Oil & filter change intervals / frequency

[Robins21]

I have the Ford maintenance contract and let them do it every 5,000 miles with the Ford Synthetic blend oil and new Ford filter.

Like Outback Texan we also have the Ford maintenance contract & the local dealer does it every 5,000 miles. I change the oil in my 05 F150 every 6,000 miles & I use semi synthetic oil.

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[Mark S.]

Aircraft change oil at 100 hours.

Depends on the engine. Early Lycoming and Continental engines that do not use an oil filter require changes at 25-hour intervals. The Continental IO-550N used in the Cirrus SR22 requires a 50-hour change interval.

 

[sajohnson]

Piggybacking on this thread.
I heard it's good to do the first oil change early to get rid of filaments from production and engine break in.
I'm thinking of doing my first at 3k or 5k.

Thoughts?

I agree with Mark's reply -- that an early first oil change is no longer necessary -- but I like the warm fuzzy feeling I get from doing it.

Actually, since my wife and I are retired, I'm doing the changes by time rather than mileage. I just did the first one a couple weeks ago at just ~2,600 miles. However, even if the 1 year interval wasn't a factor I would have done it around that mileage anyway. Mostly because old habits die hard.

I tend to be pretty cynical, especially when it comes to corporations, but I can't see Ford intentionally misleading owners about oil change intervals. If anything, they would be likely to go the other way, and recommend more frequent than necessary oil changes to boost their dealers' service dept. revenue.

A couple other thoughts:

* Oil life is highly variable. There are many factors that have an impact on it. I recall reading that some Mercedes vehicles estimate oil life based on multiple inputs -- average and peak load; oil temperature; average duration of operation, etc. The computed oil life could vary from ~2,000 miles to 25,000 miles! (That's with 100% synthetic oil).

* For that reason, it's literally impossible for a mfr (or anyone else) to proclaim that "the oil must be changed at x,xxx miles" with any accuracy. So they establish a conservative change interval that will be adequate for all but the most extreme use -- like nothing but short (<3-4 miles) trips on dirt roads in the great white north (months of below 0 temps). Just for example.

* As mentioned above, for those who really care about this subject, the best bet is to send oil samples to a lab like Blackstone. Collect the first sample when you ordinarily change the oil. Chances are, if your driving conditions are relatively normal, the lab will say the oil has plenty of life left in it and can safely go another X thousand miles. Then you might stretch the next change interval some and have the oil analyzed again.

That way you know you are not wasting time, money, and resources -- and for those in the 'extreme use' category, you'll know if you are changing your oil frequently enough.

Needless to say, while a vehicle is under warranty it's best to not go beyond the mfr's time/mileage intervals -- but it seems that many owners are changing their oil much more frequently than Ford recommends, and in almost all cases that is not necessary. Oil analysis will confirm that.

 

[Bucko]

I'm looking at the owners manual right now, but if someone beats me to the punch....

Do we have reminders that come on the screen when it's time to change the oil based upon usage? Our Jeep Cherokee and Dodge Challenger did this.

 

[Sleddog]

Yes.

 

[Bucko]

Yep. Thanks Sleddog. I also fount it. If it's good enough for Ford, its good enough for me!

Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor™
Your vehicle has an Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor that determines when you should change the engine oil based on how you use your vehicle. By using several important factors in its calculations, the monitor helps reduce the cost of owning your vehicle and reduces environmental waste at the same time.
This means you do not have to remember to change the oil on a mileage-based schedule. Your vehicle lets you know when an oil change is due by displaying a message in the instrument cluster display.
The following table provides examples of vehicle use and its impact on oil change intervals. It is a guideline only. Actual oil change intervals depend on several factors and generally decrease with severity of use.

�

When to Expect the OIL CHANGE REQUIRED Message
Interval	Vehicle Use and Example​
7500–12500 mi (12,000–20,000 km)	Normal​
Normal commuting with highway driving No, or moderate, load or towing Flat to moderately hilly roads No extended idling
5000–7500 mi (8,000–12,000 km)	Severe​
Moderate to heavy load or towing Mountainous or off-road conditions Extended idling Extended hot or cold operation
3000–5000 mi (5,000–8,000 km)	Extreme​
Maximum load or towing Extreme hot or cold operation Extended engine idling

 

[Tigger]

Piggybacking on this thread.
I heard it's good to do the first oil change early to get rid of filaments from production and engine break in.
I'm thinking of doing my first at 3k or 5k.

Thoughts?

You may want to do it in that range (I’m doing 3000) if you are switching to full synthetic (my personal recommendation).

 

[sajohnson]

Yep. Thanks Sleddog. I also fount it. If it's good enough for Ford, its good enough for ne!

Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor™
Your vehicle has an Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor that determines when you should change the engine oil based on how you use your vehicle. By using several important factors in its calculations, the monitor helps reduce the cost of owning your vehicle and reduces environmental waste at the same time.
This means you do not have to remember to change the oil on a mileage-based schedule. Your vehicle lets you know when an oil change is due by displaying a message in the instrument cluster display.
The following table provides examples of vehicle use and its impact on oil change intervals. It is a guideline only. Actual oil change intervals depend on several factors and generally decrease with severity of use.

�

Interval	Vehicle Use and Example​
When to Expect the OIL CHANGE REQUIRED Message
7500–12500 mi (12,000–20,000 km)	Normal​
Normal commuting with highway driving No, or moderate, load or towing Flat to moderately hilly roads No extended idling
5000–7500 mi (8,000–12,000 km)	Severe​
Moderate to heavy load or towing Mountainous or off-road conditions Extended idling Extended hot or cold operation
3000–5000 mi (5,000–8,000 km)	Extreme​
Maximum load or towing Extreme hot or cold operation Extended engine idling

That's good to know.

I was under the impression it was just a counter/reminder -- and not a particularly accurate one, because when I reset it after the oil change I did a couple weeks ago -- just 2-3 days before the 1 year mark -- it said we had 12% oil life remaining, when (by time) it should have read 0-1%.

Perhaps it does not take time into account? I thought Ford had a 1 year maximum for oil.

Or, maybe what I've read (here and elsewhere) was incorrect, but if Ford does not actually have a one (1) year maximum oil change interval -- regardless of mileage -- that certainly is a common belief.

BTW -- while I admit I've only sent oil to Blackstone a couple times, there are other reasons to have oil analyzed. The lab tests look for anti-freeze; gasoline; various metals; oil additives, etc. The results can give advance notice of a problem, like (say) coolant leaking through a failing head gasket. Things that an on-board oil life monitor cannot detect.

The primary reason most people have oil analyzed though is to determine service life. An on-board monitor has no way of determining *which* oil has been used. A full synthetic will last longer than a blend (usually 20% synthetic).

Still, at least while under warranty, it's best to go by Ford's recommendations and/or the oil life monitor. Blackstone might say the 100% synthetic you're using is good for a few thousand miles longer than the oil life monitor indicates, but in the exceedingly rare case of engine trouble, Ford may not accept Blackstone's opinion (even though Ford uses Blackstone and/or similar labs when determining whether to honor their warranty).

 

[Sig Oris]

Hello Bronco Sport fans! I'm changing my oil & filter every 3,000 miles regardless of what our manuals say. Looking for feedback from you.

I do both our vehicles, oil and tires, every 5k for simple math and piece of mind with these DGI engines in the BS’s and Rangers’s FWIW.

Like others have stated, you’ve already made up your mind.

 

[Mark S.]

That's good to know.

I was under the impression it was just a counter/reminder -- and not a particularly accurate one, because when I reset it after the oil change I did a couple weeks ago -- just 2-3 days before the 1 year mark -- it said we had 12% oil life remaining, when (by time) it should have read 0-1%.

I've read elsewhere that the monitor trips to zero life remaining if you exceed one year. Up until then it goes by whatever algorithm it's following.

 

[sajohnson]

I've read elsewhere that the monitor trips to zero life remaining if you exceed one year. Up until then it goes by whatever algorithm it's following.

Thanks Mark.

That doesn't surprise me, but that being the case I'd suggest that owners who are going by *time* not rely on the oil life monitor (OLM) -- because by the time it shows "0%" the BL will be (technically) beyond the one year limit.

Hopefully, if the owner changes the oil within a week or so of the monitor tripping to zero that would not void the warranty, but it's best not to give Ford any straws to grasp at in the unlikely event of a warranty claim.

The OLM sounds fairly sophisticated. I'm surprised it does not interpolate and determine that the BS is going to reach the one year mark long before the calculated mileage limit.

For example, in our case we only had about 2,600 miles on it as we approached the one year mark, so the OLM should have been going by *time* (IMHO). I don't really care that much, it just seems odd.

 

[MNVKSFN]

we are at 9 months and 1800 miles and thinking I can wait for the first one...

 

[21Broncosaurus]

I do mine between 7-8k miles, usually every 4 months. Full synthetic and a high quality oil filter.

 

[PaulOinMA]

My Escape is at 11 months, 5,100 miles. 31% OLM. Will do it next month. Have an OBX trip coming up. Will probably be under 7k at the oil change.

I expect miles on my wife's BS BL will be even less at 1 year.

 

[sajohnson]

My Escape is at 11 months, 5,100 miles. 31% OLM. Will do it next month. Have an OBX trip coming up. Will probably be under 7k at the oil change.

I expect miles on my wife's BS BL will be even less at 1 year.

That reinforces what Mark said above, about the oil life monitor (OLM) determining % life remaining from its algorithm, and only tripping to zero after the one (1) year mark.

69% / 11 months = ~6% per month. If your use of the Escape is fairly consistent, toward the end of 12 months the OLM will say you have about 25% remaining.

Then, a day later -- poof! -- 25% all gone. It's now 0% due to the one year time limit.

Obviously that's not an end of the world problem -- particularly not for most Bronco Sport Forum members who are well aware of when the oil in their BS needs to be changed. But oil changes are far from 'top of mind' for the average vehicle owner.

In fact, many may ignore the oil life display, or just look at it occasionally. So they may think they're in good shape and not immediately notice when it suddenly drops to 0%.

The OLM is a good idea. Since Ford has a established a one year max oil change interval, it would make sense to have the one year date next to the % oil life remaining.

Personally, our buying experience at the dealership was so poor that I'll never forget the delivery date, but if Ford is serious about the one year interval, then it would be helpful to have the date on the display.

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