As many of you may know, I recently purchased a 07 Ford Escape Limited V6. I had the dealer install Mobil 1 5w-20 synthetic which I provided. I drove the SUV home (20 miles). Since then it's been just about all short trips to town and back. This oil has only been in service approx. 2-3 weeks. I checked my Oil Life Monitor today and it said 80% of oil life remaining. My question is do most people change their oil strictly by the monitor? At this rate, I'm only going to have about 1000 miles on the oil when the monitor runs down to zero. I'm going to try Mobil 1 EP, Pennzoil Ultra or Pennzoil Platinum in 5w-20 next time and see if I get different results.
Understanding Ford's Oil Life Monitor
- Thread starter Hemi426
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The different oils won't make any difference. I think the system on your cars clicks off 1% for each 100 driven. Have you been about 200 miles since changing the oil?
There is something very wrong. Remember these olm are not dealing with your oil straight away instead they are a measure of rpm, miles, and time. Nothing direct with the oil. I think only one car does that, BMW or something like that. So unless these short trips are really short I would ignore the olm as being wrong and use time first and miles next in deciding when to change the oil.
Originally Posted By: Hemi426
As many of you may know, I recently purchased a 07 Ford Escape Limited V6. I had the dealer install Mobil 1 5w-20 synthetic which I provided. I drove the SUV home (20 miles). Since then it's been just about all short trips to town and back. This oil has only been in service approx. 2-3 weeks. I checked my Oil Life Monitor today and it said 80% of oil life remaining. My question is do most people change their oil strictly by the monitor? At this rate, I'm only going to have about 1000 miles on the oil when the monitor runs down to zero. I'm going to try Mobil 1 EP, Pennzoil Ultra or Pennzoil Platinum in 5w-20 next time and see if I get different results.
Originally Posted By: Hemi426
As many of you may know, I recently purchased a 07 Ford Escape Limited V6. I had the dealer install Mobil 1 5w-20 synthetic which I provided. I drove the SUV home (20 miles). Since then it's been just about all short trips to town and back. This oil has only been in service approx. 2-3 weeks. I checked my Oil Life Monitor today and it said 80% of oil life remaining. My question is do most people change their oil strictly by the monitor? At this rate, I'm only going to have about 1000 miles on the oil when the monitor runs down to zero. I'm going to try Mobil 1 EP, Pennzoil Ultra or Pennzoil Platinum in 5w-20 next time and see if I get different results.
I'm pretty sure you have to reset them.
Originally Posted By: Hemi426
As many of you may know, I recently purchased a 07 Ford Escape Limited V6. I had the dealer install Mobil 1 5w-20 synthetic which I provided. I drove the SUV home (20 miles). Since then it's been just about all short trips to town and back. This oil has only been in service approx. 2-3 weeks. I checked my Oil Life Monitor today and it said 80% of oil life remaining. My question is do most people change their oil strictly by the monitor? At this rate, I'm only going to have about 1000 miles on the oil when the monitor runs down to zero. I'm going to try Mobil 1 EP, Pennzoil Ultra or Pennzoil Platinum in 5w-20 next time and see if I get different results.
Its not an oil life moniter, its a mileage counter that goes off every 5000, 7500 or 10,000 miles depending on model, year, etc.
On our 2010 Explorer, its set to go off every 7500 miles.
In no way does it moniter anything other than miles driven.
You have to reset this yourself; did you reset it when you had the oil changed?
As many of you may know, I recently purchased a 07 Ford Escape Limited V6. I had the dealer install Mobil 1 5w-20 synthetic which I provided. I drove the SUV home (20 miles). Since then it's been just about all short trips to town and back. This oil has only been in service approx. 2-3 weeks. I checked my Oil Life Monitor today and it said 80% of oil life remaining. My question is do most people change their oil strictly by the monitor? At this rate, I'm only going to have about 1000 miles on the oil when the monitor runs down to zero. I'm going to try Mobil 1 EP, Pennzoil Ultra or Pennzoil Platinum in 5w-20 next time and see if I get different results.
Its not an oil life moniter, its a mileage counter that goes off every 5000, 7500 or 10,000 miles depending on model, year, etc.
On our 2010 Explorer, its set to go off every 7500 miles.
In no way does it moniter anything other than miles driven.
You have to reset this yourself; did you reset it when you had the oil changed?
Hello, I know I should wait for Hemi426 to answer but I can't. It sure sounds like another {censored} toy American car feature from a company which has claimed to be reborn twice in the last 4 years. I'm going to run to my Ford dealer and grab a brochure and see how and to whom these things are marketed. I don't mean to make fun of you or your new vehicle Hemi426. I'm not. Perhaps the indicator is marked out in 20% increments like my old Brita pitcher? It's just that no finesse' of any kind is ever incorporated in the "high tech eye candy" used by American car companies. It's embarrassing. Alas, they know so many of us are gullable, ignorant consumers. Sorry for the rant, but you know what I mean. Kira ps BEST of luck with your new vehicle K
Now, don't forget to let us know what it does as the miles build up.
Ford has come out with an intelligent OLM on '11 models that calculates engine operation to determine oil life based on conventional SM oil, and not just a milage counter. Overk1ll says that some of his older Fords have an intelligent OLM but I'm not sure which earlier models if any have an intelligent monitor.
Originally Posted By: Hemi426
I just went out to the garage and reset it. Thanks everybody for your help.
Perfect. Your owners manual should tell you what mileage interval the counter is set at. 5000, 7500 etc.
I just went out to the garage and reset it. Thanks everybody for your help.
Perfect. Your owners manual should tell you what mileage interval the counter is set at. 5000, 7500 etc.
Originally Posted By: Kira
Hello, I know I should wait for Hemi426 to answer but I can't. It sure sounds like another {censored} toy American car feature from a company which has claimed to be reborn twice in the last 4 years. I'm going to run to my Ford dealer and grab a brochure and see how and to whom these things are marketed. I don't mean to make fun of you or your new vehicle Hemi426. I'm not. Perhaps the indicator is marked out in 20% increments like my old Brita pitcher? It's just that no finesse' of any kind is ever incorporated in the "high tech eye candy" used by American car companies. It's embarrassing. Alas, they know so many of us are gullable, ignorant consumers. Sorry for the rant, but you know what I mean. Kira ps BEST of luck with your new vehicle K
Thank you for contributing to this thread.
While a mileage counter is pretty basic, and certainly not up to par with GM's Oil Life Moniter, it did remind people to change their oil every 5000 miles, which is a good thing.
Hello, I know I should wait for Hemi426 to answer but I can't. It sure sounds like another {censored} toy American car feature from a company which has claimed to be reborn twice in the last 4 years. I'm going to run to my Ford dealer and grab a brochure and see how and to whom these things are marketed. I don't mean to make fun of you or your new vehicle Hemi426. I'm not. Perhaps the indicator is marked out in 20% increments like my old Brita pitcher? It's just that no finesse' of any kind is ever incorporated in the "high tech eye candy" used by American car companies. It's embarrassing. Alas, they know so many of us are gullable, ignorant consumers. Sorry for the rant, but you know what I mean. Kira ps BEST of luck with your new vehicle K
Thank you for contributing to this thread.
While a mileage counter is pretty basic, and certainly not up to par with GM's Oil Life Moniter, it did remind people to change their oil every 5000 miles, which is a good thing.
Hermann
Site Donor 2023
Hemi426,
My GF's '05 Mercury Mariner twin to your escape is a simple mileage counter. It is somewhat counter-intuitive to reset. Worst part of changing her oil.
My GF's '05 Mercury Mariner twin to your escape is a simple mileage counter. It is somewhat counter-intuitive to reset. Worst part of changing her oil.
Originally Posted By: stranger706
Originally Posted By: Kira
Hello, I know I should wait for Hemi426 to answer but I can't. It sure sounds like another {censored} toy American car feature from a company which has claimed to be reborn twice in the last 4 years. I'm going to run to my Ford dealer and grab a brochure and see how and to whom these things are marketed. I don't mean to make fun of you or your new vehicle Hemi426. I'm not. Perhaps the indicator is marked out in 20% increments like my old Brita pitcher? It's just that no finesse' of any kind is ever incorporated in the "high tech eye candy" used by American car companies. It's embarrassing. Alas, they know so many of us are gullable, ignorant consumers. Sorry for the rant, but you know what I mean. Kira ps BEST of luck with your new vehicle K
Thank you for contributing to this thread.
While a mileage counter is pretty basic, and certainly not up to par with GM's Oil Life Moniter, it did remind people to change their oil every 5000 miles, which is a good thing.
I do this with one of my 2 trip gauges (other's used to record distance for reasonably accurate mileage calculations). Unlike with the OLM, which counts down to zero, the trip guauge counts up and I know exactly how many km are on the oil.
I like older cars but newer instruments and gadgets (recently got a Scangauge II, have plans to get a GPS soon just for fun). To me a simple counter that just ticks down to zero and calls itself 'an oil life meter' is a little misleading. Though I recognize that there is utility in it for those who have no idea when the oil was last changed because they don't bother to keep track, and couldn't even find the dipstick to check the level.
The new version just mentioned sounds like a nice step forward. Though given the choice between an oil pressure gauge, and an OLM of any kind, I'll take the oil pressure gauge everytime.
-Spyder
Originally Posted By: Kira
Hello, I know I should wait for Hemi426 to answer but I can't. It sure sounds like another {censored} toy American car feature from a company which has claimed to be reborn twice in the last 4 years. I'm going to run to my Ford dealer and grab a brochure and see how and to whom these things are marketed. I don't mean to make fun of you or your new vehicle Hemi426. I'm not. Perhaps the indicator is marked out in 20% increments like my old Brita pitcher? It's just that no finesse' of any kind is ever incorporated in the "high tech eye candy" used by American car companies. It's embarrassing. Alas, they know so many of us are gullable, ignorant consumers. Sorry for the rant, but you know what I mean. Kira ps BEST of luck with your new vehicle K
Thank you for contributing to this thread.
While a mileage counter is pretty basic, and certainly not up to par with GM's Oil Life Moniter, it did remind people to change their oil every 5000 miles, which is a good thing.
I do this with one of my 2 trip gauges (other's used to record distance for reasonably accurate mileage calculations). Unlike with the OLM, which counts down to zero, the trip guauge counts up and I know exactly how many km are on the oil.
I like older cars but newer instruments and gadgets (recently got a Scangauge II, have plans to get a GPS soon just for fun). To me a simple counter that just ticks down to zero and calls itself 'an oil life meter' is a little misleading. Though I recognize that there is utility in it for those who have no idea when the oil was last changed because they don't bother to keep track, and couldn't even find the dipstick to check the level.
The new version just mentioned sounds like a nice step forward. Though given the choice between an oil pressure gauge, and an OLM of any kind, I'll take the oil pressure gauge everytime.
-Spyder
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Some of them are mileage counters, others are actual OLM's. Though they are pretty basic, they DO do more than just count the miles.
The Explorer Limited from 96+ had a "real" OLM, as does my dad's Town Car. Both vary the OCI depending on how the vehicle is driven.
To the OP:
I would have let it count down and see how far IT wanted you to go, rather than resetting it.
As to whether it is "intelligent" or not. The details should be in the manual, indicating whether it is a simple mileage counter, like on many Ford vehicles, or their "real" OLM.
As per what mechanicx was talking about, they are coming out with/have come out with a much more advanced OLM for the 2011+ stuff. Probably similar to GM's.
The Explorer Limited from 96+ had a "real" OLM, as does my dad's Town Car. Both vary the OCI depending on how the vehicle is driven.
To the OP:
I would have let it count down and see how far IT wanted you to go, rather than resetting it.
As to whether it is "intelligent" or not. The details should be in the manual, indicating whether it is a simple mileage counter, like on many Ford vehicles, or their "real" OLM.
As per what mechanicx was talking about, they are coming out with/have come out with a much more advanced OLM for the 2011+ stuff. Probably similar to GM's.
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