Oil seems dirty right after a change

Hi there,

I recently started doing oil changes myself on my 91 Honda Accord. I
have noticed that each time I change the oil, it is dark and dirty right
afterwards. I checked it again after running the car for 2 hours, it
seemed lighter now, but not fully clean. Does this make sense? Is
there anything I can do as a home beginner mechanic to fix this problem?
I change Oil Filters every second change.

Thanks in advance,

Jeremy Marten
Victoria, BC

 

How often do you change the oil?
If you let it go too long the insides of the engine will be dirty along
with a small amount of oil that always stays behind when you drain.
This could contaminate the new oil making it look black.
Maybe you could change it again after a day or so of use along with a
new filter to flush it right out.

 

Have you ever changed the PCV valve on this car? It bleeds
off gases of combustion that accumulate in the crankcase
(where the oil is) and routes them to the intake manifold,
ultimately for "recycling," so to speak.

A few years ago I found my 1991 Civic's PCV valve chock full
of waxy buildup. My gas mileage was poor then, too.
Replacing it greatly improved gas mileage and may have
helped the oil, too.

I think I'd consider changing the filter every oil change,
particularly for Canadian driving.

 

Is the engine up to operating temperature before you drain the oil? Warm or
hot oil holds a lot of contaminants that are drained out. Changing the
filter every second time is a false economy. What does a Honda filter cost?
$5? $6? Filters with an anti-drainback valve are holding a lot of dirty
oil which mixes with the clean oil.

 

Excellent. I'll do a BigAl flush, look at the PCV valve and change the
filter at every change (5000K)


Thank you all for your input,

Jeremy