[Dennis H.]

I was changing the oil on my 2020 Nissan Rogue that has a 2.5 4 cyl. with AWD. Car only has 11,000 actual miles and I bought the vehicle new. Checking the oil with the dipstick before changing it, it was on the full mark and had a little over 3500 miles since the last change. What is odd is the oil on the dipstick had a definite red color to it, and not the normal color you would expect to see. It calls for 0W20, and I am using full synthetic Quaker State and use a Wix filter. I changed my oil the first time with 500 miles on it and about 3500 miles after that. I have always used Quaker State full synthetic but do not recall ever seeing the oil with a red tint like this before. At first thought it was mixed with tranny fluid, but this has a CVT transmission that uses a green CVT fluid and the coolant is blue in color. Car is only driven on nice days, has never seen snow and only in the rain one time, it has never been abused at all. Every thing looks to be normal except for the red tint on the oil.

Some searches on the internet some say they have seen this same situation on their oil at oil change time, and they have different types of vehicles and different brands of oil, though most say they use 0W20. Was wondering if anyone out there has seen anything similar on their newer vehicles. I also have a 2023 Kia Seltos SUV that takes 0W20 and I use the same oil in it, but when I looked at its dipstick, it had the normal oil color. Color me confused.

[Sirrotica]

If you're serious to know if anything has changed in the oil makeup, the best thing is to take a sample, and send it off for analyization. You'll the get a full explanation of the compounds in the oils makeup. Some additive packages do have a tendency to change colors soon after they are put into the engine. The companies that make it their business to do nothing but analyze oil, may also have some explanation as to what may cause the change in color.

FWIW, 50 plus years of twisting wrenches for a living, plus I run Pennzoil, and Shell synthetics in all of my fleet, diesels, and gas engines, I've never run across the situation you're describing.

Shell owns Quaker State, and Pennzoil, so they're all under one corporate umbrella, I have my suspicions that Pennzoil, and Quaker State, are very similar in their formulations.

[Dennis H.]

Here is a picture of what I am talking about, this is from another web site of someone having the same problem with a 2023 Toyota. What is weird is I have the same oil in my 2023 Kia and it is normal color on dipstick.

[Dennis H.]

Here is the web site I was looking at with the same question. Interesting that others have same problem.

https://www.4runners.com/threads/red...ine-oil.30778/

[Lightfoot]

I wonder if the filter element has leached color into it for some reason.
Are you using the same brand filter on the Kia?

Only motor oil that I ever saw that has a different color than amber/honey is Royal Purple. It's a little darker than that when it's new.

[Dennis H.]

My Kia I am using a factory Kia filter and on the Nissan I have a Wix.

[chuckies76ta]

I use Amsoil in my wife's Acura and i believe it 5W-20 and it looks very similar to the dip stick picture. It's not really red but a tan color on mine. Using wix filters also. Maybe a dye from the wix filter media.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Hmmmm, well red and green make blue, so you're good.

I'd like to try and see the red oil thing but Quaker State has been off my list since the dinasaur oil days of carbon modules in original 350-455 motors. Obviously Quaker State has improved decades ago.

[78w72]

If its a 2020 with only 11k miles, isnt it still under warranty? If so, take it to the dealer to see what they say, even if not they would probably be the best place to ask about the oil issue or check out the car for any problems since they would know if these vehicles had problems like that.

If its ready for a change, try a different oil, QS is decent but lots of other oils for the same price that as just as good or better.

I have a 4th gen 4runner that has the reliable V6 engine known to easily go to 300k+ miles on normal oil & filters, its very easy on oils and at 5000 mile changes the oil comes out with a reddish tint to it similar to the dipstick pic above, its not like trans fluid red, more of a orangeish brown color that ive considered normal.

Sending off a sample to be tested will tell you whats going on with the oil/engine, but a warranty check at the dealer or go to a reputable mechanic would be a good idea too.

[Dennis H.]

The Nissan is out of factory warranty by a few months, but I have extended coverage. After working at a dealership for about 18 years, I don't think they will do anything constructive to find the issue. I don't think it is the oil, as I use QS in my other vehicles with no issues, and the other web site that covered the same problem, they were using Mobil 1. Oil was clean at the oil change other than being reddish in color, so I don't think contamination with coolant or trans fluid is the problem. I don't drive the car a lot, but when I do, I travel long distances, so it is getting up to operating temp when in use. I kept the oil that I changed, so I might send in a sample just to see what is going on.

[tigergto]

Send it to Blackstone Lab for an oil analysis.

[Sirrotica]

Here are some explanations from BITOG (Bob is the oil guy) about engine oil turning red.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/th...-color.257951/

There are a lot of people very knowledgable about oils, additives, and function that frequent this board. I believe some are/were petrochemical engineers, so they have some in depth incite into oils, and problems associated with them.

In this thread they pretty much deduce that some combinations of oils and additives do have a tendancy to turn red before the oil is changed, but they seem to think that it is normal, and that the oil is still up to it's job. Seems more frequent in automotive brands from overseas, than domestic brands, Toyota, Honda, etc.

[Dennis H.]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

Here are some explanations from BITOG (Bob is the oil guy) about engine oil turning red.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/th...-color.257951/

There are a lot of people very knowledgable about oils, additives, and function that frequent this board. I believe some are/were petrochemical engineers, so they have some in depth incite into oils, and problems associated with them.

In this thread they pretty much deduce that some combinations of oils and additives do have a tendancy to turn red before the oil is changed, but they seem to think that it is normal, and that the oil is still up to it's job. Seems more frequent in automotive brands from overseas, than domestic brands, Toyota, Honda, etc.

I just think it is kind of weird, or this is the first time I noticed it. I am not really going to worry about it at this point, as my oil looked pretty clean other than the tint. I think I will order a test kit, and send one in at my next change just to see what it says. I saved my old oil, but it would not be good to have tested due to contamination from my oil drain pan.