Oil dilution in Mustang or RS 2.3L ecoboosts?

[Texasota]

Another thing to consider is when the engine shuts off or is under heavy boost, the PCV system shuts down and the concentration of un-burned fuel in the crankcase increases, and allows for a greater amount of dilution into the oil vapor present in the crank case until it has had time to settle after shut down or removed via ventilation by the PCV.

I recently had a 250 mile trip towing my boat with a strong headwind. I’m confident I was under heavy boost for much of that trip. I checked my oil the next morning and it had risen about 3/16” on the dipstick. A few days later I had an easy highway drive (no boat) that was about 100 miles. The next morning I checked the oil again and it had gone back down on the dipstick almost to where it was originally. Seems like this leads credence to what Bret and Phil are saying.

Sponsored

 

[MotoWojo]

Did you read the part I said about the possibility of a leaking injector? I don’t have oil/fuel dilution issues and I haven’t read of any on here with it either. So check the Mustang forums for more information and see if there are things you should check. Otherwise take it to the dealer since it’s under warranty.

We have a thread with over 700 posts? Some of us are having issues.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/fuel-in-oil.4803/page-47#post-154454

My dealer took an oil sample, 500 miles after oil change, and sent it out for testing, the test report indicated 12% fuel dilution. Dealer changed out HPFP and injectors and now ~2000 miles later, oil level is up to the "twist", which is higher than when the oil sample was sent out. I made another appointment with the dealer a few weeks ago, but the soonest I could get in was actually later today. I have been driving my motorcycle as much as I can to avoid driving the Ranger even though the Ranger drives and runs fine. I have never had any stuttering or stumbling issues during start up. Just trying to avoid any long term engine damage? I will be curious as to what they try next? Maybe they replaced a bad injector with another bad injector? Also, I have ~18,000 miles on the truck and the "rising" oil level problem only started ~6.000 miles ago? From a previous oil change when the level was up to the twist, the oil volume drained at that time was about 7.8 qts. That's about 1.5 qts of something that was not part of the preceding oil change fill. I am sure they will change the oil today and that will be the 5th oil change in the last 6,000 miles. I will ask them to measure what the drainage volume is. My appointment is at 8:00am this morning. I hope they get to the bottom of this as I really like this truck.

 

[T-Wrecks]

Yes an oil test would be the only definitive way to verify dilution but I've never smelled oil this bad before in other ecoboosts. So something is up with this 2.3 L that's why I asked if the other 2.3L have the same issue. I can't imagine they do or it's been going on a long time and that's not acceptable. If they don't then what's the difference between them, as that would be a clue. Are the injectors and fuel pumps the same? PVC system? Sounds to me like it's inadequate crankcase venting which should be an easy fix for Ford once they admit there's an issue.

 

[cb4017]

Yes an oil test would be the only definitive way to verify dilution but I've never smelled oil this bad before in other ecoboosts. So something is up with this 2.3 L that's why I asked if the other 2.3L have the same issue. I can't imagine they do or it's been going on a long time and that's not acceptable. If they don't then what's the difference between them, as that would be a clue. Are the injectors and fuel pumps the same? PVC system? Sounds to me like it's inadequate crankcase venting which should be an easy fix for Ford once they admit there's an issue.

Seems like a simple question and I'd like to know the answer too. I'm seriously considering a Ranger but after reading the 40 page thread on fuel dilution in the oil I am having second thoughts.

 

[JAKE2.3]

My mustang oil smells like fuel to me, too. I've sent samples in religiously with it. No fuel issues whatsoever. It might just be the smell that is concerning (I know I was concerned). I haven't changed the ranger oil yet and had it analyzed, but I'm about to. (1900 miles). I recommend an oil analysis to be sure.

 

[Kemo Sabe]

Hi Folks,

I for the most part stay out of these kinds of threads but I have a puzzlement. Doesn't the oil get hot enough to vaporize any fuel in the oil which would be drawn into the intake mainfold and burned? I must be missing something here...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Exactly my thought! Glad you asked.

 

[Glen]

T-Wrecks,

The only way to be 100% positive that there is a significant dilution issue is to have the oil tested. Just because it smells of gasoline does not necessarily mean it has been diluted to the point of not being able to provide proper lubrication or that there is an underlying mechanical issue with one or more injectors. If this truly is of a major concern to you, then have the oil tested several intervals during the time frame between oil-changes. This will provide you an accurate report at the severity of the problem if it exists. From there you can take that to Ford to be properly addressed. Until then just going by what the oil smells like is not a definitive way to determine there being an issue.



Hi Paul,

Under normal operation the PCV system will pull a large percentage of the vaporized fuel back into the intake to be burned along with water condensation and oil. Since gasoline readily bonds with oil a portion of the blow-by will be lost to this and be deposited back into the crankcase where it will remain until the next oil change. Since the 2.3L in the Ranger has an oil separator, the unit could also by design cause an increased amount of fuel vapor to bond with the engine oil. It is hard to calculate what percentage of un-burned fuel bonds with oil, and what passes on to return to the intake. People who have installed catch cans have confirmed they are successful in removing a significant volume of condensate that has a heavy fuel odor to it. Another thing to consider is when the engine shuts off or is under heavy boost, the PCV system shuts down and the concentration of un-burned fuel in the crankcase increases, and allows for a greater amount of dilution into the oil vapor present in the crank case until it has had time to settle after shut down or removed via ventilation by the PCV.

Where is the oil separator located ? and when did they start installing them on the 2.3 engine. Thank You.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

It's on the driver's side of the engine just above and back from the oil filter. It's the device you're connecting the hoses to when installing an oil catch can.

I believe Ford first started putting them on the Mustang 2.3L somewhere in 2018. For the 2015-2016, Ford released an external unit like this one. https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-6766-A23

What is installed on the 2.3L consists of a baffle plate to repeatedly change the direction of airflow slowing it down so the oil vapor will fall out of the air stream. This is the back side of the separator/baffle plate installed on the 2.3L Ecoboost.

As far as effectiveness, based on what people are reporting when draining aftermarket catch cans, it looks like they do make a significant impact in the amount of oil vapor returning to the intake via the PCV but leaves room for improvement. Perhaps putting some steel filter material like that found in catch cans would slow things down more to allow more oil vapor to be removed within this baffle plate.

 

[Glen]

It's on the driver's side of the engine just above and back from the oil filter. It's the device you're connecting the hoses to when installing an oil catch can.

I believe Ford first started putting them on the Mustang 2.3L somewhere in 2018. For the 2015-2016, Ford released an external unit like this one. https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-6766-A23

What is installed on the 2.3L consists of a baffle plate to repeatedly change the direction of airflow slowing it down so the oil vapor will fall out of the air stream. This is the back side of the separator/baffle plate installed on the 2.3L Ecoboost.

As far as effectiveness, based on what people are reporting when draining aftermarket catch cans, it looks like they do make a significant impact in the amount of oil vapor returning to the intake via the PCV but leaves room for improvement. Perhaps putting some steel filter material like that found in catch cans would slow things down more to allow more oil vapor to be removed within this baffle plate.

Bret thanks for the information and Illustrations. I'll see if i can find it next time i'm under my truck. It is a 2019 and is approaching a year old. It was built 2nd week of September 2019.

 

[Bproctor]

Bret thanks for the information and Illustrations. I'll see if i can find it next time i'm under my truck. It is a 2019 and is approaching a year old. It was built 2nd week of September 2019.

They are hard to see if you leave the tire on. A scope will make it even easier.

 

[mlarma]

It's on the driver's side of the engine just above and back from the oil filter. It's the device you're connecting the hoses to when installing an oil catch can.

I believe Ford first started putting them on the Mustang 2.3L somewhere in 2018. For the 2015-2016, Ford released an external unit like this one. https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-6766-A23

What is installed on the 2.3L consists of a baffle plate to repeatedly change the direction of airflow slowing it down so the oil vapor will fall out of the air stream. This is the back side of the separator/baffle plate installed on the 2.3L Ecoboost.

As far as effectiveness, based on what people are reporting when draining aftermarket catch cans, it looks like they do make a significant impact in the amount of oil vapor returning to the intake via the PCV but leaves room for improvement. Perhaps putting some steel filter material like that found in catch cans would slow things down more to allow more oil vapor to be removed within this baffle plate.

This is some solid info here. Thank you for this high quality explanation.
As for the OP, get the oil analyzed and if there is an issue take it to the dealer. Maybe have them do the next oil change anyway to see if there’s a difference. It’s just standard troubleshooting - get more data to help you make a decision with facts rather than assumptions. I wish ya luck and hope it turns out to be nothing.

 

[Dustanmont]

I'm thinking about buying mustang injectors and having my tuner tune my truck for them. Mustangs do not have this issue, and they flow 7% more... so it's kind of an upgrade. The Ranger injectors are used in 2.0 equipped cars according to the ford parts catalog.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

I'm thinking about buying mustang injectors and having my tuner tune my truck for them. Mustangs do not have this issue, and they flow 7% more... so it's kind of an upgrade. The Ranger injectors are used in 2.0 equipped cars according to the ford parts catalog.

Interesting. Agreed you would definitely need an updated tune for the flow increase to get the most out of these. Be worth getting before and after dyno runs to see what if any increase these provide.

 

[Dmc]

I've changed oil 2x in my Ranger and a bunch of times for two 1.6 EB (Focus ST and Escape) and a 1.5 EB (Escape) and only the Ranger has oil dilution issues. All are DI so why only the Ranger? I was hoping to go 5K between oil changes but I'm sticking with 4K it's that bad. Do the other 2.3L EBs in the Mustang and Focus RS suffer the same thing?

It's a ranger thing I had 3 2020 and all 3 did it and had high dilution. Some believe it is a gasket from the high pressure pump that seals off the valve cover ware a cam is inserted to turn of the cam . I don't know but I said fk it and moved over to a toyota tacoma . Good luck in your answer . I can say every ranger I been near with a 2.3 eco all have dilution some worse then others .

 

[T-Wrecks]

I don't know but I said fk it and moved over to a toyota tacoma . Good luck in your answer . I can say every ranger I been near with a 2.3 eco all have dilution some worse then others .

The answer I found was related to short trips. I only noticed dilution when I was taking frequent 1 mile trips, on longer trips no issue. So I'll change oil more often in those conditions.

You guys are putting way too much thought into this. Trading in for a Taco is giving up *way* more than changing oil a few more times.

Sponsored