I Had my oil changed @ 5000 miles by ford (free ) Driving last friday a message came up that said "change oil soon " stopped by ford and everything was good they just did not reset the oil life. I have read many post on this forem about how the computer monitors so much that we should trust the truck !!!! well it appears that it is based on milage only, why else would that message come up with only 1900 miles on that oil ???

 

This brings up a question. . . does the oil life monitor actually monitor the oil with special oil sensors that check for vicosity, fuel dilution, particle levels, etc. or is it simply a variable based calculator??? Maybe Ford should rename it to the "Ford suggested oil change interval" monitor.

 

Champ - It sounds like it is an interval based. On my Corvette, it is presented as a percentage of life left (which takes into consideration idling time).

Since we are talking about oil... What are you guys using in your trucks? I started doing my treks to the local auto stores to begin stocking up on stuff (isn't that half the fun of buying a new vehicle?!).

 

Ford says it's "supposed" to take that into effect but it is interesting that the reset message would appear soon after a change if those values are considered by the truck computer.
I guess I need this system explained to me again and why this would happen.
Even an '08 Honda Pilot uses a percentage based system.

 

No worries! clearly the tech did not reset the monitor.

To answer your question, no vehicle actually monitors the condition of the oil. The computer takes in consideration many things when calculatiing the quality of the oil such as: engine loading, tow vs normal modes, idling time, regen cycles, and many more.

IMHO, I would think that it would be a good idea to reset the oil life yourself after every change and not depend upon some 19 year old who might be doing his first oil change!


jammer

 

No Sensors.. Here is what Ford says..

What the IOLM measures to determine when an oil change is needed

Several key factors that affect oil life include:

Driving habits (such as towing and workload)
Hours in operation and at idle
Oil and coolant temperature
Engine speed and torque
Diesel particulate filter (DPF) cleaning cycles

It will generate message if the computer wasn't reset.. See PDF below..

 

EXACTLY!!! In your case the ford tech did not reset the computer.

 

newbie question ... how do I reset the oil monitor and where is it located ??

I found the oil life thing and it says "ok" but nothing to reset it. Looked in the book but didn't see anything as I was thumbing through it.

 

On that same screen I think it was, or you use the cursor to the right, then you'll get the message to hold button to reset. I just did mine last week or so.

 

I just tried it again, no luck.
I went into the "system check" tab and it gives nothing to reset oil life.....

 

Resetting - If you got the fancy computer - I wouldn't know...

If you got the basic message center - when you hit "Setup" top of rocker... the message says "Hit Reset for system check" you push setup (not Reset) again.. the first screen lets you reset oil life - the next 6-8 lets you select language, courtesey wipers, locks, etc...