In freshly built engines I've seen the same thing for the same run time. And
I've always warned the owner of the engine ahead of time that the first batch
of oil is going to look more like a metallic/pearl paint than the oil we poured
into it. (!)
And then I set the expectation that this will subside as the oil changes
accrue. And after several hundred or a few thousand miles, IF the ring
seal is good and we get a good break-in on all the engine subsystems, then
the oil will come out a darker shade due to exposure to high temps but at the
same time metallic-free. (Think a nice VT maple syrup. :0)
And if the oil comes out black after the normal oil change interval, then this means
that there's carbon black from combustion byproducts in the oil from a poor(er) ring seal.
(But the engine can still drive fantastic -- oil consumption is a relative thing. It's one thing
to dirty up the oil a little & give the detergents something to do -- vs. using so much oil that
it lowers the octane of the fuel charge it's mixing itself into & causing the knock
sensors to notice & timing gets pulled. There is a difference in degree!)
And the mousse thing is oil w/coolant mixed in. With practice, it's easy to get good
at 'reading' the state of the oil that you drain out of the engine.
It's well worth it, if for no other reason than getting positive affirmation that the new
engine is wearing in instead of wearing out. Don't know about you, but IMHO a well-running
engine in a Teal colored farm truck with a missing hood is 10x easier on the eyes than
a trailer queen restored to showroom fresh but at the same time is doing the
skip skip skip thing (amplified with a header leak) as it is going back up the trailer ramp... :0)
****
If you find yourself hanging out with some Reliability dudes at the local watering hole,
you might overhear them talking about 'The Bathtub Curve' when it comes to the
lifecycle of whatever widget they get paid to think about. (LINK)
If you & I were hanging out next to your truck & we just got done looking at this drain
pan full of metallic oil, this is what I would have drawn in the dust on your windshield:
NOTE: 1st oil change at upper left, maybe 3 or 4 more oil changes after to get down to the near-zero level.
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Exact amount of superfine metallic in oil is not important -- the trend towards constantly decreasing amount of metallic
is what we want to see. (!)
Before we leave the oil subject (& I get to rave about the dash/harness/HVAC box rebuild/sound deadening thing) the
drain pan that's been in heavy rotation did make it a bit harder to figure out what came out with the oil vs what was
left over from the previous draining?
In order to give all us guys in the virtual peanut gallery a purer sample to look
at you can get a 7-qt drain pan from Walmart for $2.97. I think this is the
sweet spot, for it isn't too flimsy. (You can get an even more affordable 7-qt
pan at the Dollar Tree store for $1.25, but I haven't seen one in person...don't know
if it's a better deal or too flimsy? Anyone? Buehler?)
And here's a tip. If you use a plastic catch pan, after draining/wiping it out,
the easiest way to ready it for the next draining is to take a little Behold to it.
Cuts right through the oily residue. I came up with this while trying to make
the garage doggy/toddler proof. (As in, small members of the family leaving
tiny oil tracks across the carpet inside...and I catch the heat! :0)
By the way, a 16.6 oz can of Behold is currently $3.39 at Big Lots. (~20¢/oz Link)
By comparison, a smaller 9.7 oz of Pledge is currently $6.99 at Ace: (~72¢/oz Link)
And for me, they work equally well on everything I use them on in the shop.
Obviously, the Behold is the winner in the price-per-use category. :0)
I'll be looking for the next few oil changes as time goes by...please be
sure to post. (And elapsed miles, too.)
****
I originally came into this thread while you were busy in the engine bay.
I went back to the beginning, and I was blown away by the whole
dash/harness/HVAC box restoration/soundproofing. Wow! If I
ever succumb to the temptation to taking the interior to the next
level I will be following your write up carefully. So good to see
someone else take it from A-Z and live to tell the tale. :0)
Last but not least, the rebuilt Long Block Portrait Shot (#213)
was wedding photographer caliber. Something to hang in a
place of honor over the mantle.
Nice work. That farm truck sure lucked out when you adopted it!
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I’ll also utilize my fancy oil filter cutter opener and share those findings as well.
Especially opening up the oil filter!
