Dye in oil!

[lonewolf37]

My tuner is looking for an oil leak in my 2001 Z28. He put some dye in the oil, and told me that he could find the leak with a black light.
Does this work? Is the dye harmful? What should I do next?

[slpdablueZ28]

sounds reasonable, its probably just uv ink like they use in the markers. i dont think it would harm anything

[01 SS Vert]

I wouldn't bat an eye if he was testing my AC unit with dye, but adding it to the oil? I don't know. If you got a leak somewhere, it shouldn't be hard to find. If you're losing oil but don't see dripping/puddle, then you're burning it somehow (seals, rings, or PCV system).

I've never heard of using dye in the oil, but if you do, I would recommend doing it just before time for an oil change and after the test, change it right away.

What exactly do you mean 'tuner?'

[huggerls1]

i worked at a couple dealerships and this is what they use, usually when there is an oil leak its everywhere.... from driving at high speeds, so they put the uv die in clean the entire area up and run the engine for 20 mins or so, to find the leak very easily and quickly. its only about .5 ounces of die. dont think it'd be too harmful

[lonewolf37]

Thanks for the input! I define tuner as the Speed shop that tunes and works on my car. In this case it is Method Motor Works in Fresno.

[blue02Z]

yeah its fine dude. we use dye in the engine oil, trans oil, power steering. it can work everywhere and that is what its designed to do

[BMJ99Z28]

I work in an engine plant we use dye in every single engine we build to check for oil leaks . You just add a small amount of dye to the oil and then you can look for leaks with a black light.

[Sarge]

Dont hurt anything. That is purple dye in Royal Purple. Guy that originally made it thought it needed something different for marketing.