2022/Ford/Edge/Titanium/AWD/8 speed automatic/2.0 Ecoboost/39,400 miles
Hello Scotty Kilmer forum,
This is a public service announcement to all vehicle owners. I was getting ready to change the oil for routine maintenance in my 2022 Edge as it has been 5,000 miles since my last oil change. However, I was curious about what the oil looked like. The oil was completely burnt out and dark even though it was only changed 5,000 miles ago. See the attached picture of an oil sample taken from my dipstick about why you NEVER let your car go more than 5,000 miles between oil changes, especially on a turbocharged car which takes synthetic blend oil.
Let me know your thoughts! 2022 Ford Edge Titanium 8 speed automatic 2.0 Ecoboost 39,400 miles.
Modern detergent oils are designed to keep the inevitable combustion contaminants that slip past the piston rings in suspension, so it's perfectly normal for engine oil to turn dark during use. That does not mean it is "burnt out". (In the old days before detergent oils those contaminants would be deposited as sludge in the oil pan and part of normal maintenance was to periodically clean the pan out.) To determine the true condition of the oil would require sending it out to a laboratory for analysis.
Having said that, of course it is best to change oil and filter at no more than 5000 mile intervals as has been stated by Scotty and others here many times.
It's supposed to come out black after 5,000 miles. The detergent is doing its job, keeping crud in solution. If it were still amber colored after 5,000 miles, that would mean crud is building up in the engine. Piston rings and their cylinders aren't perfect seal, and a little bit of oil sneaks past the top ring and is combusted along with gas. The crankcase is also ventilated by the PCV valve so blow-by can get past the piston rings and back into the engine to be burned again, cutting down on hydrocarbon pollution. Combusting gas is a dirty process.
