OLM ? After 2500 miles and 3 months my OLM says I need an oil change

[Biggus Dickus]

Flex tuned for E85, driven hard and fast always, but this doesn't seem right at all.

Any ideas?

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[Joe Gonsalves]

The OLM is computed from various engine characteristics. You said you drive it hard and fast so if the engine RPM was up near redline too often, then it may have influenced the OLM's algorithm and it computed you need a change. I would check it and look at the color. If it was a quality full synthetic and still clear I would reset the OLM. If it was organic and regardless of color then I would do the oil change.

 

[engineermike]

I posted about something related last week. If it’s oem flex logic then ford has a 2x multiplier for oil degradation at high ethanol.

 

[Biggus Dickus]

So it could be a combination of factors: fast, aggressive, high RPM driving including blasting up the Cajon Pass from the bottom to top over 100 mph in 4th once per week, and generally running straight E85 (I'm flex, but usually just run E85 which in So Cal is > 85%).

My oil is PUP 5-30 and looks fine.

 

[ORRadtech]

So, to summarize, you're driving it close to an abusive level using fuel that is known to decrease oil life?
Since many, many people here change oil on their mostly non abused daily or weekend cars on pump gas at a maximum of 5k miles a hard usage situation with a fuel that's hard on oil at 2500 miles doesn't seem out of line to me.
Besides, an oil change is much less expensive than an engine, why quibble with the car programming?

 

[EFI]

but this doesn't seem right at all.

Honestly, I'd be pretty close to changing out the oil at that point myself. Don't need no OLM to tell me that.

PUP is cheap (under $50 for 10 quarts), and for a car driven HARD with E85 in the tank I would not hesitate to change it before 3,000 miles.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Flex tuned for E85, driven hard and fast always, but this doesn't seem right at all.

Any ideas?

Here’s how the oil life monitor works, per the shop manual:

 

[Pittpa]

It knows what’s best.

 

[fiveoboy01]

So it could be a combination of factors: fast, aggressive, high RPM driving including blasting up the Cajon Pass from the bottom to top over 100 mph in 4th once per week, and generally running straight E85 (I'm flex, but usually just run E85 which in So Cal is > 85%).

My oil is PUP 5-30 and looks fine.

"Oil looks fine" is a really poor barometer for its condition.

Fuel dilution is a thing and E85 makes it worse just by the increased fuel volume.

Change the oil.

If you "think" it's fine, then send a sample out for analysis which will eliminate guesswork.

 

[robvas]

If you "think" it's fine, then send a sample out for analysis which will eliminate guesswork.

Or just change it for the $50 you would pay for an OA and waiting for the turnaround time...

 

[fiveoboy01]

Or just change it for the $50 you would pay for an OA and waiting for the turnaround time...

That’s what I would do.

The only thing I ever did regular analysis on was my airplane. For obvious reasons

 

[Skye]

I haven't noticed it in a 6G thread, but at 7G, one individual's OLM went to zero over the course of a race weekend. Driving the car hard on E85 for 2,500 mi / 4,000 km, I'd agree with the OLM.

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