Hey hey we don't want to hear about that kind of stuff here....

 

The forum i was on for my last car, several people would send samples of their oil to be checked out by 'Blackwell'? or some place like that. The oil samples showed high levels of crap, gasket materal and several other things i can't remember. The oil didn't start to come out clean and normal until the engine had around 3,000 miles.

This is why i'm doing so many oil changes for the first 3,000 miles.

 

I changed mine at 2200 miles. The computer said "Oil Life 44%".

 

I am at a little over 2000 on the ODO and I have an oil life of 80 something %. I will just do what the computer/manual tell me. Don't the 11's have advanced oil monitering through the ECU? Thought I heard somewhere that it checks the oil on its own.

 

Listen to the StigMan!

 

WHY? He's beat his car up so bad it's in the shop for a new clutch.

(Just kidding, Stig.)

 

I actually wish that had been the reason the clutch needed replacing...........

 

I'm at 3500 and the Oil Life Monitor says I'm at ~84%!!! I really don't think I'm going to wait until 25k miles to change the oil.

 

Right.

And what is it actually monitoring? Viscosity? Blow-by contaminents (fuel)? Particle contaminents? Driving habits/conditions and temperatures? And how does it extrapolate that information to arrive at this percentage?

Sometimes, with some things, its better to rely on old fashioned common sense & experience vs new fashioned tech gadgetry.

 

Motorcraft 5W20 Synthetic Blend (8 Qt) - $12 for 5 Qt Jug and $2.77 Qt at WalMart (Best bang for the buck in oil)
Motorcraft FL500S Filter - About $6 at my Independent Full Line Motorcraft Dealer otherwise its the stealership at double price (Not available at most parts stores).
Factory OEM Fomoco was the same as a Wix 57502 (Napa Gold is the same Filter).

I changed mine at 1062.5 miles. Ran it through stainless mesh and caught absolutely nothing. Ran it back through fine white cloth and caught a minimal amount of fine gray "dust" which I believe was from ring seating.

Given what I know now I would not have been afraid to run the factory fill out until the Intelligent Oil Life Monitor went off. On my car that seems to be running on a 16,000 mile or 2 year pace. Im told by Ford that it will default to 10,000 miles or 1 year max when it hits 9500 miles or with two weeks remaining at which point it will change to 5% Oil Life Remaining.

For those of you stuck in the past (3,000 mi OCI or else) you can reset the IOLM to a lower percentage of Oil Life Remaining if you want it to go off sooner. I would still go by the IOLM as it will be more accurate than a fixed mileage taking into account longer operation at lower oil temps, average load, high oil temps, short trips, average rpm etc.

 

What the IOLM measures to determine when an oil change is needed
Several key factors that affect oil life include:

• Driving habits (such as towing and workload)
• Hours in operation and at idle
• Oil and coolant temperature
• Engine speed and torque

How the IOLM works
The IOLM does not use oil quality sensors – it is entirely software-based and uses actual engine operating conditions to calculate the oil change interval by using an algorithm. This means the system must be reset after an oil change. Not doing so will result in a premature OIL CHANGE REQUIRED message.

The frequency of oil changes
Depending on driving conditions, oil change intervals are 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 temperature

 

Im told by Ford that it will default to 10,000 miles or 1 year max when it hits 9500 miles or with two weeks remaining at which point it will change to 5% Oil Life Remaining.

 

Interesting. And makes my point.
While I'm sure its fine for general use and within those general ranges of driving conditions, an algorithm doesn't take into account unique circumstances - such as what can and does occur during the intital few hundred miles of engine usage after it leaves the factory.

 

From the driver's seat, you know how many months and how many miles have accrued since your last oil change. Other than that, it's just your general guess of how much wear and tear the oil has suffered. No, the computer isn't testing for blow-by contaminants, etc, but I can't measure those things from the driver's seat, either. I'd trust the judgment of the algorithm and computer that is collecting and remembering a lot more data than my own senses and memory.

I'm sure there were debates like this when tires came out that were rated for 40,000 miles or better. You can bet there were people saying that you'd be insane to trust a tire with that many miles on it. Same goes for spark plugs.

 

Such as???

 

I've seen well over a hundred posts on a Camaro site about this same topic. IMHO the first oil change should be done early at 1000-1500 miles just to remove any contaminents from the initial breakin proces and the oil life indicator should be followed afterwards.

 

Read my previous comments (and Stinger's).

 

let me see.. New 5.0= $35k
oil change = $22..

You tell me..

no brainer....

 

Those statements seem to contradict each other.

Since the system is using an algorithm rather than actual sampling, I'd rely on smelling, looking, feeling the oil - and checking my mileage - waaay before a computer modeling program. And though at 900 miles my oil looked and felt great, it smelled mildly of gaseous fumes from the initial blow-by before the rings were well seated. So I changed it.

Just like a tire may go 40k, but you better be checking air pressure, rotating regularly, and visually inspecting those tires along the way - not relying on "the computer says"...

I have kept a log book on every vehicle with all maintenance, repairs, etc. since 1976. My notes are far more precise than a computer 'guestimate'. As I said before, once the first oil change is done, the computer guide would be reasonable. But nothing beats a hands on inspection and actual records - and having the oil tested like some do.

 

i don't think it is mandatory, but it is a good idea. Did it on my '10 and my son's '07 and all my other new cars. I don't believe the engine pieces can be 100% cleaned at the manufacturing and assembly plants. I treat the 1000 mile oil change as the final flushing/cleaning. You can probably get the same effect at 500 miles.