Originally posted by oyazi:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by DmaxMaverick:
............. The actual level will become evident as it soaks into the paper. If it "runs" across the paper, it is likely fuel. If there is fuel in the oil, there should be 2 distinct colors/consistencies on the paper.............
I seem to have a problem grasping why/how diesel will separate itself when placed on paper. I'm experiencing lowering oil pressure myself. The 'rope' dipstick is no help if +. Works ok for lower than full. Did the paper thingy and noted nothing significant. Wouldn't the diesel be homogenized w/the CC oil? Afterall they're cousins and being whipped together by the crankshaft, bearings, passages etc Wouldn't it be a single element after a few miles? [/QB]</font>[/QUOTE]The fuel will wick into the paper at a faster rate than the oil. Even if they are "homogenized", the heavier viscocity of the oil will wick slower. You can also use a coffee filter for a comparison. The fuel will separate from the oil enough to see it if the amount is significant enough, which isn't much. My fuel in oil issue was caught early on and didn't spew out, but was enough to cause a rough idle. The oil on the paper trick was obvious. Perhaps if you have run for several thousand miles with them mixed, it might be less evident. In most cases, the fuel will fill the crankcase rather quickly. In my case, 60 miles was more than enough. A full crankcase is about 5 gallons, which would make the ratio about 1:1, oil/fuel when it starts to blow out. I drained about 18 qts. from mine.

Try the paper trick for an idea what it looks like w/o the fuel contamination. Add a little fuel to the oil, mix it up real well, then try the test.

The reason for laying the dipstick on the paper initially is to determine the actual level. There will be more oil (or whatever is in the crankcase) at the actual level, than what gets wiped onto the dipstick as you pull it out. Oil contaminated with fuel can be invisible on the stick at a normal look.