Fuel in oil engine build date

Hoosier Daddy

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Twill

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Blue Streak

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Just did my 5th oil change today at 25000 miles. No evidence of fuel oil level stays wright on the mark. Engine build date 3/21/19 truck build 3/29/19.
 
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Texasota

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From ones that have replied the build dates the problem is all over the place. Figure that out.
I don't think the oil in fuel problem is a single batch of bad parts or manufacturing errors. There are numerous different reasons and the wide variation of manufacturing dates is not surprising. Some of the causes forum members have experienced include:

- General nature of TGDI engines. Other manufactures have oil dilution issues also.
- Short driving trips which is exacerbated by cold weather.
- Some have had defective fuel injectors.
- A few members have had a defective HPFP.
- Something related to the PCV system.
- Normal break in. Doc's (@Doc) Ranger got better around 5800 miles. Mines seems to be improving also with 5200 miles.
- Reasons not yet understood where some members have experienced very rapid/high oil dilution issues.

This thread has been interesting but I don't think it is going to reveal anything pointing at a particular build time frame.
 

Langwilliams

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so no 2020? I thought I was gonna have this...the factory fill was high an smelled like gas when I checked it at 1200 miles. The dealer fixed the oil level but it still smelled like gas until I did a oil change at 3000 miles. Had a faint gas smell before the next change at 8K an the current oil doesn't have hardly any smell of gas. I'm hoping mine just needed to break in an it doesn't come back.

I'm very disappointed with the way for has handled this. They should be replacing those engines if 2 or 3 repair attempts doesn't fix it.
 

Texasota

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so no 2020?
Mine is a 2020 built in early March. It had 3.8% fuel dilution according to Blackstone Laboratories. But that was with only about 4300 miles on the engine. I have recently put about 800 highway miles on it and the level on the dipstick has been completely stable. On my Ranger it appears the oil level rises when I have numerous short driving trips and while towing.

I will be monitoring it closely on my long towing trips next summer but so far my problem seems to be getting better like @Doc experienced with his Ranger.
 

jinja

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Mine is a 2020 built in early March. It had 3.8% fuel dilution according to Blackstone Laboratories. But that was with only about 4300 miles on the engine. I have recently put about 800 highway miles on it and the level on the dipstick has been completely stable. On my Ranger it appears the oil level rises when I have numerous short driving trips and while towing.

I will be monitoring it closely on my long towing trips next summer but so far my problem seems to be getting better like @Doc experienced with his Ranger.
Wonder if you'd see improvement to oil level if you remote start the vehicle (with either fob or the FordPass app) 10 minutes before you drive each day on a short drive? Would be an interesting experiment as well. Not sure what it would imply but something about the cooler being too big/strong compared to Mustang 2.3L. Are there aftermarket coolers that could fix this issue for anyone stuck with it?
 

Texasota

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Wonder if you'd see improvement to oil level if you remote start the vehicle (with either fob or the FordPass app) 10 minutes before you drive each day on a short drive? Would be an interesting experiment as well. Not sure what it would imply but something about the cooler being too big/strong compared to Mustang 2.3L. Are there aftermarket coolers that could fix this issue for anyone stuck with it?
I don't use remote start but I think it may make the oil dilution problem worse. It is my understanding that a cold GDI engine tends to have more gasoline condense on the cylinder walls that can end up in the crankcase oil. Remote start and the subsequent idle time results in a longer warm up period as opposed to driving at moderate speed immediately after start up.

The main problem with short trips, as I understand it, is that the oil never reaches the required temperature to evacuate the accumulated gas in the crankcase. On my Ranger I have observed the oil level on the dipstick coming back down after a long non-towing highway trip.
 
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jinja

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I don't use remote start but I think it may make the oil dilution problem worse. It is my understanding that a cold GDI engine tends to have more gasoline condense on the cylinder walls that can end up in the crankcase oil. Remote start and the subsequent idle time results in a longer warm up period as opposed to driving at moderate speed immediately after start up.

The main problem with short trips, as I understand it, is that the oil never reaches the required temperature to evacuate the accumulated gas in the crankcase. On my Ranger I have observed the oil level on the dipstick coming back down after a long non-towing highway trip.
Good to know. So I wonder is there a such thing as an oil heater add-on that could activate early on?
 

Texasota

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Good to know. So I wonder is there a such thing as an oil heater add-on that could activate early on?
Interesting question. I think some styles of engine heaters (for northern winter weather) do heat the crankcase oil. My Ranger (he is a Minnesotan) came with a factory block heater. The owners manual says this about it:

The heater acts as a starting aid by warming the engine coolant. This allows the climate control system to respond quickly. The equipment includes a heater element, installed in the engine block and a wire harness.
 

jinja

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Interesting question. I think some styles of engine heaters (for northern winter weather) do heat the crankcase oil. My Ranger (he is a Minnesotan) came with a factory block heater. The owners manual says this about it:
Using that heater yours came with may be an interesting test you could perform even before summer, and ultimately put this mystery to bed for everyone

I read this online: "Internal combustion engines use pistons to compress a mixture of air and vaporized fuel within the cylinders. That mixture is then ignited to create a combustion event. When an engine is cold, the fuel is less likely to evaporate and create the correct ratio of air and vaporized fuel. To compensate, more fuel is injected into the mixture. The engine continues to run rich until it heats up to about 40°F (4°C). That extra gasoline injected into the combustion chamber can get onto the cylinder walls and wash off the oil. This can significantly reduce the life of piston rings and cylinders."

Edit: sorry just realized you said the factory one only heats the coolant. Guess it'd have to be an oil pan or dipstick style plug in heater... :\
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