2015 Ford Fusion 2.0L EcoBoost, 5,057 miles, Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-30

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Apr 5, 2020
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Channahon, IL
My friends think I'm nuts for continuing to have UOA's done. Maybe they're right.

Either way, nothing abnormal with this one, much like the previous ones. The coolant loss I was worried about turned out to be due to a combination of a slight leak off the thermostat housing and a very small leak from a transmission cooler coolant line, both of which I have since replaced. She's (over)due for some kind of induction cleaning (hopefully walnut blasting), hopefully I'll get that done soon.

I do find it amusing that I somehow mirrored/matched my last OCI in terms of mileage, though.
 

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Your right...there probably isn't a reason to continue to get UOA's done. I did notice you had TBN done but BS didn't suggest going xxxx amount more miles next time.
 
Your right...there probably isn't a reason to continue to get UOA's done. I did notice you had TBN done but BS didn't suggest going xxxx amount more miles next time.
I didn't ask about extended oil change intervals; I never do. If I wasn't (unnecessarily) paranoid about the apparent consumption, I might've tried it. I get TBN analysis done more out of curiosity than anything else.
 
Agree, results are , substantially, the same. Did you run 0w-20 or 5w-20 on the 2 lower vis runs?
 
Agree, results are , substantially, the same. Did you run 0w-20 or 5w-20 on the 2 lower vis runs?
No, same viscosity. I was running the 'regular' Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30.

Why not ? Do you have an idea how much further you can run the oil ? Your using an oil that's capable of running alot longer than 5K.
I'm aware, but I'm not a fan of fixing what ain't broke. The 5k interval seems to be working just fine, so why change things? I will say that if it wasn't for the apparent consumption (and I had some kind of number for what is considered acceptable oil consumption for this engine), I might be slightly more amenable to trying extended intervals. I've run 6k intervals before, though that was mostly out of necessity thanks to scheduling and cash flow issues.
 
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Looks great! I also do UOAs just for fun, even if no issues. I like to see what's going on in my engine, even if it's nothing. :)

Pennzoil runs a bit thin, so it won't take much shearing to get it below grade. The Ultra Platinum starts at 10.3; the Platinum at 9.8. It seems to be doing a great job, so no reason to change it up unless you want the oil to stay in grade.
 
Looks great! I also do UOAs just for fun, even if no issues. I like to see what's going on in my engine, even if it's nothing. :)

Pennzoil runs a bit thin, so it won't take much shearing to get it below grade. The Ultra Platinum starts at 10.3; the Platinum at 9.8. It seems to be doing a great job, so no reason to change it up unless you want the oil to stay in grade.
I believe the
 
*I believe the shearing is ostensibly due to fuel dilution, which has cropped up in every sample I've taken, and likely has been a thing for this engine ever since I bought it.

Dunno why that posted like that.
Shear and fuel dilution are two separate phenomenons. The problem with Blackstone is they don't properly measure fuel dilution so a lot of the time it gets construed as shear.
 
Shear and fuel dilution are two separate phenomenons. The problem with Blackstone is they don't properly measure fuel dilution so a lot of the time it gets construed as shear.
Fair enough. Out of all the samples I've sent since 2020, only 1-2 had 'acceptable' fuel dilution. I don't know if it's just a fact of life with DI turbo engines, this engine family, or if mine is a special case. Would it explain the oil consumption issue if it was?
 
Fair enough. Out of all the samples I've sent since 2020, only 1-2 had 'acceptable' fuel dilution. I don't know if it's just a fact of life with DI turbo engines, this engine family, or if mine is a special case. Would it explain the oil consumption issue if it was?

Yes, thinned oil (oil thinned by fuel) can certain increase consumption. I'd recommend using another lab (like OAI) that properly measures fuel dilution to give you a better idea of what you are up against.
 
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