oil level observations on a new truck

silverflash

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so i got my brand new 2021 fx4 in early june. I am one to check the oil even on a new car. i noticed that the level was in the safe zone from the first time i checked it probably 2 weeks in till yesterday when i changed it- i can't recall if it ever rose. Anyhow, i changed the oil in late june at around 1500 miles. I put in 6 quarts and noted then that 6 quarts put the level right to the full line- my notes said that. And this was after running it for a few minutes to warm up then letting it sit 15 minutes per my notes. I am not sure if i meant the high dot or the hash but i am thinking the hash. Anyhow, fast forward to recently and i see that the level is now a hair past the high dot and seemed to drip off the stick easy and had that gas smell. I have read alot of the fuel dilution threads so i thought ok, normal for a newer engine but to be safe I just changed it again with about 3900 miles on it. I put in 6 quarts exactly. not 6.2. I changed the filter as well as I usually do. I ran the engine till it was at op temp per my scangauge and the dash needle and stopped and let it sit 15 minutes exactly and checked. it was right at or a hair above the top of the hash marks. perfect based on my readings. see 3903 pic.


It took a few removals and inserts to get a good read.

This morning I checked it cold. The level was below the top of the hash marks. i do use synthetic and synthetic supposedly expands more than conventional or semi-synthetics.


see pic 5430.


I will be watching this level alot closer moving forward. assuming that the level was the same on the 1st oil change, and it got the a hair past the high dot in 2400 miles, do i have a problem? I hope not. i hope it's just breaking in and that it will slow/stop as far as making more oil from gas.

thoughts?

20210830_193903.jpg


20210831_095430.jpg
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silverflash

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i have about 3900 miles on the truck now.
 
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silverflash

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Well if the level rises to the high dot, to me that's a problem and that means fuel dilution. Oil doesn't grow inside to crankcase. At least now I am 100% aware of exact levels right after an oil change and I can see what it does. I am hoping it will slow and stop and the engine is broken in now. We shall see.
 

Mustang2Ranger

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don't go by the rudimentary dot /hash system to confirm fuel dilution. most of the hype on the fuel dilution thread is, well hype

send it to the lab if you are that concerned like RP said. That is what I did
 

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Pic. of where the normal oil level should be. This reading was taken after sitting overnight following the 1st oil change. Any reading above the top hole is overfill...

Overnight 2.jpg
Manual Oil level specs.jpg
.
 
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silverflash

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yes, i know the max and min marks are the holes. currently as of this morning cold, it's slightly in the middle which is acceptable per the manual. i am assuming you added 6.2 quarts whereas i added just 6. that will give me room and time before it gets to the high dot so that i can get it to the dealer if i need to. If i see it moving in that direction i wil make an appointment so it gets to them right around or before the high dot.
 

OrangeStreak

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yes, i know the max and min marks are the holes. currently as of this morning cold, it's slightly in the middle which is acceptable per the manual. i am assuming you added 6.2 quarts whereas i added just 6. that will give me room and time before it gets to the high dot so that i can get it to the dealer if i need to. If i see it moving in that direction i wil make an appointment so it gets to them right around or before the high dot.
Bill,
Right, is was 6.2. I do not get accurate readings when the truck has sat on level ground for 15 minutes after reaching operating temps or even sitting for several hours afterwards. I suspect it is because of oil being splashed inside the filler tube. It reads accurately after overnight but I realize that the level will rise a bit after bringing it up to full operating temp. Hope you get the situation solved :)
 

JustSteve

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high dot and a hair above are two vastly different outcomes.
daily temps and atmospheric pressures will move your oil line a hair or two on its own

fuel dilution is only a problem on a small amount of trucks. even though it can occur on many more. Your driving style and break in process has more of an effect on the problem, than a imminent catastrophic failure inside of it.
continue to monitor it with your eyeball....but a more accurate way is available through oil sampling.
You have no way of knowing that oil dilution is a problem on only a small number of trucks. And there is no proof other than a few posters here speculating that driving style is the cause. Driving style is not an acceptable reason for fuel dilution.
 

jsphlynch

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You have no way of knowing that oil dilution is a problem on only a small number of trucks. And there is no proof other than a few posters here speculating that driving style is the cause. Driving style is not an acceptable reason for fuel dilution.
If only there was some sort of data on this topic so we wouldn't have to speculate.
 

Mitch65

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Checking the oil level on my truck is the most difficult I have every experienced. Every other vehicle I have ever owned it was not problem. Pull the stick, wipe, back in it goes, easy. Not my ranger.

I think a bit part of this whole oil thing is how difficult it is to get an accurate oil reading on these trucks.
 

OrangeStreak

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Checking the oil level on my truck is the most difficult I have every experienced. Every other vehicle I have ever owned it was not problem. Pull the stick, wipe, back in it goes, easy. Not my ranger.

I think a bit part of this whole oil thing is how difficult it is to get an accurate oil reading on these trucks.
MItch,
Me too. The only way I can get a good reading is to let it sit overnight :)

Overnight 2.jpg
 

JustSteve

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well thanks for clearing that up
you offered some real hard concrete evidence there chummy.
we can close the threads now. its solved. thanks juststeve. where would we be without you?
I was making no attempt at clearing up anything other than you likely don't know what you are talking about.
 

JustSteve

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We don't need Ford Ranger fanboys doing Ford's PR job for them. Ford denied there was a problem with the Pinto's gas tank and the Focus transmission. Until too many exploding Pintos and shaking Foci forced them to acknowledge they had a problem.

Any fuel getting into the oil is not ideal.
 
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silverflash

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In my case this is how I broke my truck in. Bought new June 4. Drove it gently but not overly so, for the first 1000 miles. I kept rpms lower than 4k and tried to keep it from lugging but it's hard to do that with 10 speeds unless u use sport mode. I rarely used sport mode during the first 1000 miles. I tried to change up the rpms but I did take a 200 mile trip the weekend after I bought it which entailed mostly higher but different speeds. 60/70/45. Even on the stretches that went miles and miles say in the 70 zone, I'd run it 65 for a bit then 70. Then 55. Then 60. Etc etc. I changed oil to synthetic at 1500 miles and went with a mobile 1 filter. I can't recall where the oil was in stick before this change. I checked it. But it was always below top dot and above bottom dot so I figured fine. I can't recall if it was in hash mark or past tho. After I changed it I'd check it after my 400 mile every other weekend trips and nothing seemed off. It only seemed off when I started reading more about this issue and noticed that the level had creeped past the top dot by a hair. At that point I decided to change the oil and after the change it sat right at the high mark in hash zone with 6 quarts added. Once it cooled over night, it sat a hair lower in hash zone. Since then I have only driven 20 miles but noticed the oil level rose a hair but it's still in the hash zone. I drive this truck on occasional 8 mile trips around town then every other weekend I do the 400 mile plus trips which includes alot of sport mode in mountains. I would think those trips would vaporize the fuel in the oil but maybe not. Or maybe my last change ie the first change I didn't drain as much out and it read to the top dot. I don't know. I drained it till it stopped. Same place I did this oil change and sane orientation to the concrete pad. Level. I even checked the jug I had left over. I bought two 5 quart Jugs for first change and I had 4 left over in one which I just used along with 2 out of the new jug I bought which means 6 quarts for both changes. Perhaps the mobile 1 filter has less capacity than the fl900s that I just used? They look about the same. Or perhaps about 1/2 quart of gas found its way into my oil. If that's the case then that's like 10% oil or so. How much in quarts is between the top hash and the top dot? I will check the oil again this weekend and report back.
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