2.5 Engine Long Term Question

[ricklee4570]

I just purchased a 2025 Hybrid Maverick. My first hybrid.


My son has a Jeep Wrangler 4XE. His Jeep monitors the engine use. When the engine goes a certain period of time without being operated at operating temperature it goes into what they call "FORM" mode. (Fuel/Oil Refresh Mode) FORM is because your oil is calculated to be diluted with fuel because it hasn't reached full operating temp for long enough periods of time, or your fuel has gone too long between being filled with fresh fuel.

Ford doesn’t have this.

Wouldn’t the oil get diluted with fuel and other contaminants in the 2.5 and would this not increase engine wear? According to the engine temperature gauge in my Maverick, it hardly ever gets past the "blue" section. Also, the experts say that engine wear occurs most at start up and when the oil is cooler, wouldn’t this also cause more wear and tear on the engine?

I have read where Ford states that they fully expect the hybrids to go 200,000 plus miles. Just some interesting things to think about. I will probably change my oil a little more frequently than in my other vehicles.

For those of you familiar with this platform, does Ford have some technology built in to keep premature wear from happening?

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[710-oil-614]

Apples to Oranges.

4xe uses a 2.0L DI turbo known for fuel dilution in oil.

 

[colinl]

Apples to Oranges.

4xe uses a 2.0L DI turbo known for fuel dilution in oil.

yes.

the other half of what was mentioned was stale fuel. Ford does care about that a little bit, and will run the ICE more when the fuel hasn't been refilled in a while, and all hybrids that I know of use a pressurized fuel tank to enhance fuel life.

if a person really isn't driving any gas engine vehicle enough, it's probably a good idea to put in fuel stabilizer if a single tank of gas lasts more than 2 months, and this lack of usage probably would benefit from a battery tender also.

 

[L30n1d45]

the other half of what was mentioned was stale fuel.

I'm heavily doubting that is a real issue with the Maverick hybrid. The onboard hybrid battery isn't really that large, and the engine runs pretty often (on a 10-mile drive my hybrid runs only about 3-4 miles on electric). The hybrid system isn't there to completely avoid using the ICE, it is there to just improve the mileage of the vehicle as a whole.

If you are concerned about stale fuel on the maverick hybrid, then you would likely have the same issue with any gas-burning vehicle (not driving it).

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

if I had not driven my Chevy Volt far enough to deplete the battery and run the engine. The car would automatically run the engine while driving, even when I had enough battery for the drive. It was considered EMM or Engine Maintenance Mode.
I could drive 2-3 months without ever having to running the gas engine.
This is why I want a plug in Maverick hybrid.

 

[colinl]

If you are concerned about stale fuel on the maverick hybrid, then you would likely have the same issue with any gas-burning vehicle (not driving it).

yes, that's why I said any gas engine vehicle that doesn't burn a tank in 2 months but I didn't italicize it.

the threshold for fuel decay even in a non-pressurized tank is even longer, probably more like 4-6 months before any noticeable effects.

my wife's bronco has under 7k miles and it'll be 3 years old in a few months, however, it gets less than 20 mpg so it's still getting through a tank in under 2 months, no problem. it gets annual oil changes, too. fordpass starts chirping around 10 months.

 

[The Real Maverick]

I just purchased a 2025 Hybrid Maverick. My first hybrid.


My son has a Jeep Wrangler 4XE. His Jeep monitors the engine use. When the engine goes a certain period of time without being operated at operating temperature it goes into what they call "FORM" mode. (Fuel/Oil Refresh Mode) FORM is because your oil is calculated to be diluted with fuel because it hasn't reached full operating temp for long enough periods of time, or your fuel has gone too long between being filled with fresh fuel.

Ford doesn’t have this.

Wouldn’t the oil get diluted with fuel and other contaminants in the 2.5 and would this not increase engine wear? According to the engine temperature gauge in my Maverick, it hardly ever gets past the "blue" section. Also, the experts say that engine wear occurs most at start up and when the oil is cooler, wouldn’t this also cause more wear and tear on the engine?

I have read where Ford states that they fully expect the hybrids to go 200,000 plus miles. Just some interesting things to think about. I will probably change my oil a little more frequently than in my other vehicles.

For those of you familiar with this platform, does Ford have some technology built in to keep premature wear from happening?

No. Not at all like the jeep.

In a Ford Hybrid you will need to change the oil LESS OFTEN than any other car you have probably owned.

10,000 miles is typical.
Sometimes 15,000 miles is totally acceptable and I have the Blackstone Lab reports to back that up.

Only when towing a lot or heavy hauling a lot, will you need to change oil between 5000 and 7500 miles.

But its a free country and you can do what you like. Most experts agree you should change it at 1 year; no matter how few miles you've gone.

I have had Ford hybrids in my household since they debuted in 2005.
Great vehicles. Engines are typically very reliable and the oil reminder on the dash has proven to be reliable also.

Hope that helps you.
Let me know if you have additional questions.

 

[Waterick]

I just purchased a 2025 Hybrid Maverick. My first hybrid.


My son has a Jeep Wrangler 4XE. His Jeep monitors the engine use. When the engine goes a certain period of time without being operated at operating temperature it goes into what they call "FORM" mode. (Fuel/Oil Refresh Mode) FORM is because your oil is calculated to be diluted with fuel because it hasn't reached full operating temp for long enough periods of time, or your fuel has gone too long between being filled with fresh fuel.

Ford doesn’t have this.

Wouldn’t the oil get diluted with fuel and other contaminants in the 2.5 and would this not increase engine wear? According to the engine temperature gauge in my Maverick, it hardly ever gets past the "blue" section. Also, the experts say that engine wear occurs most at start up and when the oil is cooler, wouldn’t this also cause more wear and tear on the engine?

I have read where Ford states that they fully expect the hybrids to go 200,000 plus miles. Just some interesting things to think about. I will probably change my oil a little more frequently than in my other vehicles.

For those of you familiar with this platform, does Ford have some technology built in to keep premature wear from happening?

The JEEP 4XE is a plug in hybrid and can theoretically be driven without the ICE ever starting or running if you stay within it's electric operating range between charges without these modes. Not at all like a Maverick or regular hybrid. The Maverick always starts within two minutes or so of initiating the ready mode when driving and stays running until it's over 130 degrees. More so if you have heater demands. In normal use the Maverick will usually reach full operating temperatures pretty quickly once above 45 MPH. Below these speeds, I haven't figured it out exactly. I don't really know how Ford gets the engine hot enough for those people who have short, slower drives, but I'll bet that that is one of the reasons their overall MPG figures are lower than they would like. Perhaps some of the people here like @The Real Maverick and others can provide more exacting info here.

 

[The Real Maverick]

To "drive off condensate water" that most cite as concerns with short, cold weather driving, the oil does not need to be near boiling. It just needs to be a little warmer than ambient conditions.

This will happen almost every drive.
But in any case, will for sure happen in drives with the engine on more than 5 minutes long.

And fuel evaporates at even lower temperatures than water does. In my humble well educated opinion it is not something 99.99% of owners need to worry about.

Maybe change your oil right after surviving a hurricane. 12" of wind driven rain in a day with tropical high humidity is likely worse than owner in cold northern latitudes with short trips. In general, cold air is dry air.

I do think the minimum engine temperature required to allow engine shut off is for this. (some debate if that is 120°F or 130°F but the minimum exists for a good reason)

The catalytic converter is hot enough to clean emissions in the first 30 seconds, something Ford greatly improved upon since 2005 when if took 2-3 minutes.

 

[ricklee4570]

I live 4 miles from work and my engine might come on for maybe 1-2 minutes total. The rest is all electric. I am at 35 mph speed limits 90% of the way. There is no way it is getting up to 120-130 degrees and certainly not long enough to do any good as far as burning off condensation.

I am not concerned at all about fresh fuel in the tank, that was just one of the parameters Jeep uses. My interest is how the heck can engineers say for all these years short trips reduce engine life and cause more wear, and now say an engine that is run intermittently and in some cases not run to full temperature for any length of time is ok.

Just trying to wrap my head around it.

 

[The Real Maverick]

I live 4 miles from work and my engine might come on for maybe 1-2 minutes total. The rest is all electric. I am at 35 mph speed limits 90% of the way. There is no way it is getting up to 120-130 degrees and certainly not long enough to do any good as far as burning off condensation.

I am not concerned at all about fresh fuel in the tank, that was just one of the parameters Jeep uses. My interest is how the heck can engineers say for all these years short trips reduce engine life and cause more wear, and now say an engine that is run intermittently and in some cases not run to full temperature for any length of time is ok.

Just trying to wrap my head around it.

Ya. But it's fine.

How does a cell phone work?
I mean, I can move it WITH POWER OFF half way around the world, then turn it on when I get there and my wife can call me. How do I get email anywhere on the planet?

How does 0.1 watt of cell signal travel miles and miles in town right now? But it does.

 

[ricklee4570]

Google: short run times hybrid hard on engine

Almost every mechanic says that the short cycle on/off is hard on hybrid engines.

I am just wondering how Ford has cleared that hurdle.

 

[Proflig8tor]

You will see once The engine starts it will then run until it reaches operating temperatures (two bars in the first gen Lariat). When cold, the mode is made more obvious by increased vibration.

I live on a hill and can coast a couple of miles. There is no need for the engine to run, but when it starts it “warms up” before shutting back off again. It will stay in that temperature range and not cool off.

It sure looks like Ford thought this out and manages the cycle. The displays on the Maverick are not as informative as some hybrids, or even some Fprds. It just works.

 

[colinl]

Google: short run times hybrid hard on engine

Almost every mechanic says that the short cycle on/off is hard on hybrid engines.

I am just wondering how Ford has cleared that hurdle.

random non-ford related things are not that relevant. you can search here for high mileage hybrids, as well as wherever you want to read up on the escape and fusion hybrids that existed a long time before the maverick.

they don't have a starter and they use 0w20 oil. there are other adaptions.

I have seen mileage life of new cars range anywhere from 60k to 150k miles, because they tend to get totaled before they hit 150k or much higher. so just maintain your new hybrid well and the odds are overwhelmingly that you'll be fine for a long time.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Google: short run times hybrid hard on engine

Almost every mechanic says that the short cycle on/off is hard on hybrid engines.

I am just wondering how Ford has cleared that hurdle.

I understand what you're saying.
I don't believe Ford has cleared that hurdle.
You're probably better off owning an EcoBoost being a more conventional style engine.

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