Change, send in a sample, or just rest the OLM?

[earlyre]

ok fellow BITOGrs, looking for an opinion oh how to proceed.

this is on my 09 Sable, that i just bought in Jan. know the dealer said they had changed the oil, but a few days after i bought it the OLM was low enough, it prompted me to "change oil soon".

at that point, i just reset the olm, and waited for warmer weather. (it was hella cold last jan/feb)

Changed it out on march 10th, with 70,770mi.
took out whatever their bulk oil was and the Carquest red filter they used, put in the Meijer Full Syn (only 5w20 i had on hand), and an FL-400s (already had on hand for Mom's Car)

now, 5 months later, I'm Still only @ 2700mi since the Change, but the OLM is down into single Digits.
I am a Short tripper, as I live just under 5 mi from work, and I tend to be running late, so there is a fair amount of hammer down driving first thing in the AM.

I know oil color tells you bupkiss, but it only recently got any darker than it was when i put it in, and it's still no where near black.

so the options are:
1) Change it (car takes 5.5qts, have 5qts 5w20 PPPP, and .5qt 5w30 PP, with a Wix 51516)
2) take a sample via aquarium tubing and the dipstick tube and see what Blackstone says
3)Reset the olm, and change it in Mid October, when i get back from Vacation, and will have a little over 5,000mi on the oil/filter

VOA on the Current oil

what say you oh bitog gurus

 

[901Memphis]

I vote for option #4) send a sample in at 5k to see if you can extend further.

No way that full syn is spent <3 k miles.

 

[Rolla07]

Run to 5k miles and send in a sample for UOA. You will know if 5k is too long, too short or just right and tweak it to meet your needs.

Guess Thats a +1 to 901Memphis

 

[jimbrewer]

I'd UOA it when the IOLM goes off. Why guesstimate? That's the whole point of a UOA is it not? You can leave the oil in while you await the results of your test. Its not that critical. If its way off compared to the IOLM (i.e. way more favorable) adopt a reasonable oil change interval and call it a day.


Ford's IOLM doesn't like inactivity. I have a somewhat similar driving pattern (although I don't hammer it) In the winter time, I'm clicking off a percentage point at the 65 mile mark. So you are probably within range especially if you park the car for a few days here and there.

As far as your experience with the IOLM when it was new, probably the tech forgot to reset it when he changed the oil.

 

[Skid]

If it were me, I would change the oil unless I knew there was a problem with the OLM.

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: Skid
If it were me, I would change the oil unless I knew there was a problem with the OLM.

well this is what i'm trying to establish. only had the car 7 mo, less than 5k mi, this would be the second oil change, first one with any sampling.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: earlyre
Originally Posted By: Skid
If it were me, I would change the oil unless I knew there was a problem with the OLM.

well this is what i'm trying to establish. only had the car 7 mo, less than 5k mi, this would be the second oil change, first one with any sampling.


The only way to determine if the OLM is working properly or not is to send off a sample. I'd go with a nice round number of 5K miles and post the results. Then you'll know if the OCI needs tweaking or not, and if you can trust the OLM.

 

[earlyre]

ended up drawing a sample last night, will be sent in shortly.

Need to find a Different sampling rig though... the aquarium tubing worked, but it was one drop at a time. took nearly an hour to fill the 3.5 oz vial blackstone supplies.

first i tried Silicone airline, b/c it should be able to withstand the temps of a still armed up engine... but it "loosened up" when warmed to the point that it would collapse in on t self from the vacuum.

then regular tubing, held up fine to the heat, just wasn't much flow unless i was applying a vacuum to it. the siphon effect was painfully slow.

I think i can bash something together for less than the $30 Blackstone charges for their sampling pump though. just need to hit the drawing board.

 

[fdcg27]

You posted a VOA of this oil, now you can post a UOA.
It's nice to see members using and having analyzed oils we don't usually see here.
We need another M1/PP/PU UOA like we need another hole in our collective heads.

 

[meborder]

the oil life monitor in your vehicle is not what ford later refers to as their "intelligent oil life monitor (IOLM)"

the IOLM calculates oil life based on the operation the engine has seen since the last reset.

the OLM in your vehicle is a glorified timer. it will count down to zero in 7500 miles or 6 months, which ever occurs first.

that is to say, if you were to change the oil, let the vehicle sit for 3 months and never drive it you could expect to see your OLM to read about 50%. i have experienced this first hand.

might want to keep this in mind when using your OLM to gauge OCI's. with ford in particular, if your manual does not refer to it as "intelligent" (IOLM), then it is simply a timer.

 

[earlyre]

I never said this was the IOLM, just an OLM. Interestingly, mom has pretty much the same car( 09 Taurus/ 09 Sable), sits more than mine, but she can get the full 7500 before her olm goes off...

 

[meborder]

if she were to drive more than 7500 miles in less than 6 months then that makes sense.

as i said, it will tell you to change at 7500 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first.

as for the IOLM vs OLM, i was just trying to point out that ford uses two very different oil life monitor. if it does not say "intelligent" oil life monitor in the owner's manual then it is simply a timer, and nothing more.

based on the nature of your question, it appeared that you were not aware of the way your OLM worked.

by all reports, the IOLM that ford is using on their newer models is working very well ... the older OLM, well ... it's just a reminder to the driver that oil does not last forever.

 

[earlyre]

UOA Thread:
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3464970#Post3464970