PSA Video: This is Why You Never Run Extended Oil Change Intervals on The Ford Ecoboost Engines!

[Bucko]

Like this guy:

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[atlsrt44]

I change ours every 5k and run an oil analysis every other change. I wanted to change it a little early last time as i was taking a trip so it was closer to 4k but it came out spotless.

If you really want to go down an oil rabbit hole go over to bobistheoilguy and read those forums.

 

[SgtT11B]

All fair points, but there's a "nontechnical" benefit I get from adhering to a ~5k mile oil change "regimen": I just do it. The extra cost is minimal over the lifespan of the vehicle, and I know I won't procrastinate or miss an interval. Different calculus if you go to a crappy shop, though, as you increase the odds of them screwing something up during a routine oil change...

Agreed, I know several techs at Ford who have told me the same thing.

 

[coopny]

bobistheoilguy

Looking at the thread there, a LOT of people do not like this YouTuber...

One post goes on about how he made several incorrect assertions:

• SP oil spec wasn't for Ford EB as this YouTuber claims - it was for all GTDI engines
• Zero detail on the type of oil used - conventional? synth blend? high quality full synthetic?
• Anti-agglomerates in the additive pack would not cause the oil filter to plug (regular filter, not talking about the turbo screens)
• An "extended interval" would be past what the manufacturer IOLM recommends, not just greater than 5K miles
• Engine doesn't seem to have failed, just the turbo...
• When the turbo was serviced, the inlet screens should have been changed, which is a mechanic issue, not an engine issue (it's recommended maintenance, the procedure was done wrong).

Stating in short:
Bottom line is this ... He's making a blanket statement with assumptions based on a lot of missing info. While short OCIs never killed any engine, the IOLM OCI was not necessarily the root cause of this engine failure. There are too many unanswered variables to make that giant leap.

Another poster taking issue with him:
He made a video early on (in the Ecoboost's life) explaining how all turbo DI engines coke up and the Ecoboost F150 was no different. That hasn't turned out to be the case (find me a confirmed case). Sadly that video is still out there and has probably cost Ford a LOT of sales. He's probably a great mechanic, but based on that one video, I file his stuff under "hack". My 2.7 Ecoboost gets an oil change at about 7500 miles.

Another point:
Mechanics fix vehicles. They have observational opinions only typically. They see long drains/neglect with cheap oils and say "only do 3-5K" but do they see an engine tear down of a 15K OCI engine with HPL/other high-end oil? Likely no - their sample population is heavily skewed. Their opinons work for average folks.

Anyways, everyone can do what they see best, but I view this video as a hack at best. I will continue to follow the IOLM (except tracking the mileage/date of last change manually as well to make sure I don't get bitten by an issue if it reset unprompted for some reason) and change at 1 year/10K miles/if the IOLM tells me to change sooner.

------------------------------------------------

Another interesting thing from the Bob's the oil guy thread - people say that the IOLM typically tracks a higher mileage, then drops off a cliff to low percentage remaining as you near the one year mark. That tracks for my experience in my last vehicle, although I generally tried to change at 11-11.5 months rather than one year to the day (if time was driving the oil change instead of mileage).

 

[sajohnson]

Aaaaaaand, this is how urban legends are born. "Journalism" used to be about getting at the truth. You would think the credulous "journalist" who wrote this and the editors who published it would at the very least have gotten a comment from someone at Ford. You know, an actual AUTHORITY on the subject...

https://fordauthority.com/2023/05/ford-ecoboost-engines-should-get-5k-mile-oil-changes-video/

I really like your post above (#8) -- well said!

Some of it could apply to this "Ford Authority" video. One quote:

"Unfortunately, this one didn’t make it that far because the turbochargers failed, and the blame for that can be placed squarely on the fact that the owner was relying on the vehicle’s oil change reminder rather than sticking to a 5k oil change interval. As Makuloco notes, this is critical as these engines experience a lot of blow-by, as well as wear to the various components utilized by the EcoBoost family."

* "A lot of blow-by"? So the EcoBoost engines have sub-standard machining and/or piston rings? Why would they have any more blow-by than any other turbocharged engine?

* "...the blame for that can be placed squarely on the fact that the owner was relying on the vehicle’s oil change reminder..." So Ford's oil change reminder is just a toy? Something to be ignored?

It's no surprise that: "Ford Authority is not owned, operated or supported by Ford Motor Company, its brands, subsidiaries, or partners."
https://fordauthority.com/about/

That doesn't mean they are never a good source of info (IDK), but I have to question proclamations like:

"FORD ECOBOOST ENGINES SHOULD GET 5K MILE OIL CHANGES."

That's likely a good rough guideline for most vehicles, but we know there are a lot of potential variables. One BS may be driven lightly loaded, in moderate temps. all highway, and no trips less than (say) 50 miles. Another BS may be constantly towing a trailer, at full GVWR, on forest service roads in the mountains of Montana -- short trips in temps that are frequently below zero.

The former may be fine with (say) 10,000 mile oil changes, the latter may need oil changes every 2,000 miles (just guessing at the numbers). The point is that a fixed "5,000 miles" is not appropriate for every engine. It really depends on several factors.

Most of us fall somewhere in the middle between those extremes. The only way to know the correct change interval is to have the used oil checked by Blackstone, or some other qualified lab. I haven't used them recently, but in the past they were not very expensive -- maybe $25.

 

[wireman]

http://bsgautomotive.com/

Here's some info on this guy. He's a certified Ford Master Tech who worked at a dealer for 10 years.
He owns his own shop now, working on only Ford vehicles. Is he knowledgeable on Ford vehicles?

I would think so based on his experience. Is his word gospel, no.

Like others have said, the service history on this engine is unknown. Take it for what it's worth I guess.

I just had "the works" done on my 21 BS BL today. They recommend oil changes at every 5K miles, period. You may say they just want more of my money. Possibly.

On every vehicle I've owned I've never went over 5K for oil changes anyway, but that's just me.

Driving conditions play a primary role when considering oil change intervals.

Everyone has their opinions, and they decide what's best for them.

 

[Fordone Badlands]

Lots of good info in this vid. I always try to adhere to 5000 mile/8000 km interval.

Likewise. Full synthetic oil is my choice now.

 

[sajohnson]

Likewise. Full synthetic oil is my choice now.

Same here.

I've been using 100% synthetic in our vehicles for 30 years.

When it first came out it was much more expensive than conventional oil, but now the difference in price is minimal -- maybe $1-2 per quart.

Is it absolutely necessary? In a lot of cases no, but the additional cost is so small that it can be seen as cheap insurance.

With our other cars I've used the "extended" interval (7,500 miles for them) -- which they qualified for if using conventional oil (according to the mfrs). 7,500 miles seemed long after growing up with the "3,000 mile" recommendation, but using full synthetic made me feel better about it. I had the oil from my WRX tested by Blackstone, and they said it could go a couple thousand miles further (the "TBN" was still good) but I just stuck with 7,500.

Of course, as I noted in my post above, YMMV. The WRX and the other cars were almost always driven for relatively long distances on the highway, and rural roads. So for us, 7,500 miles (or longer) was OK, but others may be shorter (maybe by a lot), depending upon conditions.

Bottom line, at this point I see no reason not to use synthetic. In another thread, Mark and I both posted that it can be found for $4.80 per quart -- maybe less on sale.

 

[atlsrt44]

So here are the 2 oil reports ive had done on the bronco. Like I said the 2nd one didnt have alot of miles on it as i was about to go on a big trip.

 

[sajohnson]

So here are the 2 oil reports ive had done on the bronco. Like I said the 2nd one didnt have alot of miles on it as i was about to go on a big trip.

Lookin' good!

I see Blackstone is walkin' on the wild side and suggesting you go to 6,000 miles next time. "Do ya feel lucky?"

Their recommended interval might end up being greater if you had them test TBN:

https://www.blackstone-labs.com/do-i-need-a-tbn/
https://www.sunderlandco-op.on.ca/Resource-Centre/item/the-importance-of-total-base-number

"TBN is an essential element in the establishment of oil drain intervals since it indicates whether the additives are still capable of providing sufficient engine protection.":
https://www.phillips66.com/analysisplus/test-predictors/

Then again, maybe not?:
https://www.fleetequipmentmag.com/understanding-total-base-number-in-todays-hd-engine-oils/

 

[Thelawgiver]

Oil changes are not wallet busters. Frequency adds to engine long life. But always good to know that it is rated to go longer.

 

[TexasJHerrera]

summary: change the oil every 5k miles if not sooner, do not rely on the oil life display. Also insist on changing the turbo filters if you ever have any turbo work done.

How often should one request the turbo filters be changed?

 

[Dude]

How often should one request the turbo filters be changed?

I also had the same question about changing turbo filters after watching the video.

perhaps whoever knows the answer could start a new “How Often Changing Turbo Filters should be performed…” thread and reference both this existing thread and the PSA Video

Probably would make it easier to find turbo filter info in the future and would provide a new thread to debate the pros and cons of turbo filter change intervals.

“PSA Video/ This is Why You Never Run Extended Oil Change intervals on The Ford Ecoboost Engines!”

 

[Mark S.]

How often should one request the turbo filters be changed?

There isn't a simple answer to this. The video leads one to believe that changing your oil more frequently can negate the need for turbocharger maintenance, but offered little evidence to support the implication.

It's not really known from this video if there might be some other issue with this engine leading to the clogged filters. The presenter noted that the turbocharger had been changed at some time in the past and the original filters left in place. I would be very surprised if replacing the filters wasn't part of the procedure for replacing a turbocharger. In other words, this turbo failure could very well have been the result of a maintenance error--i.e. not replacing the filter when replacing the turbo--rather than longer oil change interval.

 

[Dude]

There isn't a simple answer to this. The video leads one to believe that changing your oil more frequently can negate the need for turbocharger maintenance, but offered little evidence to support the implication.

It's not really known from this video if there might be some other issue with this engine leading to the clogged filters. The presenter noted that the turbocharger had been changed at some time in the past and the original filters left in place. I would be very surprised if replacing the filters wasn't part of the procedure for replacing a turbocharger. In other words, this turbo failure could very well have been the result of a maintenance error--i.e. not replacing the filter when replacing the turbo--rather than longer oil change interval.

Thanks Mark, good input and room for debates!

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