oil is what a diesel is suppose to have if it was the rings you would be burning oil.

 

i suggest using rotella or mystic 15w40

 

kendall