Fuel in oil

jsphlynch

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If this were the case it would evaporate out just sitting there and it wont.
Yes the fuel and oil mixture is more volatile. But no, it wont burn off and out. And anything that does burn off (because of the lower flash point) leaves behind a less than desirable contaminates.

It isn't the same as boiling the dissolved salt out of salt water.
If you mean literally burning, than no it won't burn off (or if it will, you've got bigger problems to worry about). But the fuel will start to evaporate out of the oil when you apply a little heat. The same principle is in action down in Lynchburg when those fine folks are doing their distilling.
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Texasota

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If you mean literally burning, than no it won't burn off (or if it will, you've got bigger problems to worry about). But the fuel will start to evaporate out of the oil when you apply a little heat. The same principle is in action down in Lynchburg when those fine folks are doing their distilling.
I’ve had the level on my dipstick go back down multiple times after long highway trips. It could be water evaporating but I have been assuming it is mostly fuel.
 

geophb

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Gasoline and oil mixing is hardly related to whiskey making.

I suggest everyone do their own research. Im just some bloke on the internet.
 

jinja

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Fuel wont burn off/out of diluted oil once it is fully blended. Water or moisture will boil off because it doesn't blend.
This can be noticed mainly in the reduction in flash point of the oil.

That one test someone posted where flash point was 285 with only 4.5% dilution has me worried. That's getting real close to oil temps that can be achieved in high load scenarios (towing).
How long do you suppose a Ranger needs to sit for that oil to become fully blended and can't burn off even with long trips? Maybe these fringe cases like @MotoWojo can be explained by this science. If someone only did short trips right after an oil change, and then let it sit or only did short trips, the fuel issue would remain even if that driver went on long trips trying to resolve the issue?
 

geophb

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How long do you suppose a Ranger needs to sit for that oil to become fully blended and can't burn off even with long trips? Maybe these fringe cases like MotoWojo can be explained by this science. If someone only did short trips right after an oil change, and then let it sit or only did short trips, the fuel issue would remain even if that driver went on long trips trying to resolve the issue?
Running the engine is what blends everything. Almost like a giant blender.
I make short trips with the rare weekend trips 4hrs/250 mile one way, all interstate without driving in between there and back. Thats 500 miles of all 75mph interstate with one cooldown. So oil temps atleast 200 degrees+. My oil had steadily increased to the twist before my trip. After the trip, no change whatsoever. I check oil after sitting overnight, in the same spot in my garage to eliminate variables.

My thoughts were if I can't drop the level in 500 miles of all interstate, I am not going to damage engine trying. I thought I could "burn" it off too because it kinda makes sense.

Apparently the ecoboost does not act like a re-refinery..... :sarcasm+joke: But most likely will unintentionally offend someone like everything else I post ?
 


Dsc

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Just wanted to give my update to my previous post #793. Daily drive has not changed about 8km (5mi), disabled auto start/stop. Last long drive was in September about 400km, which brought the oil level to about 1/8in above top hole. This time the oil level was at the top of the twist. Ran highway for 340km, oil level is now about 1/4in above top hole. This is quite a drop, so i believe there is something to the oil needs to get hot to reduce the raw fuel dilution issue with DI engines. The truck only has 1843km on it since delivery in August so I will easily be within 8000km (5000mi) when the first oil change is due. Will do another highway run in a couple of months.
I am only reporting this as my experience.
 

jsphlynch

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Just got the report back on my second oil change. (Aside: USPS certainly took their sweet time to deliver it to them) 1% fuel dilution on this sample, compared to 6% on my previous oil change. Three things that I think definitely could have contributed to the improvement:
1) Break-in. Perhaps the rings are sealing things up better and letting less fuel by.
2) Warmer weather.
3) Longer drives, including an 800-mile roadtrip a week before I did the oil change this time around.
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2ford

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If this were the case it would evaporate out just sitting there and it wont.
Yes the fuel and oil mixture is more volatile. But no, it wont burn off and out. And anything that does burn off (because of the lower flash point) leaves behind a less than desirable contaminates.

It isn't the same as boiling the dissolved salt out of salt water.
Not true I suggest you try a simple experiment put an ounce of gas in a open container do the same with oil in a separate container and let them sit. Do this in a temperature controlled room. I know you will say the gas evaporated but it wasnt mixed with oil. Let us know what you find out.
 

N. J. Jim

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Well after three lab reports from blackstone it appears the problem is mostly due to short drives. Here is a report the shows three checks. The first of and the the second showed to be high of the dipstick and strong smell of fuel. However the fuel was only at 1.3%. Certainly nothing to be alarmed about. The third report was after a long highway drive and the dipstick level dropped down to normal and the fuel dropped down to <.5%. So it appears to me the the dipstick is going to show high with just a little fuel dilution. And as long as the engine is driven occasionally on longer highway drives the fuel should burn off. A problem for me as my daily drive is only a few miles and don't get it out on the highway but 2 or 3 times a year at most. Will continue to keep an eye of the dipstick and try to do a longer highway drive every month or so or change the oil a little more frequently.
20 RANGER-201130.jpg
I don't understand how the dipstick reading can be at the top hole and only having a 1.3% dilution. Mine did the same thing up to the top hole with only a 1% dilution. I drained the oil from the top hole down to the fill line and had about 14 ozs. of oil. What does this excess amount on the stick consist of, if not all fuel just doesn't make sense. ???
 

txquailguy

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What does the dip stick smell like, I doubt if you will have problems due to your driving habits. Break in is important...

I do 100-120 mph push daily...motor loves it ..
Regards
Doc

Edit: I have a 10 mile stretch of highway between here and Town With good visibility, No other cars around. I drive to town in the morning for Coffee and coming back from town when the motor temp is right I nail it to 100 and then immediately back to 60 then repeat once. Keeps me and the truck happy...
Hey Doc, How many miles do you have on your Ranger?
 

txquailguy

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I ordered my Blackstone kit yesterday. I figure I'll be right at 30k when I get ready to send off the sample. My Livernois tuner should be in by months end. Probably a good idea to see what's up with my power plant before I load a hot tune in her. Baseline data is always good for future reference.
 

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John Cadogan on AutoExpert.com explains the issue from an engineering standpoint.

My experience mirrors what many owners post. I check my oil regular with the truck is same place in the garage after sitting overnight. During warmer weather, I noted very little change on the dipstick level. My first oil sample at about 9700 miles came back at 2.0 % fuel dilution. My second sample at 14400 miles came back at 1.3 %. For the second sample I drove the truck for about 30 minutes at highway speed prior to taking the sample.

With the colder weather, I noted the oil level did rise about 1/4 inch. After driving the next day on the highway for a substantial distance, the oil level was down to the “normal” value. I have been changing the oil at 5000 mile interval using full synthetic. For the winter season, I plan to drop that change interval to 4000 miles. I do my own service so the cost is relatively small.

I also own a 2019 Mazda Miata that I drive the same routes as the truck. The Mazda has not had an issue with oil dilution. I sent a sample back and the value was <.5 % dilution. Car has same oil change interval as the truck and driven the same. My conclusion is that a forced induction engine more likely to see the issue.

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rpeterson53

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Back in the day in the Artic with radial engines, we would use fuel to dilute the oil to thin it out at the end of the day so the engines had some chance of starting in the morning if external heating not available. Typically radial engines used 50 or 60 weight oil. There was an oil dilution switch that activated a solenoid to allow fuel to enter the oil system. We did this for several minutes with the engine at idle. The fuel in the oil would burn off during the operational day.

The downside was the potential for dislodge of sludge that could block the oil screen so we didn’t like to use it unless absolutely a necessary. I seen to recall we deactivated the system on most aircraft and went to external heat mandatory. But I can confirm the fuel did burn off from the oil after operating at normal engine and oil temperature.

Thats been my experience

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