Blackstone Oil Analysis on first Hybrid Oil Change - 1,200mi

[Hyrax]

I've gotten into the habit of doing oil analysis on my track car and I find reading the results and building a trend interesting. I decided to do the same for my Hybrid Maverick, since it's the first new car I've owned I figured it might be cool to watch the engine break in. Plus it may be valuable data for someone else down the road, and there are some basic comparisons we can do between oil and maybe even filter types. Obviously, there are many variables to engine wear, so keep that in mind.

My first oil change was done at 1,200mi. Much earlier than Ford's recommendation and earlier than most will do it. I do my own maintenance so it's a cheap way to get the factory oil, early break-in wear metals, and lubricants out of the motor. Plus, I don't like the factory-installed filter, look how tiny this thing is! I decided to go with an FL-400S, it's quite a bit larger, has better filtration, and I have a bunch lying around from other vehicles anyway. My Maverick sees a lot of freeway use, probably 80-90%, so the engine is running most of the time. I do also tend to cruise at 75-85mph when the freeway is clear.

For the new oil, I went with Mobil 1 0W-20. I don't want to start an oil debate, I used Mobil 1 because I have run it in my track car for thousands of abusive track miles with great results. It'll be interesting to see the difference in the additive packages between it and Motorcraft. Won't be able to really judge wear differences or viscosity much between the Motorcraft and Mobil 1 in my truck, though, since it's still breaking in and I don't plan to run Motorcraft for a full interval. Oh well.

Enjoy the data point!

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[Hyrax]

Nah, I have no use for it. I'm still getting 34mpg combined with AT tires on. I actually really like the way the Hybrid powertrain feels, too. I've gone down the Ecoboost route with a Focus ST in the past and I know I'd be tempted to tune it and all that. Hybrid makes for a nice easy cruiser with a smooth drivetrain and enough instant torque.

At the moment at least, way higher resale value, too, I was lucky and got mine under invoice with the original pricing.

 

[MaverickTopGun]

Yes, an FL400S gives you more filter media area, less mass flow per unit area, meaning it filters better than the smaller FL910S, and you get fewer bypass events on cold start-ups.

 

[NoVaJimmy]

Yes, an FL400S gives you more filter media area, less mass flow per unit area, meaning it filters better than the smaller FL910S, and you get fewer bypass events on cold start-ups.

The FL400 has a 21psi bypass valve while the FL910S has a 14psi bypass valve meaning that while you may get "fewer" bypass events, if your oil is super cold it's not flowing enough through the media and the bypass isn't kicking in at 14psi like it should be to flow oil to your engine. Ford specd the FL910S for a reason, especially on the 2.0 Ecoboost but in really really cold conditions you're probably seeing oil pressure in the 70-80 psi range anyway which means you're in bypass no matter what filter you run.

 

[MaverickTopGun]

The FL400 has a 21psi bypass valve while the FL910S has a 14psi bypass valve meaning that while you may get "fewer" bypass events, if your oil is super cold it's not flowing enough through the media and the bypass isn't kicking in at 14psi like it should be to flow oil to your engine. Ford specd the FL910S for a reason, especially on the 2.0 Ecoboost but in really really cold conditions you're probably seeing oil pressure in the 70-80 psi range anyway which means you're in bypass no matter what filter you run.

Fluid Mechanics in the engineering world, and in reality, works a little differently.

The "70-80 psi" oil pressure you mention is not the delta pressure across the oil filter media. That's the gauge pressure measured at the main oil galley.
An easy way to explain this, is to say delta pressure is analogous to voltage drop across a resistor.

Also, the much greater oil filter media area (lower mass flux) reduces any delta pressure dip across the filter, meaning fewer bypass events, if any at all, even when very cold (high visc).

If the 21 psi bypass pressure on the FL400S is the correct number, that is different than the Fram Ultra FL400S-equivalent XG3600 I'm using (12 psi), both with the same amount of extra filter media area. Again, with a lot of extra media, delta pressures across the filter are always kept very low.

 

[Hyrax]

The FL400 has a 21psi bypass valve while the FL910S has a 14psi bypass valve meaning that while you may get "fewer" bypass events, if your oil is super cold it's not flowing enough through the media and the bypass isn't kicking in at 14psi like it should be to flow oil to your engine. Ford specd the FL910S for a reason, especially on the 2.0 Ecoboost but in really really cold conditions you're probably seeing oil pressure in the 70-80 psi range anyway which means you're in bypass no matter what filter you run.

Everyone should do their own research and make their own decisions on this. I'm not recommending anyone else should run a different filter than the factory recommends. I'm comfortable with my own decision based on my research and knowledge, but there's a chance I'm totally wrong and we'll see that in my oil analysis soon haha.

Here's some info about when bypass valves are typically opened: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/question-about-filter-bypass.200435/post-3067880

As a counterpoint to the higher pressure required on that bypass valve, the FL400S has a lot more surface area, meaning a lot more area for oil to flow through and a lesser chance of the bypass being needed. More surface area for contaminants to get trapped, too, in theory, allows more flow as the mileage increases.

I did also run the FL400S on my Focus ST with full bolt-ons, E85 tune, and track/street use for 60K miles and had no problems. Anectodal maybe.

It would be great to get more oil data from other Hybrids running Motorcraft, factory filters, etc, and see if we can notice any different trends over time. I do plan to keep this truck for quite a while so I'll continue posting reports here as I go!

 

[NoVaJimmy]

Everyone should do their own research and make their own decisions on this. I'm not recommending anyone else should run a different filter than the factory recommends. I'm comfortable with my own decision based on my research and knowledge, but there's a chance I'm totally wrong and we'll see that in my oil analysis soon haha.

Here's some info about when bypass valves are typically opened: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/question-about-filter-bypass.200435/post-3067880

As a counterpoint to the higher pressure required on that bypass valve, the FL400S has a lot more surface area, meaning a lot more area for oil to flow through and a lesser chance of the bypass being needed. More surface area for contaminants to get trapped, too, in theory, allows more flow as the mileage increases.

I did also run the FL400S on my Focus ST with full bolt-ons, E85 tune, and track/street use for 60K miles and had no problems. Anectodal maybe.

It would be great to get more oil data from other Hybrids running Motorcraft, factory filters, etc, and see if we can notice any different trends over time. I do plan to keep this truck for quite a while so I'll continue posting reports here as I go!

I ran an oil accumulator on my Focus ST with an adapter plate that didn't allow me to run the Motorcraft filter but I did find a Wix filter that worked and was much larger but had the same bypass pressure. My recommendation is to find a larger filter maybe from an aftermarket company like Wix with known quality but with the same or at least very similar bypass pressure but of course a lot of this is based on opinion and preference so there are plenty of "correct" methods of achieving the same thing.

 

[realshelby]

Most don't seem to understand "bypass" when related to oil filters. Whether the rating is 10 or 21, that rating has NOTHING to do with the oil systems actual operating pressure. Some seem to think the bypass pressure rating means as soon as the engine builds that pressure ( the bypass psi, like the 10-21 mentioned earlier) the bypass valve opens. That is FALSE.
If your Maverick oil pressure is 60 psi when running ( have no idea, just a number to use) and checked AFTER the oil filter ( most common placement of sensor) then your oil pump would have to be providing 70-81 psi to the filter ( using the 10-21 psi ranges mentioned earlier) before the bypass valve would open.
The oil filter should not have that much restriction in flow to cause that much drop...EXCEPT in extreme cold startups or when the filter has become restricted beyond acceptable limits. The bypass valve is there to save the engine when oil flow is starved.
So, under normal operating conditions, your engine oil filter will never be in "bypass".
I don't have exact specs on the 0-20 viscosity oil used in the hybrid, but testing shows the pressure drop across the filter is probably less than 3 psi. Cold start would not be much higher.

 

[GPSMan]

The oil filter is doing the best filtering the day you take it off and it is doing the worst filtering the day you put it on.

A clean filter lets more junk pass than a dirty one. Of course there is a tipping point at around 10,000 miles. But going to 20,000 miles is neither bad nor unheard of.

 

[Hyrax]

Oil change #2 analysis below! About 5K on the oil this time. Has anyone else seen other analysis posted for the 2.5L yet? Would be interesting to have something to compare to. Still some high-ish wear metals which hopefully will continue to drop. You can see the differences in the additive packages between the OE fill and the Mobil 1 I'm running now.

Will probably go for closer to the recommended interval on the next change.

 

[MaverickTopGun]

Has anyone else seen other analysis posted for the 2.5L yet?

Your oil analysis is very normal for those conditions & break-in miles. I've seen a lot of these over the years, and they all look about like that. No problems with your engine. Extra metals & silicone sealant gets loose in there, nice to get it out as soon as possible.

As for comparisons to the same hybrid engine, the Ford Escape Hybrid has been using it for a few years now. Here is a very similar result compared to yours:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/t...torcraft-0-20-blend-5036-miles-3-labs.364214/

 

[Hyrax]

Your oil analysis is very normal for those conditions & break-in miles. I've seen a lot of these over the years, and they all look about like that. No problems with your engine. Extra metals & silicone sealant gets loose in there, nice to get it out as soon as possible.

As for comparisons to the same hybrid engine, the Ford Escape Hybrid has been using it for a few years now. Here is a very similar result compared to yours:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/t...torcraft-0-20-blend-5036-miles-3-labs.364214/

Nice! Thanks for the data. I figured it was pretty normal but always nice to have some direct comparisons.

No issues with my truck this far. I went and got the TSB for the jerkiness at low speeds which helped a bit. I have seen all the threads about the noises this truck makes occasionally when engaging and disengaging the ICE. Mine definitely does the same, but otherwise I really love how this truck drives and the practicality. Enjoying the ride while under warranty and we'll see how it all plays out haha.

 

[Blacksheep308]

I've gotten into the habit of doing oil analysis on my track car and I find reading the results and building a trend interesting. I decided to do the same for my Hybrid Maverick, since it's the first new car I've owned I figured it might be cool to watch the engine break in. Plus it may be valuable data for someone else down the road, and there are some basic comparisons we can do between oil and maybe even filter types. Obviously, there are many variables to engine wear, so keep that in mind.

My first oil change was done at 1,200mi. Much earlier than Ford's recommendation and earlier than most will do it. I do my own maintenance so it's a cheap way to get the factory oil, early break-in wear metals, and lubricants out of the motor. Plus, I don't like the factory-installed filter, look how tiny this thing is! I decided to go with an FL-400S, it's quite a bit larger, has better filtration, and I have a bunch lying around from other vehicles anyway. My Maverick sees a lot of freeway use, probably 80-90%, so the engine is running most of the time. I do also tend to cruise at 75-85mph when the freeway is clear.

For the new oil, I went with Mobil 1 0W-20. I don't want to start an oil debate, I used Mobil 1 because I have run it in my track car for thousands of abusive track miles with great results. It'll be interesting to see the difference in the additive packages between it and Motorcraft. Won't be able to really judge wear differences or viscosity much between the Motorcraft and Mobil 1 in my truck, though, since it's still breaking in and I don't plan to run Motorcraft for a full interval. Oh well.

Enjoy the data point!

Just changed my oil at 1,500 miles. Found some solids in the oil after emptying the oil pan. Also used Mobil 1 hybrid 0w 20 had to use Walmart Super tech 0w 20 as the only brand in one quart size left on the shelves. Good to know FL 400s works with the hybrid engine. I used the ford recommended FL 910s, but have FL 400s filters in my garage for my riding lawnmower. The smaller factory filter is heavier than the larger replacement filter. Thanks for doing an analysis on your oil, good information.

 

[Montana]

I'm pretty angry with myself.

Changed the oil for the first time, used vehicle and I know CarMax does it before they put the vehicles on the lot, but I wanted to send the initial one in and I totally spaced it. Had the sample kit all laid out and ready even lol.

Well, guess my first one will be for my next oil change... Probably a better starting point anyways. My Pennzoil ultra platinum, my wix xp, my driving style, plus I run 91, put a catch can on the PCV side and ran a seafoam injector cleaner initially as well as two back to back tank fulls of seafoam fuel cleaners.

It's definitely running cleaner that it was when I bought it with 11k on it. Anyways, there are many of us Blackstone junkies lol. Glad to find the Maverick thread about it.

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