PHEV First Oil Change Timing

[BIC]

Have a new 2022 Lincoln Corsair GT PHEV. Per manual, OLM should come on between 7,500 - 10,000 miles normal driving or 5,000 - 7,500 severe driving. I would say I'm normal. Manual doesn't differentiate between PHEV & ICE version (which makes no sense).

Dealer suggested for first oil change, maybe 5,000 miles. I do now have 5,000 total miles but only 2,000 are on the 2.5L Atkinson ICE engine in seven months. The bad part of the PHEV is even when I set it to "Pure EV" mode, the ICE periodically kicks on uninvited. No way to override the computer. So, the ICE may run for seconds or a few minutes, never getting the oil up to operating temperature. I suppose that might qualify as severe driving. I do drive longer distances frequently enough that the oil does get up to full temperature once a week or so.

Normally, I would wait for the OLM, but just not sure about the first oil change. I'm old school on doing the first one earlier than normal. Next week, I will be putting 1,000 ICE miles on it over a few days. Any suggestions on when to do the first oil change? Thanks.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

The IOLM is different for every car because everybody's driving conditions are different. The computer does differentiate between ICE and PHEV because it knows when the hybrid's engine shuts off and starts back up, etc.

Change it when the light comes on, or one year, whichever comes first. If it's already been a year and the light never came on, then change the oil

 

[UG_Passat]

Does the maintenance schedule include caveats time based schedule if you can't meet the mileage? For example 5,000 miles or 6 months (which ever comes first)?

 

[BIC]

@UG_Passat, no, the book shows only mileage for oil changes with the caveat of don't exceed one-year or 10,000 miles. Doesn't even say if that's 10,000 total or ICE miles. I'll probably be hitting the one-year mark before I get 10,000 total miles.

 

[CanAmAndMore]

I personally would change it now.

 

[Lavrishevo]

Considering upwards 90% of engine break-in is done by 500 miles, change it by 1k miles at the latest. Also, Cera Tec by Liqui Moly is a fantastic additive for PHEV considering the nature of the beast. It is terrible for the ICE engine to cold start and go under heavy load while the oil is cold. Especially in winter weather. You should also make sure your ICE engine gets the oil up to temp at least once a week to burn off impurities. Would suggest every few days. You will f-up the engine if you don’t treat it properly. It’s a poor design to be honest and many PHEV engine suffer premature failure due to excessive wear.

 

[Astro_Guy]

@UG_Passat, no, the book shows only mileage for oil changes with the caveat of don't exceed one-year or 10,000 miles. Doesn't even say if that's 10,000 total or ICE miles. I'll probably be hitting the one-year mark before I get 10,000 total miles.

My 2017 Ford C-Max Energi also suggests a one year or 10K OCI. but there is a single sentence or pragraph in there saying the the Energi (PHEV) model can go two years or 20,000 miles on an OCI. I suggest that you read your manual more carefully.

I am nine months and 7300 miles into the PHEV experience, and I've burned only about 50 gallons of gas. I cannot see why an oil change would be needed in my use case in less than two years. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Lavrishevo]

My 2017 Ford C-Max Energi also suggests a one year or 10K OCI. but there is a single sentence or pragraph in there saying the the Energi (PHEV) model can go two years or 20,000 miles on an OCI. I suggest that you read your manual more carefully.

I am nine months and 7300 miles into the PHEV experience, and I've burned only about 50 gallons of gas. I cannot see why an oil change would be needed in my use case in less than two years. Your mileage may vary.

Terrible idea. The gas motor needs to be run to stay in working order. The engine needs to get the oil up to operating temp to burn off impurities including water. You don’t own an electric vehicle, if you don’t take care of the gas motor it will fail prematurely. One of the worst things for a gas motor is to start and go under heavy load / high rpm with cold oil. Especially turbo engines. Also, fuel dilution is a very common issue with PHEV motors. I was taking with a service manager and asking him about hybrids vs PHEV’s. They see a lot more issues engine failure with PHEV gas motors vs HEV because of the nature of the system. If you prioritize MPG and don’t warm up the engine / burn off oil impurities it will screw up the gas motor. Particularly in the winter.

 

[Astro_Guy]

The bad part of the PHEV is even when I set it to "Pure EV" mode, the ICE periodically kicks on uninvited. No way to override the computer. So, the ICE may run for seconds or a few minutes, never getting the oil up to operating temperature.

I've seen this happen with the C-Max. When it does the information center says something to the effect of "engine enabled for system perfromance." This is far more likely to occur when operating in the Auto mode vs. EV mode. What I've found is that the engine only starts when the accerator is pressed hard, say more than 75%. When you do get an unwanted start you can switch modes to EV Later and run the ICE long enough to warm up the oil. Alternatively you should be able to keep the ICE from starting by lightening up on the accelerator.

Winter driving is something else to consider since running the heat chews up EV range in a hurry. When temperatures are below freezing I set the car to EV later mode so that the ICE runs and I have heat. Obviously this has the benefit of warming up the oil. On most days I am able to use EV mode for the afternoon return trip. I had a side discussion with someone who drives a Prius Prime in New England. This person indicated that he doesn't bother to plug in over the winter because the ecconomics actually favor gasoline. His electric rates were higher than mine, and gas is cheaper in much of New England than Pennsylvania,

 

[Zee09]

I've seen this happen with the C-Max. When it does the information center says something to the effect of "engine enabled for system perfromance." This is far more likely to occur when operating in the Auto mode vs. EV mode. What I've found is that the engine only starts when the accerator is pressed hard, say more than 75%. When you do get an unwanted start you can switch modes to EV Later and run the ICE long enough to warm up the oil. Alternatively you should be able to keep the ICE from starting by lightening up on the accelerator.

Winter driving is something else to consider since running the heat chews up EV range in a hurry. When temperatures are below freezing I set the car to EV later mode so that the ICE runs and I have heat. Obviously this has the benefit of warming up the oil. On most days I am able to use EV mode for the afternoon return trip. I had a side discussion with someone who drives a Prius Prime in New England. This person indicated that he doesn't bother to plug in over the winter because the ecconomics actually favor gasoline. His electric rates were higher than mine, and gas is cheaper in much of New England than Pennsylvania,

On my C-Max I used the heated seats instead if I could as you noted due to EV losses

 

[oil pan 4]

It's probably direct injection and won't idle much if any. Watch for fuel build up in the oil especially in winter.
I changey oil between 3,000 and 4,000 in winter because of fuel build up.

 

[Astro_Guy]

Terrible idea. The gas motor needs to be run to stay in working order. The engine needs to get the oil up to operating temp to burn off impurities including water. You don’t own an electric vehicle, if you don’t take care of the gas motor it will fail prematurely. One of the worst things for a gas motor is to start and go under heavy load / high rpm with cold oil. Especially turbo engines. Also, fuel dilution is a very common issue with PHEV motors. I was taking with a service manager and asking him about hybrids vs PHEV’s. They see a lot more issues engine failure with PHEV gas motors vs HEV because of the nature of the system. If you prioritize MPG and don’t warm up the engine / burn off oil impurities it will screw up the gas motor. Particularly in the winter.

As of today the oil has 4000 miles on it. That being said, only 44 gallons of gas have passed through the engine over the course of those miles. Thirty gallons of that were consumed over the course of two highway road trips of 1400 total miles. The remaining 14 gallons were largely consumed in runs of 7-20 miles. There is never a reason to jump into a heavy load / high RPM situation if you pay attention to what you are doing, and the hybrid system will do it's best to protect the ICE if you do.

 

[Eddie]

I'd go with the recommended severe service interval (5,000 Mi) and sleep well. No need to overthink and try to outguess the manufacture .

 

[Astro_Guy]

I'd go with the recommended severe service interval (5,000 Mi) and sleep well. No need to overthink and try to outguess the manufacture .

Actually it's two years or 20,000 miles in this case. I'll have a look at the color on the dipstick once it reaches 12 months.