shayner

After the earlier statement of putting $20,000 into my car I was not specific to the upgrades.
I have a vortech so oil changes are more frequent.

ENGINE
Engine Oil:

Most supercharger kits provide an increase in horsepower of 40% or more. With that increase it’s also fair to say that your motor is working 40% harder and it’s parts need the same amount of additional protection. For this reason the use of exclusively synthetic engine oil is recommended. Some synthetics offer an extended change interval. Changing the crankcase oil at the regular 3000-mile intervals has proven to be the best practice for supercharged engines. Use a proven, good quality filter and synthetic oil such as Mobil 1(for both). The supercharger does not have an affect on the grade of oil required for your vehicle.

berzerk_1980

Personally, I respect your decision as it's your motor and it's your responsibility to maintain it as you see fit.

People are giving you a hard time because, presuming that when you store the car you don't start it, changing the oil is really just taking the oil out of the bottles and storing it in the engine. The point is if you wouldn't have thrown away the bottled oil, it's hard to understand why you'd throw away the unused oil in the engine by changing it after storage.

2011 Kona Blue

The term oil life monitoring system is funny in the mustang because my 2011 doesn't monitor the oil quality at all. The oil life monitoring system cannot distinguish the difference between convention oil, 50/50 blended oils and true fully synthetic oils. The system will alert someone the oil needs to be changed based on its program of of 10k mile oil change interval. One can reset the oil life monitor ,use convention oil and the oil life monitoring system will still be no different than one using Royal Purple or Amsoil.

The system truly doesn't analize the particular oils life and it just keeps track of the 10k miles since you reset the system last. It keeps people from going 30k miles , forgetting to change the oil. To me, that is not really a oil life monitoring system.

I have used base IV synthetic oils, base III synthetic oils and 50/50 blended oils and my oil life monitoring system always measures the same percentage of oil life left when I hit my 7,500 miles regardless of the oil.

GrnT

My oil monitor is a dip stick and an odometer. Changing out dirty air filters and once a year oil change is about it. It's good practice to monitor your oil level on a regular basis and check for leaks more often than not. I like to stay close to my motors and monitor at all times for changes that could occur. Not to mention keeping the engine good and polished. I'm really not familiar with the use of an oil life monitor. The monitor in our flex will probably never be needed because of the way I do things.

2011 Kona Blue

Smart man right here.

kylerohde

This is incorrect. The oil life monitor takes into account all sorts of factors to decide when the oil should be changed. You're right that it can't distinguish between semisynthetic and synthetic oils, but that doesn't mean it's just as basic as a 10,000 mile countdown.

2011 Kona Blue

If the oil monitoring system can not distinguish the difference between conventional oil, synthetic oil and 50/50 blended oil, then what is the system exacting analyzing? What other factors is the system taking into account and using to decide when the oil needs too be changed.

Because the system cannot analyze how much actual good oil percentage life is actually left, then its not a oil life monitoring system and is useless.

All I know is no matter what oil I have used in the past, base III, base IV synthetic or 50/50 blend oil my mustangs oil life monitor gives me the same percentage every time I hit 7,500 miles.

The truth of these oil monitoring systems is they are set to display need oil change based on the manufactures recommended oil change interval. That way the average person doesn't go thousands over the manufacturers recommended oil change interval. My mother has a 2005 Toyota Highlander and it is equipped with a oil monitor system as well. The system goes off exactly every 5k miles from reset regardless if the oil is still good.

Getportfolio

Pondering all this as I enjoy driving year round. (Regardless of weather

TheReaper

El Coyote GT/CS

Consider dumping the oil during winter storage, then putting the new oil in when taking it out of storage. That would save you 8 quarts. Put the keys in a box with the new oil to prevent an absent-minded dry start!

You could always toss 8 quarts of "the cheap stuff" for peace of mind!

berzerk_1980

I can't speak for the Mustang, as this opinion is extremely common among this and other Mustang forums. However, my wife has a Honda Fit, and the Honda dealer told us to always use the oil life monitor. She does her oil about 12k on the average, but I'm pretty sure it varies. She brings it in when it hits 10%. My friends at work are GM people with some pretty nice cars (Cadillacs and Vettes mostly), and I'm pretty sure they use the oil life monitor as well, including the gear heads. TBH, I was kind of surprised to find that no one seems to trust the Mustang oil life monitor.

While there's no guarantee that our cars do this, I can see how the engine computer may be able to measure oil life using methods other than the odometer. I would think that one very simple way would be to count revolutions of the engine instead of revolutions of the tire; this would take into account idling, hard acceleration, and overdrive, all of which are sort of weak points in estimating oil life by the odometer. I would also think that the oil breaks down according to some function of the oil temperature which the computer also has access to. TBH, if I knew that the computer tracked those two parameters as well as the calendar, I'd probably trust it more than a mileage recommendation. For all I know, the mileage recommendation could be backed into by the design engineer through estimation of the above parameters.

Rather B.Blown

There may be some other parameters that it measures, but I've never seen any evidence of it on my 500. Seems like time and mileage are the only things that sets it off.

Manual says to change oil every 7500 miles, or 6 months. I've had it just shy of 4 years and it only has 8K miles on it. You know what? Every 6 months the monitor says change oil soon. Doesn't matter if I've driven it 500 miles, or 1500 miles, doesn't matter if I've hammered the hell out of it in hot summer weather or if I just cruised around some in the winter. It comes on every 6 months like clockwork.

kylerohde

From Ford's Oil Life Monitor FAQ:

Intelligent Oil Life Monitor™ Frequently Asked Questions

1) When should I change my oil?
Many 2011 model year Ford vehicles are equipped with an Intelligent Oil-
Life Monitor (IOLM). The IOLM uses actual engine operating conditions to calculate the oil change interval by using an algorithm. The IOLM will indicate when the oil change service interval should be completed by displaying ENGINE OIL CHANGE SOON or OIL CHANGE REQUIRED in the message center. The system requires you to reset the IOLM after an oil change. Missing a “reset” at an oil change will result in a premature OIL CHANGE REQUIRED message.

2) How often do I need to change my oil?
You should perform an oil change when the instrument cluster message center displays ENGINE OIL CHANGE SOON or OIL CHANGE REQUIRED. This can be up to one year or 10,000 miles, depending on how you drive your vehicle. An oil change service must be completed within 14 days or 500 miles after the OIL CHANGE REQUIRED display appears in the message center. Depending on driving conditions, we expect oil change intervals to be approximately:

• Up to 10,000 miles - Normal commuting with highway driving
• 5,000-7,500 miles - Trailer tow/high-load driving
• 3,000–5,000 miles - Short-trip usage, extreme cold or hot temperatures
  

Actual mileage will depend on your specific driving conditions. Under normal conditions a customer will get an OIL CHANGE REQUIRED message at up to one year or 10,000 miles from the previous oil change.

Link to that doc: https://owner.ford.com/Storage/Commo...IOLM%20FAQ.pdf

Link to a Ford dealer's page about it: http://stuartpowell.info/ford-vehicl...-life-monitor/

I couldn't find a list of all the parameters it takes into account but easy ones to think would be included are engine speed, road speed, idle time, outside temperature, percentage of throttle applied?

Here's my own experience with it:

• 5,472 miles on oil, 5 months since last change: 46% life left according to IOLM
• 6,714 miles on oil, 5.5 months since last change: 32% life left according to IOLM
• 5,185 miles on oil, 5.5 months since last change: 48% life left according to IOLM

Based on those bullets above, it's not a simple mileage/time countdown clock. I don't think it's a perfect system by any stretch. I've had to have the TSB performed to fix the issue where it won't allow intervals more than 5,000 miles and now there's something else wrong with it, as it hasn't budged from 100% in months. However, this just seems like another way some of you guys think Ford is trying to screw you. Why you buy a car from a company you constantly think is trying to screw you is beyond me but, anyway, that's what I've learned about the IOLM.

2011 Kona Blue

Perhaps the oil life monitoring systems in Corvettes and Cadillac's are far superior too the one I have in my 2011 mustang. Since I don't have a Corvette nor a Cadillac I'm not able to give an educated opinion on their system.

I can surely say that the oil life monitoring system in my 2011 Mustang does not actually analyze the quality of oil life left. No matter which quality oil I have used the percentage life is always the same when I hit 7,500 miles. How could I use Mobil 1 Extended Performance base IV synthetic oil (top tier) and have the same good oil life percentage when I hit 7,500 miles as I did when using Motorcraft 50/50 blend?

Perhaps, my oil life monitoring system is faulty and never worked correctly from the first day I took ownership of my pony which I'm the originally owner of. After speaking to other Mustang enthusiasts about the oil monitoring system they too have gotten the same results as I have. The system is not able to distinguish the quality of the oil and actually analyze the life's oil percentage left. The system is based on time and mileage and has nothing to do with the actual quality of good oil left.

I know my mother's Toyota Highlander has a oil life monitoring system as well and it goes off every 5,000 miles religiously with no exceptions to the oil that was being used.

Just for the record I in no way think Ford is trying to screw me or customers based on their oil life monitoring system, not at all. I'm just confident that the system does not analyize the actual good percentage oil left. It's letting the majority of customers know that it's time for an oil change based on 10,000 miles or the annual mark. I have received no different oil monitoring results using three different oils with the system.

dave07

The IOLM uses a complex mathematical algorithm to determine when you need to change your oil. It's based off of things like temperature, the type of miles driven, idle times, redline frequency, etc. There is no system out there that actually samples and analyzes the oil in the pan, at least to my knowledge. GM also uses a complex algorithm.

2011 Kona Blue

Exactly my point sir. The system does not and can not analyze the actual amount of good oil percentage left. Its for the majority of people who don't pay attention to oil change interval times like my mother and only know its time for a change when the system goes off based on time and millage. Someone very well may be changing perfectly good oil life that's left because they are using a good synthetic oil. I'm someone who changes the oil every 7,500 miles regardless what the oil life monitor system indicates and probably going to extend it to 10-11k intervals but will step up to Royal Purple and a better oil filter.

That way I can change my oil just once a year, same month and do it during the warmer temps like in June.

70monte

I know mine in my 14 GT is not a countdown timer. I bought the car in August of 2013 with 38 miles on it and it was built in Feb of 2013. When I bought it, the OLM said about 96% and I'm assuming it was still on the original oil fill since it still had the factory oil filter on it when I changed it in March of 14.

I kept that same oil in the car until March of 2014 when I changed the oil for the first time. I had around 4,600 miles on the car and the OLM was at 43% and the car was a little over a year old.

Like it's been said before, the OLM monitors things like RPM's, speed, coolant temp, and some other things. On bobistheoilguy.com website, there are plenty of oil analysis results of people using the OLM's to change oil and the oil is fine.

I'm not afraid to use it and I'm going by the OLM or one year, whatever comes first.

Wayne

2011 Kona Blue

Its all good. I just change my oil around the same interval every time and pay no attention to what the oil life monitor reads. Lol

berzerk_1980

Being a computer guy, I will be disappointed if the OLM doesn't read 0 by noon on the 366th day.

Kidding aside, I am going to guess that the OLM is subtracting the greater of 100/365 of a percent daily or the calculated wear based on usage. Further guessing that in general time is the dominant factor. This would explain a correctly functioning OLM algorithm that generally works like an odometer unless the engine is being used in a fashion that accelerates oil breakdown.

GrampsV6

I would change it coming out of storage. Even if it is only for a few months in storage and starting it a letting it warm up to operating temp a couple times a month t
There may be condensation build up happening. Look at the gas money and other maintaince cost you saved not driving the mustang and get piece of mind for a $50 oil change