5000 mile oil changes?

VAMike

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I still say if you think Ford is wrong you're an idiot for waiting 5k miles for an oil change. You should always change the oil with every tank of gas--more is better! In fact, maybe every day is the right amount. All we know is that the manufacturer is wrong and their numbers are just made up bs, but unfortunately that doesn't help find the right number. Stuff like 3k or 5k smells like cargo cult habits people picked up decades ago, if they haven't kept up with internet oil change trends. Real men change their oil like lesser men change their underwear.
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Zaph

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I posted my chart in this very thread. I don't mean to be rude when I say "try not to be spoon fed" but the charts are all over the "fuel in oil" threads. Just do a search. I have seen a lot of them and viscosity clearly starts to break down around ~5k, if not earlier (my UOA was done @ 4500 and showed breakdown).



My report was great on wear metals, but not so much on viscosity. I paid extra for TBN and was told to change @ 6500 miles. I would love for you to produce your report so we can verify what Blackstone suggested as your interval.
Thanks. There seems to be a lot of feelings and emotional investment in this thread. I'm a person who will always value real data over opinions and factory recommendations.

My oil breaks down at 5K without any fuel content in it. For those in that poll with significant fuel content - well that's another reason to change it quicker too. And that issue is widespread judging by the cross section of results.

Remember, the way that poll is set up, all participants post oil results, not just those who suspect fuel content issues. Therefore we get a better cross section of results and it's a better indicator of Ranger production averages. Right now it looks like most people have 2-3% fuel content in their oil. It's causing viscosity to break down even further beyond just being a small high strung turbo engine.

Note to self: Don't buy a used Ranger from Ranger Pride unless you want blue smoke coming out of your tailpipe at 80K miles.

Something that bugs me is "the factory is always right" crowd. They are *usually* right but I will never follow them blindly. This oil life monitor is a case where they got it wrong. And Ford sure as hell isn't helping people with the wide spread fuel in oil problem.

I'll just end with: feelings, opinions, factory recommendations and oil life meters are one thing, but real data and real test results don't lie. Now time to abandon this thread before it explodes.
 

HenryMac

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It bases its number off of 10k with minor adjustments from driving style.
I thought that too... but some folks here are proving that wrong, or at least their system is prompting oil changes way before the 10K mark.


My oil life meter seems to work. It was asking me to change around only 4500 miles and by 6000 it was really reminding me. She never would have let me go 10,000. I think it said only 3% oil life remained when I changed at 6000. The oil life monitor is a very sophisticated idiot-light, and I feel guilty for waiting so long to change my damn oil in the first place. Why be cheap about oil and filters? Maybe the car manufacturers need these long oil change intervals for some environmental reasons?
 
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landiscarrier

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I trust the manufacturer...they engineered it and they know what they are doing. The last thing they want is more warranty claims. That being said I change the oil every 5,000 miles. The $40.00 expense just makes ME feel better. Your truck, your choice.
 

landiscarrier

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you're first statement makes you sound like a bloody idiot, what do you think factory recommendations are based on? pulling numbers out of a hat? they use real data too.
if you want to contest that, please show me some real data showing they dont. otherwise you're just blowing blue smoke out your tailpipe with your opinion you steadfastly refuse to accept from anyone else.

which brings me to your second fudgy little comment...why on earth would my vehicle be one to avoid on the market? I'm maintaining in accordance with factory recommendations?
drove many a vehicle in excess of 80000 miles and haven't had blue smoke yet. so i guess their oil change recommendations and data have been bang on for years.
I agree.

Some people just feel their opinion is more valid than everyone else's....and it's easy to make jabs at people on the internet...there's zero repercussion.

We on this board represent a small percentage of Ranger owners. The majority are following the manufacturers recommendation for all maintenance...and some push that envelope further.
 


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I still change it at 3000 ...I race this truck and the recent blackstone tests show no added fuel in the oil. There is still a problem with a drop in the viscosity...@3000 miles.
 
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VAMike

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I'll just end with: feelings, opinions, factory recommendations and oil life meters are one thing, but real data and real test results don't lie.
But, you don't have real data. You have some numbers without context. You don't have any clue what they mean in terms of actual longevity of the this engine. You're assuming that either 1) ford made stuff up 2) the oil in "everyone's" truck behaves differently than the oil ford used when testing or 3) your numbers are more relevant than ford's test data.

Now for some real numbers: the cost of those extra oil changes would easily cover an extended warranty so that if the engine failed because you're actually right, it would get paid for. As a bonus, it would also cover anything else that fails! I don't get this fascination for looking at oil numbers and ignoring financial numbers. Especially since the financial numbers actually mean something, unlike the oil numbers.
 

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Anyone do an analysis on a freshly opened quart of oil? How close is it to the reference numbers? It seems oil viscosity is going to start breaking down as soon as the starter is engaged after an oil change. All those trace elements are also contributing to viscosity breakdown. More importantly, the shearing that goes on as the rings scrape the cylinder walls, The immense pressures that the oil endures in the crankshaft journals as the pistons accelerate down, stop, accelerate back up to the combustion chamber and stop thousands of times per second generate over 200g's each stroke, each piston. I would hope that the engineers who design ICE motors take viscosity breakdown into consideration when they set oil change intervals and viscosity. I don't know if viscosity is one of the parameters that the oil life monitor checks, it would seem so; it's more than just shining a light through it so see how dirty it is.
Looking at the Blackstone analysis in @Ranger8729's post, the SUS Viscosity was at 52.1, should be minimum of 56. I don't know how that relates to 5w30, but it is a decrease of about 7%. So now the oil is 4.65w27.9? is that bad? Maybe if it is logarithmic; 70% instead of 7% degradation, but I don't think that's the case.
As I said in post #37, I come from a different era when a motor would likely have less than a pint of oil left in the crankcase at 10k. Fergit Blackstone, that just feels too long! So I change at about 5-6000 miles because I rotate the tires at the same time, using the Works Package at the Quick Lane at my Ford dealer. I can many times offset the entire cost with the points on my Ford Visa card.

Life is good.
 

VAMike

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I don't know if viscosity is one of the parameters that the oil life monitor checks, it would seem so; it's more than just shining a light through it so see how dirty it is.
I haven't seen anything to suggest that the service interval monitor does any of that. (Nor does it need to--the manufacturer has sufficient data from destructive testing to predict what's needed without somehow trying to get an analysis lab into the engine.)
 

Motorpsychology

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I haven't seen anything to suggest that the service interval monitor does any of that. (Nor does it need to--the manufacturer has sufficient data from destructive testing to predict what's needed without somehow trying to get an analysis lab into the engine.)
my understanding of the SUS is that its a 65ml sample draining through an orifice at a certain temp.
in this case, the oil drained almost 4 seconds faster.
we could all debate the advantages and disadvantages of thinner oil, but as stated, i am sure viscosity breakdown is one of many data points taken into consideration during design and selection of the oil type.
Could be a way to do this on the motor, if it's not already done: Measure the static (not pumped) flow while monitoring the oil temperature in a small chamber (65ml is only 2.2 oz). The faster it flows vs reference temp , the less the oil life would show.
 

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Anyone do an analysis on a freshly opened quart of oil? How close is it to the reference numbers? It seems oil viscosity is going to start breaking down as soon as the starter is engaged after an oil change. All those trace elements are also contributing to viscosity breakdown. More importantly, the shearing that goes on as the rings scrape the cylinder walls, The immense pressures that the oil endures in the crankshaft journals as the pistons accelerate down, stop, accelerate back up to the combustion chamber and stop thousands of times per second generate over 200g's each stroke, each piston. I would hope that the engineers who design ICE motors take viscosity breakdown into consideration when they set oil change intervals and viscosity. I don't know if viscosity is one of the parameters that the oil life monitor checks, it would seem so; it's more than just shining a light through it so see how dirty it is.
Looking at the Blackstone analysis in @Ranger8729's post, the SUS Viscosity was at 52.1, should be minimum of 56. I don't know how that relates to 5w30, but it is a decrease of about 7%. So now the oil is 4.65w27.9? is that bad? Maybe if it is logarithmic; 70% instead of 7% degradation, but I don't think that's the case.
As I said in post #37, I come from a different era when a motor would likely have less than a pint of oil left in the crankcase at 10k. Fergit Blackstone, that just feels too long! So I change at about 5-6000 miles because I rotate the tires at the same time, using the Works Package at the Quick Lane at my Ford dealer. I can many times offset the entire cost with the points on my Ford Visa card.

Life is good.
I still change it at 3000 ...I race this truck and the recent blackstone tests show no added fuel in the oil. There is still a problem with a drop in the viscosity...@3000 miles. l use Quicklane also..5w30.
Regards
Doc
 
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VAMike

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Could be a way to do this on the motor, if it's not already done: Measure the static (not pumped) flow while monitoring the oil temperature in a small chamber (65ml is only 2.2 oz). The faster it flows vs reference temp , the less the oil life would show.
Too complicated, not reflective of everything that makes oil go bad, and not really necessary.
 

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Could be a way to do this on the motor, if it's not already done: Measure the static (not pumped) flow while monitoring the oil temperature in a small chamber (65ml is only 2.2 oz). The faster it flows vs reference temp , the less the oil life would show.
Too complicated, not reflective of everything that makes oil go bad, and not really necessary.
Maybe as an accessory- could replace the damper as the #1 farkle!

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Zaph

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I must admit, I'm pushing a few opinions as facts. Sorry all. Not my intention.

There are a few things making me uncomfortable about the oil life situation and pushing me towards more frequent oil changes. I'm in this truck for the long haul. I don't care about warranty coverage as much as getting a good quarter million miles out of my engine. I don't intend to sell in 5 years and may in fact still be in the truck in 10-15 years.

I'll probably still be hanging around here in 10 years and it will be interesting to see how engines do with long oil changes.
 

Obijack

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Why is it that people believe anonymous posters on an oil change thread over the manufacturer of their vehicle? I will never understand this reasoning.
Same reason there are labels on blenders warning people not to stick their fingers into the spinning blades.
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