FINALLY!!!!!...the report arrives.

Sorry to hear about the fuel. The OCIs are generally about 10,000 miles, so you're talking about potentially 6.6%+ fuel dilution over a normal cycle. That's nuts. My computer is telling me I'm at 50% and by my numbers I'm just approaching 4,000 miles. I was hoping to make it to 5,000, but I'm draining it next week while I have some time off. I've done a ton of idling lately (and cold weather auto-starts), so it should be interesting to see how I compare.

I felt like nerding out on the numbers, so check this out. You said the dip stick showed about 1/2 over the full mark. If you assume that the fill mark means "add a quart", then being 1/2 over to top line should mean you've got 0.5 quarts of extra (fuel) in the mix. But, but with a 3.3% fuel dilution (addition), that's only 6.198 quarts. So the dip stick is "not to scale" the higher you go on the stick.

Another interesting point (going full nerd here; just finished my first beer)...take that 0.2 quarts "overage" and divide by six (the number of quarts in a full fill) and convert to tablespoons and you get 2.1. So if someone gets six quarts of oil that happen to have 2.1 tablespoons extra, it will look like there's significant "overfill" on the dip stick. No big deal...but I'm sure there are some that have posted here about "over fill at the dealership". Looking at how high the 3.3% fuel dilution went up the dip stick, it's easy to see why they think they got too much oil...

 

The TSB I've seen is the same as j.grif mentioned, which involves the installation of a block heater. All Ford vehicles sold in Minnesota and a few other states come with a block heater at no charge, so I've already got one. I used it last winter, but I've moved since then, and have no place to plug it in at my new place. Unless I see some other TSB or fix, I'm probably gonna let this one lie and continue to gather information.


Interesting bit of nerdery. My first thought was how much lower the fuel dilution was than I was expecting. My only rational explanation is that it wasn't as overfull as I was thinking...perhaps there was more variance in my measuring technique than I thought? I'm not about to overfill my crankcase to see how the dipstick measurements scale, far too much hassle for me.


Yup, my calculations were an additional 12.8 tablespoons altogether. Of course those are going to be skewed by oil consumption somewhat. I'm tempted to run another sample in 5,000 miles; I suspect it will be substantially worse along this oil cycle. Much colder than usual up here, and it started suddenly about two weeks ago. We're gonna see -23* below zero, and for the first time in this truck's life it's idled a few times to warm up and keep the heat going.

 

I've decided to run a bit of a test. Not so much because I think it's a problem, but more because it will be fun.

Since I drive about 15,000 miles a year, I'm going to change my oil every 4mo/5,000 miles next year and do an oil analysis on each fill. I'll change it in the next week or so and then run that cycle thru 2017. If my analysis from this change shows more than 2% fuel, I'll adjust my change cycle accordingly. I'll also track my engine hours and idle time to see if that is a factor. I could have zero fuel or lots (or varying based upon the cycle)...it will be fun to see how the numbers play out.

 

Still waiting. The sample was suppose to arrive Friday. It got delayed. Tracking says arriving today. Hope they check it soon. Curious where my levels were.

 

Tom, you should drive the vehicle rather than let it idle. Idling can be pretty hard on them.

 

So I got my oil report back. Seems I don't have much fuel dilution Which was a surprise. I did only have 4,000 miles on sample. I did drive the truck approximately 30 mins from work and drive right up the ramps for the change. I let the truck sit a few mins and drained the oil. I guess if I had some gas most evaporated driving home. When i drained it the sample didn't have a strong gas smell. Very lite smell.

 

Tom --
Curious if the miles leading up to this oil change were while your wife had to use the truck for a daily driver (before you bought her a car and before you got the Transit)? There may have been some long idle events to keep the cab warm for the kids maybe?

Trying to learn what I can about the EcoBoost 3.5 before I order.. I may just get the V8 instead if these engines are at all problematic...

 

We didn't really have that much time without a commuter car. I think we got the Transit the second week of April, and the fourth we bought the Optima. I don't recall my exact idle hours, but I took a look and remember them being less than 10% of total engine hours.

The Coyote is a fantastic engine, but I don't think the EcoBoost is any less reliable. There are a few high mileage examples that have never had an engine issue, which I think well demonstrates the reliability of the design.

Who's Ecoboost has the most miles mileage on it - Page 9

300,000 miles on my 2011 Eco Boost!!!

At this point I'm satisfied with the results of my oil analysis. I'm fine with 3% fuel dilution, and my only rational explanation is variance with how I measured the oil level. If you're back in Minnesota before you order we can hook my truck up to something heavy and you can give it a shot.

 

Glad to see you don't have anything bad in the oil. Our samples will be very similar. I'm running the same oil and have 11,3xx miles on the engine and just over 4,000 miles on the oil. I'll be draining it just before the end of the year with about 4,500 miles on the oil. So stay tuned for my report in mid-January...

 

It is great that we have these well-documented Oil Analysis results. Thanks for contributing them. Let me summarize the highlights to make it easier to discuss...

TOM 4,843 miles, MY15 F150 3.5L GTDI EcoBoost
........................... Test ____ Should be
Viscosity @100C _ 7.25 cSt __ 8.8-11.3
Fuel Dilution ____ 3.3% ____ <2.0%

Pepito113 4,083 miles, MY16 F150 3.5L GTDI EcoBoost
........................... Test ____ Should be
Viscosity @100C _ 9.92 cSt __ 8.8-11.1
Fuel Dilution ___ <0.5% ____ <2.0%

Some important facts from the SAE J300 engine oil viscosity chart:
Kinematic Viscosity at 100C should be in the range
SAE grade 16 __ 6.1 cSt to < 8.2 cSt recently established
SAE grade 20 __ 6.9 cSt to < 9.3 cSt (0W20,5W20)
SAE grade 30 __ 9.3 cSt to <12.5 cSt (0W30,5W30,10W30)
SAE grade 40 _ 12.5 cSt to <16.3 cSt (0W40,5W40,10W40)

The 7.25 cSt Kinematic Viscosity @100C for TOM's sample shows the oil has DROPPED OUT of the 30 grade range, and is almost too low a viscosity to be considered a 20 grade oil. This is due to a combination of oil degradation thru use, and fuel dilution.

As shown by the "should be <2.0%" noted on the Oil Analysis report, the test result of 3.3% fuel dilution is a serious condition. Most engine manufacturer's of gasoline engines, consider 2.5% fuel dilution to be the level at which oil should be condemned and dumped.


NOTES:
1. Here is a link to information about Oil Industry requirements for different classifications of engine oils. Infineum is a globally recognized producer of oil additive packages for Producers of API and other spec. oils. They are highly respected in the industry.
https://www.infineum.com/media/80723...ifications.pdf
Page 8 of this document has the SAE J300 engine oil viscosity chart, January of 2015 version. This information is accurate and current. A lot of incorrect, obsolete, engine oil viscosity information is out there in websites, and other documents.

 

Thanks ExcursionPSD, love the summary. It'll be interesting when more results come in...

 

USPS should have delivered my sample on Tuesday, so I should see my results soon. I went 4,4xx miles on my oil. I'll save the other details for later.

Comparing our results will be fun. Especially if I have similar fuel dilution as Tom and our other oil numbers are different. In theory, Mobil or Pennzoil could handle the dilution differently.

Tom - how many miles do you have on your '15 EB?

 

I have run oil analisus reports on my old 2012 3.5 ecoboost and my wife's 2.0 ecoboost in her 2013 escape, they both would run real high on fuel dilution, both at 4% with between 5 and 6 thousand miles, I am beginning to think this is part of the ecoboost experience. It would be cool to see some one with the new 2.7 have a sample tested and see what that looks like. In my samples wear metals looked normal, viscosity was around 20 weight with oil that started out as 5w30 Mobil one.

 

Mine had around 21,800 miles at the time of my oil change if I remember right.

 

So what's the right answer here (Not owning an ecoboost isn't an option)?

Could it be more frequent oil changes?

A full syn oil?

A heavier oil to start with?