If this is a thing,why does the Ford manual say to do the first oil change at 5000 miles? If the break in oil is supposed to be changed earlier you'd think that would be in the manual.
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Early change is preventive choice to ensure any chance of metal bits may be in the engines. I did a random performance test on the engines off the line every day, afterwards break down to the con-rod and crank bearings. Around 25-30% of the time I had to replace the bearings. The next day, I reassembled that engine and was put back on the line. It's a roll of the dice and your choice.
An excellent write up, and a joy to read if you are interested in being well informed and wish to make decisions as to what level you want to monitor your engine etc life/wear. Bonus info, you are directed to sites where you can learn more about oil monitoring! I like knowledgeable experts...lots of other types out there with a camera or keyboard.
If this is too in depth, takes too much time or is too costly, a more direct but much less informative is if you install a magnetized oil drain plug! Any ferrous material in your oil will be attracted to it for your discovery on your next oil change. Or if it is fancy, if it is large enough of a chunk it sets of a chip monitor...both types work. (A magnetic plug on an old Harley I had in the 1980's saved me, and an in-line chip detector on the main gearbox line saved our pilots and sundry VIP'S in our Sea King helicopter in a hospitals parking lot during our ships namesake port visit in Prince Edward Island in 1996....a set screw half the size of my little finger came out when I pulled the first detector...I am SO thankful for these systems).
That said, I have some exposure to spectometric oil analysis programs (SOAP), magnetic sensors as well as now on aircraft you have sensors which also monitor particles in the engine oil and transmission oil as it is circulated past it in-line. Higher end vehicles may have this as well as the tech trickles down (I have read it somewhere, but it escapes me at present).
All are effective, in their own way. I am conservative in my oil/fluid changes and like magnetized plugs as cheap peace of mind. Things just don't usually explode/grenade...there are warning signs. Up to you to see them.
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I agree every 5k will be fine except for the first one I always do my first change at 3k, to wait 10k on a oil change is foolish in my option, unless its lease vehicle or your never going to buy or you change vehicles often, just follow what ford recommends to maintain your warranty, if your motor blows and haven't changed your oil as per their recommended miles, they will not pay the claim your up the creek, dealers love this.
This is what I do, first oil change at 3k and 5k after that, rotate tires every other oil change, if you don't drive much like 5k once a year change your oil. My dealer has a package for oil change and tire rotation for 80 bucks, if you don't go back to dealer SAVE your invoices.
I have seen many times with a customer comes in at 15/20k and has issues and the oil is black and like glue, then gets fake invoices that they changed their oil, it doesn't hold up in court when we bring photos of the internal engine parts. I worked for a company that gave FREE oil changes at around 10k for up to 40k they got a FREE loaner car people still didn't change their oil.
I'm not sure any manufacturer would want to admit there's a bunch of bits of engine material found in the first oil change. Even though this can be proved with oil testing, it's not necessarily known to the average consumer.
Not to mention that manufacturers likely don't have any interest in anyone keeping their vehicles for hyper extended periods of time, they'd rather they be more of a consumable like most everything else these days.
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It is a very curious thing that they don't tell people to drop that break in oil anymore. I have lots of tin foil that I wear for those conversations.
Talk to anyone who does engine builds and they will tell you to drop that break in oil. As a matter of fact if you check out the Builders Lounge on Youtube those guys actually talk about how they run a break in oil through those engines when they build them and the cycle time it takes is about 3 minutes if I understood them correctly with a specially formulated oil for the purpose. That appears to address mating and surfaces. Then after that they still tell the customer when they get their engines back to drop that break in oil in an early change interval and some suggest even a second oil change at an earlier interval after that. Break in wear metals are for real and not something to fool around with. I recommend people who are so inclined to check out some of that content out there. Lots of very knowledgeable people out there sharing good hard factual data with people.
If you do a used oil analysis you will get the factual data to back up these assertions as you will see the wear metals are elevated and Blackstone will tell you that is why and that over the course of a couple of oil changes you will start to see those come down. Those lab results tell the tale.
I would also suggest that, if you have a hybrid, take it on some regular trips to get the oil good and hot. Otherwise, with just local running you can get moisture build-up.
If you're in it for the long run, you need to understand a few things:
1. The oil itself will last longer than the additives in the oil
2. Temperature fluctuations will age the oil/additives faster than constant temperature
3. The Ford Oil Life Monitor is set for IDEAL temperature conditions (like California).
So, if you have summers and winters then you need to change your oil more frequently. I live in Canada so we have those conditions and I change my oil when my oil monitor hits 35%. This USUALLY equates to about 8000-9000kms which is around 5000-5500 miles.
If you live in a state like California that doesn't get much variance in temperature then you can go longer without changing your oil and pay more attention to the Ford Oil Life Monitor.
The first 1000 miles is CRUCIAL and you should break in your engine accordingly. "The Ford Maverick owner's manual recommends a break-in period of the first 1,000 miles, during which owners should avoid driving at high speeds, heavy braking, aggressive shifting, and towing. This helps the engine components properly seat and minimizes potential wear and tear during the initial miles"
Change your oil after the break-in period to get the metal shards out and to replace that dinky oil filter that comes with the vehicle. I assume its tiny because Ford wants to save $$
1. The oil itself will last longer than the additives in the oil
2. Temperature fluctuations will age the oil/additives faster than constant temperature
3. The Ford Oil Life Monitor is set for IDEAL temperature conditions (like California).
So, if you have summers and winters then you need to change your oil more frequently. I live in Canada so we have those conditions and I change my oil when my oil monitor hits 35%. This USUALLY equates to about 8000-9000kms which is around 5000-5500 miles.
If you live in a state like California that doesn't get much variance in temperature then you can go longer without changing your oil and pay more attention to the Ford Oil Life Monitor.
The first 1000 miles is CRUCIAL and you should break in your engine accordingly. "The Ford Maverick owner's manual recommends a break-in period of the first 1,000 miles, during which owners should avoid driving at high speeds, heavy braking, aggressive shifting, and towing. This helps the engine components properly seat and minimizes potential wear and tear during the initial miles"
Change your oil after the break-in period to get the metal shards out and to replace that dinky oil filter that comes with the vehicle. I assume its tiny because Ford wants to save $$
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I've never done it, I'm 65 years old, driven alot of vehicles over the years,never an engine problem. One of my vehicles is 53 years old.
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The turbo has its own two very tiny screen filters. Not on the maintenance schedule. I’ll have Ford change them at about 60,000 miles.
Use Full synthetic. I did my first at 3,000 miles, next at 9,000 then at 15,000 and 5K intervals from then on.
I’ll have my Ecoboost’s tranny flushed at 30,000 then at 100,000.
New coolant with a flush every three years.
Full brake system flush at 100,000
Oh and drive it like you stole it. :’P
Motorcraft full synthetic and the small ford oil filter is all you need.
Some think you need a bigger oil filter. If that is the case it simply means your engine is disintegrating.
The stock filter will not clog or reduce flow with 5k or even 10K oil change intervals.
Use Full synthetic. I did my first at 3,000 miles, next at 9,000 then at 15,000 and 5K intervals from then on.
I’ll have my Ecoboost’s tranny flushed at 30,000 then at 100,000.
New coolant with a flush every three years.
Full brake system flush at 100,000
Oh and drive it like you stole it. :’P
Motorcraft full synthetic and the small ford oil filter is all you need.
Some think you need a bigger oil filter. If that is the case it simply means your engine is disintegrating.
The stock filter will not clog or reduce flow with 5k or even 10K oil change intervals.
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Keep your fluids clean and topped off and every engine will last 1 million miles. So, do whatever interval that does that for your specific driving habits. Someone who tows a heavy trailer every day will need to get an oil change more frequently than someone who works from home and mainly uses the truck for camping trips and Home Depot.
Update: Of all the vehicles I have ever owned, the engine has never been the point of failure. I'd be more concerned about the transmission than the engine.
Update: Of all the vehicles I have ever owned, the engine has never been the point of failure. I'd be more concerned about the transmission than the engine.
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No, two separate thoughts. They don't want to acknowledge that pieces of the engine are floating around in the oil. And they wouldn't mind you coming in for a new vehicle sooner than later.
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