Oil life monitor?

[Meeka]

Every time I get my oil changed the percentage goes down very quick. I probably drive 12 miles per day on a regular day, 6 into town and 6 back. Get home and check and it’s always down 1%, don’t get it. Had it changed a week ago ago and it’s already down to 92%. I should start taking longer trips!

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[Meeka]

Can of worms, meet opener . Watch this go off the rails real quick.

Sorry, that’s not what I intended, should I delete post? No, not yet.

 

[Chops]

Every time I get my oil changed the percentage goes down very quick. I probably drive 12 miles per day on a regular day, 6 into town and 6 back. Get home and check and it’s always down 1%, don’t get it. Had it changed a week ago ago and it’s already down to 92%. I should start taking longer trips!

Your experience gives me more faith in the Oil Life Algorithm. I just changed oil at about 1000 miles and it showed me 90%. Crap, I could have done that in my head based on “10,000 miles is what the Ford Scientists recommend” crowd.

The fact that your “severe” driving (by Ford Standards) reduced your oil life disproportionately to the 10,000 mile sheeple calendar gives me evidence that the monitor is not just calendar/mileage based. Thanks!

 

[Meeka]

Can of worms, meet opener . Watch this go off the rails real quick.

Guess you can put that opener away ‘MavStangVa’ .

 

[Tbone289]

It's difficult to fully understand what's going on when it isn't public knowledge exactly how Ford's OLM algorithm works.

 

[zen_]

It's difficult to fully understand what's going on when it isn't public knowledge exactly how Ford's OLM algorithm works.

Still pretty cryptic, and this video just covers the GM system.

I think (stress think) the OLM is better than these crazy intervals (15, 20K or more) that some manufacturers put out there now at fixed intervals just to keep the cost down for the first owner, and let the next owner deal with the fallout. Still pretty hard for me to mentally accept doing 10,000+ though, which is what the monitor would have suggested for my first oil change through a break in period and winter driving with lots of short trips to work not at full operating temp.

 

[Tbone289]

Still pretty cryptic, and this video just covers the GM system.

I think (stress think) the OLM is better than these crazy intervals (15, 20K or more) that some manufacturers put out there now at fixed intervals just to keep the cost down for the first owner, and let the next owner deal with the fallout. Still pretty hard for me to mentally accept doing 10,000+ though, which is what the monitor would have suggested for my first oil change through a break in period and winter driving with lots of short trips to work not at full operating temp.

Yeah, I've seen that video. I'm sure Ford's system is similar but, again, we don't know exactly.

As Lake would say, if you follow the OLM, you're putting faith in that system's ability to suggest a proper OCI. If you do analysis, you know how long your oil will protect your engine.

 

[SafetyGuy]

Everyone will have their own limits as to when to change their oil.

For myself, it is 10000 Kilometres (6200 miles). Either our camper van or the Maverick, same standard and I use synthetic oil.

I look at it this way, both vehicles are what I consider severe duty use.

The van is over 9000 lbs gvwr, so the 3.6 litre Ram engine has its job cut out for it moving it around. The Maverick is a hybrid, so maybe when in the city it may not warm up even though we do lots of highway driving so that should take care of any moisture (I check, and definitely no foaming visible when I pop the oil filler cap to have a look.

I do check the olm, to see how it is faring of course.

Andy

 

[zen_]

Yeah, I've seen that video. I'm sure Ford's system is similar but, again, we don't know exactly.

As Lake would say, if you follow the OLM, you're putting faith in that system's ability to suggest a proper OCI. If you do analysis, you know how long your oil will protect your engine.

I did a couple blackstone analysis in 2012 when I had a Cruze with the 1.4L turbo that also had an oil life monitor, at a time when I was making a 1,000 mile round trip on the interstate once, sometimes twice a week (75K miles of driving in one year). It did help me get an extended drain interval dialed in past the OLM on an engine that was kinda known for being a pile of garbage. But, that was a situation where I would drive down the interstate at 75-80 MPH for 7 hours stopping once or twice.

I do actually have a blackstone kit ready to go again, and I'm probably going to buy an oil filter cutter and open a couple up. Now that 50-70% of my miles are city driving, I just don't feel like rolling the dice too much on oil, though. With the hybrids I just wish we could monitor the miles and the hours the engine has actually been running, which would help with consistency if you don't put too much faith in the OLM.

 

[Mavster Mechanic]

The oil life meter is WAY MORE accurate than the human guess-o-meter behind the wheel.

Want some proof?


First one was 75% city / 25% highway.
Second one was 50/50.
I comfortably take the Oil Life down to 1%
One not tested was 80% towing (coast to coast vacation) and oil life hit 1% at 6,000 miles. So I changed it at 6,000 miles.

15,130 miles and Oil life at 1%.
Zero added oil in about a year.

Used reports at 10,000 (more city) and 15,000 (more highway) are nearly identical.

 

[Tbone289]

The oil life meter is WAY MORE accurate than the human guess-o-meter behind the wheel.

Want some proof?


First one was 75% city / 25% highway.
Second one was 50/50.
I take the Oil Life down to 1%
One not tested was 80% towing (coast to coast vacation) and oil life hit 1% at 6,000 miles. So I changed it at 6,000 miles.

15,130 miles and Oil life at 1%.
Zero added oil in about a year.

Used reports at 10,000 (more city) and 15,000 (more highway) are nearly identical.

I'm not sure who would argue that guessing is better than an OLM or oil analysis...

 

[r0tax]

The oil life meter is WAY MORE accurate than the human guess-o-meter behind the wheel.

Want some proof?


First one was 75% city / 25% highway.
Second one was 50/50.
I take the Oil Life down to 1%
One not tested was 80% towing (coast to coast vacation) and oil life hit 1% at 6,000 miles. So I changed it at 6,000 miles.

15,130 miles and Oil life at 1%.
Zero added oil in about a year.

Used reports at 10,000 (more city) and 15,000 (more highway) are nearly identical.

How many miles (total) are on your vehicle?

 

[HeyBales]

I'm wondering if the EB is the same as the hybrid 24MY was?

The initial 50% seemed to be by how it was driven and whatever the 10K life would get to.
It was stretching out to over a year. Red columns is if you did the math for current % and miles/days driven.

At 50% it seemed to start adjusting to hitting the 1 yr mark for estimating when it would be. (maybe because it thought OEM oil still?)
4/8 was the activation date at dealer.

What I'm including here is the fact the Fordpass app (perhaps the website view too if no app) used to give estimated time & remaining distance along with the %.
They dropped that to only estimated distance left now - which seems to be 1K per 10% remaining after a software upgrade. So now way over 10k, same over a year.

So if you are having a fast drop in OLM% - must mean you are having some fun driving!
You should note it each fill-up as time goes on - may be interesting info.

 

[Mavster Mechanic]

How many miles (total) are on your vehicle?

42,xxx at the time

 

[Chops]

I take the Oil Life down to 1%
One not tested was 80% towing (coast to coast vacation) and oil life hit 1% at 6,000 miles. So I changed it at 6,000 miles.

So you need to add some small print to your statement of “Good quality oil is still good at 15,000 miles in your Hybrid”?

Went down to 1% oil life at 6,000 miles. Did you change your oil before your tow trip? Should have.

MM, understand I’m not trying to argue with you…. This is a battle between “Save the Planet” don’t use oil and “Treat your Engine Well” mechanical sympathizers

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