i just did an oil change, which i always do every three months. My brother always does the oil change in my 95 accord ex, so i havnt seen how the color and smell the old oil has. Well this time he changed it and the oil is really dark and thick. It also has a slight burning smell to it. I asked my brother if this is normal and he said yes, but my dad says that it doesnt look right and my engine might have a problem. My engine runs fine and doesnt burn any oil at all.

My question is, is this normal? how does your engine oil smell like after an oil change? What does this mean? Is the color dark and thick?

thanks

 

how many miles did you run on the oil and what kind?

also what type of travels do you do... highway, stop and go, etc?

 

it should be nasty, thick and dark.

why? because if the oil is clear and thin after the "service life"(hopefully 3moth or 3000miles in extreme driving condition) that the oil is not doing it's job.

the thickness of the oil change because the additive get used up and sludge is getting build, that gunk better come out with the motor oil than staying in your crankcase.

the color change because it's mixed with byproduct of combustion, ph level change, addition is gone, etc.

the motor oil do alot more than just lube the motor, it should carry all the build up(but bring it to the oil pan along with the oil instead of letting it stick to the metal) to the pan.

the five thing the motor oil does-clean, lube, cushion, cool and seal

 

once a while you see a post about some guy just changed their oil and it's clear and he's so happy because he thinks he got some magic oil in his honda

 

thanks a lot for the replies, but is it supposed to have a slight burning smell to it?
btw, i use quakerstate 5w-30, and i do mostly city driving.

 

sam stop worrying u pssy

 

The oil being black and having a slight burnt smell is normal. All fresh oil changes turn dark relatively quick. The detergent package in the oil is doing its job of suspending harmful particulants that makes it turn dark in color. The detergent package will last from 5000 to 6000 miles (depending on brand) so the old oil coming out of the engine will look a lot thicker than the new oil going in. Also when old oil is out of the engine, cold ambient temperatures will make it look even thicker. As for the "slight burnt smell", oil also cools, and with temperatures in the cylinder head reaching 800 to 1000 degrees, again its just doing its job.

Good Luck


Modified by Glockspot at 8:23 PM 12/25/2003

 

try switching to a synthetic oil...*cough*mobil 1*cough*....just my opinion...

 

try valvoline's Maxlife oil, it's free oil change now so give it a try.

that's what i run in my 130K acura right now..
and for my newer honda, i run durablend, Yes, valvoline is the sh_t!

moble1 if you have that kinda money

 

MOBILE 1 GREAT!

 

You may have a leaky gasket in your oil pan. But many cars with many miles driven have a leaky gasket. But the dark oil is normal as others have noted.

If you're really concerned for your engine, do an engine oil analysis. It's only about $20 per analysis. Go here: http://www.blackstone-labs.com