I was surprised when I checked my oil today

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pbm

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My 2014 Focus with M/T has been trouble-free since I bought it (new) 4 years and 40K ago.
For the first 10 to close to 20K it would use about 8 ounces of oil in a 5K OCI which eventually stopped after break-in (in other words it would use no oil per OCI after 20K on the odometer). I don't have a lot of flat ground for checking oil at home so I usually do it while I'm shopping. Today I found the level down at the bottom of the cross-hatched area (down approx. a quart)...When I got home I jacked it up, removed the belly pan (protector) and found that the oil sensor switch was not tight and showed signs of leaking (I was able to turn it by hand). I removed it and put some Teflon tape on it and re-installed and tightened it. I'm thinking that should take care of the leak but I'm wondering how it came to be so loose at only 40K miles? I'm assuming it wasn't tightened enough at the factory and it vibrated loose....hopefully that's the explanation.

PS: I'm happy to report that I only needed to add a little over a 1/2 quart (about 18 oz.) to bring it back to the top of the cross-hatched area....and this included a couple of ounces that came out when I removed the sensor to put the Teflon tape on the threads. I hate running my engine when it's low on oil......
 
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At about 160k, the original oil pressure switch on my Mazda suddenly sprung a leak. I was lucky to catch it fairly promptly, before losing more than a pint or so. You might want to double-check to be sure you don't have a leak through the switch.

You're probably correct about inadequate tightening at the factory. Whatever sealant they used covered the problem for 40k.
 
It's funny how things work loose. Yesterday I saw a tiny puddle under my Jeep. I found the top radiator hose loose. I guess it had enough hot / cold cycles as I almost got a full turn on the clamps.
 
Good catch! It wouldn't have been fun watching oil gush out when the switch fully vibrated loose.
 
Originally Posted by CR94
At about 160k, the original oil pressure switch on my Mazda suddenly sprung a leak. I was lucky to catch it fairly promptly, before losing more than a pint or so. You might want to double-check to be sure you don't have a leak through the switch.

You're probably correct about inadequate tightening at the factory. Whatever sealant they used covered the problem for 40k.


I'm going to keep an eye on the switch for leaks but I'm almost certain it was leaking from the threaded area due to looseness. Thanks for the good advice....
 
Perfect example of the importance of periodically checking the oil. A problem was found and fixed before it had a chance of becoming expensive.
 
I would have used the appropriate Permatex over Teflon tape. Does anyone know if there are any risks for the telfon in this type of application that the OP should be worried about?
 
Originally Posted by gathermewool
I would have used the appropriate Permatex over Teflon tape. Does anyone know if there are any risks for the telfon in this type of application that the OP should be worried about?


I thought about that but decided to go ahead with the Teflon because the switch (must) work on pressure....I can't see how Teflon on the threaded portion would affect pressure reading at the center hole....If anybody thinks differently, I'll listen??
 
I've used Teflon tape on an oil sending unit in the past and when I put a tee on the port for an oil gauge. No issues whatsoever.
 
....Yeah, the chances of a bit of teflon tape shearing off and messing something up are very low.
I'm sure the OP applied the tape judiciously. Even when using the stuff on plumbing basics I look to see where the pipe threads contacted and zero in on that part of the threads.

Only delicate gas valves / regulators fear the occasional bit of tape which would jam them. The hardware store man told me that when the blue paste was introduced.
 
Originally Posted by Kira
....Yeah, the chances of a bit of teflon tape shearing off and messing something up are very low.
I'm sure the OP applied the tape judiciously. Even when using the stuff on plumbing basics I look to see where the pipe threads contacted and zero in on that part of the threads.

Only delicate gas valves / regulators fear the occasional bit of tape which would jam them. The hardware store man told me that when the blue paste was introduced.
I have read that the tape fragments are only really an issue in systems that use pneumatic valves. Everyone has a roll of teflon tape somewhere, you have to re-invent the wheel if you want to make the sale.
 
OK...so now comes my neurotic thoughts....how much wear did my engine occur by driving a couple of hundred miles at he 'ADD' line?
I had thoughts of getting 300K on this Duratec…..
 
Originally Posted by pbm
OK...so now comes my neurotic thoughts....how much wear did my engine occur by driving a couple of hundred miles at he 'ADD' line?
I had thoughts of getting 300K on this Duratec…..

Really? Lol. Don't worry about it!
 
Originally Posted by pbm
OK...so now comes my neurotic thoughts....how much wear did my engine occur by driving a couple of hundred miles at he 'ADD' line?
I had thoughts of getting 300K on this Duratec…..



Ohh it's fine pbm.
smile.gif



Nothing to be worried about. You did a good job catching it early.
 
Originally Posted by pbm
OK...so now comes my neurotic thoughts....how much wear did my engine occur by driving a couple of hundred miles at he 'ADD' line?
I had thoughts of getting 300K on this Duratec…..


You did no appreciable damage as long as the oil was serviceable and you didn't overheat the oil or thrash the car in high g turns such that it risked starving the pump.

If it makes you feel any better, I see no real difference in my digital oil pressure reading regardless if sump is at full mark or down towards the add mark. Take this with a grain of salt since it's a 6 quart sump with another quart held in filter and oil cooler, and I'm not drifting or pulling race car turns.
 
Originally Posted by VeryNoisyPoet
Originally Posted by pbm
OK...so now comes my neurotic thoughts....how much wear did my engine occur by driving a couple of hundred miles at he 'ADD' line?
I had thoughts of getting 300K on this Duratec…..


You did no appreciable damage as long as the oil was serviceable and you didn't overheat the oil or thrash the car in high g turns such that it risked starving the pump.

If it makes you feel any better, I see no real difference in my digital oil pressure reading regardless if sump is at full mark or down towards the add mark. Take this with a grain of salt since it's a 6 quart sump with another quart held in filter and oil cooler, and I'm not drifting or pulling race car turns.



Thanks dgm, bbhero and VNP.....the oil only had 2K on it so it was fresh.....the fact that the digital oil pressure reading is similar when at FULL or ADD is interesting and reassuring.
 
Originally Posted by pbm
Originally Posted by VeryNoisyPoet
Originally Posted by pbm
OK...so now comes my neurotic thoughts....how much wear did my engine occur by driving a couple of hundred miles at he 'ADD' line?
I had thoughts of getting 300K on this Duratec…..


You did no appreciable damage as long as the oil was serviceable and you didn't overheat the oil or thrash the car in high g turns such that it risked starving the pump.

If it makes you feel any better, I see no real difference in my digital oil pressure reading regardless if sump is at full mark or down towards the add mark. Take this with a grain of salt since it's a 6 quart sump with another quart held in filter and oil cooler, and I'm not drifting or pulling race car turns.



Thanks dgm, bbhero and VNP.....the oil only had 2K on it so it was fresh.....the fact that the digital oil pressure reading is similar when at FULL or ADD is interesting and reassuring.


I believe in the Ford owner's manual it says don't add oil unless it's at or below the minimum mark on the dip stick. So you should be just fine especially with relatively fresh oil in the crank case. Plus 6 qts is a good amount for this 4 cyl engine. My 2.0 Zetec takes 4.5 total with the large PH16 size oil filter.

Whimsey
 
Originally Posted by Whimsey
Originally Posted by pbm
Originally Posted by VeryNoisyPoet
Originally Posted by pbm
OK...so now comes my neurotic thoughts....how much wear did my engine occur by driving a couple of hundred miles at he 'ADD' line?
I had thoughts of getting 300K on this Duratec…..


You did no appreciable damage as long as the oil was serviceable and you didn't overheat the oil or thrash the car in high g turns such that it risked starving the pump.

If it makes you feel any better, I see no real difference in my digital oil pressure reading regardless if sump is at full mark or down towards the add mark. Take this with a grain of salt since it's a 6 quart sump with another quart held in filter and oil cooler, and I'm not drifting or pulling race car turns.



Thanks dgm, bbhero and VNP.....the oil only had 2K on it so it was fresh.....the fact that the digital oil pressure reading is similar when at FULL or ADD is interesting and reassuring.


I believe in the Ford owner's manual it says don't add oil unless it's at or below the minimum mark on the dip stick. So you should be just fine especially with relatively fresh oil in the crank case. Plus 6 qts is a good amount for this 4 cyl engine. My 2.0 Zetec takes 4.5 total with the large PH16 size oil filter.

Whimsey


Sorry I shouldn't post when tired. I meant my car has a 6 quart sump + 1 quart in filter + cooler.

A quick search shows the 2014 Focus has a 4.6 quart sump including filter. This will only be a problem when running extended amounts of time with the oil low, as that means less oil to suspend contaminants, or when pushing the engine hard because less oil means it has less time to cool before getting picked up again. In very hard turns, there is more of a chance of starving the pump, but in most sump designs this would take catastrophically low oil level, plus sharp turns, plus high engine RPM.
 
Originally Posted by Kira
....Yeah, the chances of a bit of teflon tape shearing off and messing something up are very low.
I'm sure the OP applied the tape judiciously. Even when using the stuff on plumbing basics I look to see where the pipe threads contacted and zero in on that part of the threads.

Only delicate gas valves / regulators fear the occasional bit of tape which would jam them. The hardware store man told me that when the blue paste was introduced.



I do have a couple of concerns:

1. Does this sensor seal via mating surfaces (e.g., valve seat), gasket (i.e., by compression) or via the threads themselves? If it doesn't seal by the threads, then the sensor may leak again, especially if the OP rung 10 turns around this thing and tried his best to get it back on most of the way lol (I speak in jest; no offense intended)

2. Is teflon oil-safe? I wouldn't worry about pieces shearing off and causing a problem. Instead, I'm more concerned about the tape dissolving and resulting in a leak or allow the sensor to loosen and leak.
 
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