Joe Boulay

That is a good question, Donna told me that she just had her engine oil an filter changed last week and as of late she has decided to make a habit of checking her own oil level. I first have to say “good for you Donna”! most people do not take it upon themselves to  check their own oil. She told me she was a little upset because she just had her oil changed and it already looks nearly black on the dip stick after only a weeks worth of driving. There are a few things you need to understand about how engine oil looks as opposed to how long it has been since it was last replaced. Donna informed me that she is constantly going over her mileage due to replace her engine oil. So with that said here is what is likely going on. It needs to be understood that you will never drain 100% of the old oil from your engine. If this is the case then there is sludge or black oil that is left behind that does not drain out and it quickly mixes  with the new oil after the engine is started. There are products out there that can clean out your dirty engine, but I have never been a big fan of loosening up sludge in an engine and have it start moving around. When this happens you risk restricting important oil passages that could potentially cause engine damage.  In this case from now on I would suggest that you change your oil and filter more frequently.

This is what dirty engine oil looks like on a dipstick.

This is what clean oil looks like on an engine oil dipstick.