Cutter is at 31% of engine on time is idling. Mine is 17.4%. Does that raise to a high idle classification?

 

being new to desirl engines. Explain to me like I'm 5 on how or why engine idle hours matter? I'm confused why this would even affect changing oil or when too change.

 

Idling produces wear just like driving. Ford actually has a ratio of hours to miles where high idle hours are the determining factor as opposed to miles for warranty purposes. Very heavy or extended idling is also bad for modern diesel emissions systems.

 

In the manual or workshop manual, i have read that each hour of idling is equivalent to 25 miles on the odometer. The engine is still running, the oil is still pumping, it is just doing all of this completely unloaded. So engine wear is occurring any time the engine is running.

 

A friend of mine told me his fired off at 3100mi.
He plows.

 

I have been spending time in fairly deep snow this year. That kind of use has to be pretty taxing on the truck as I'm usually running high power with all wheels turning pretty fast. It's like running the sand dunes where you have to keep momentum and rpms high or you bog down. That has to qualify as extreme service.

 

I would say so. It's obviously a bit more complicated than pure miles travelled, but incorporates idling time, load measure and how hard it's working. I have to say, checking my oil, it is awfully dirty and I am only at 3700 Km so far. So I am kind of expecting to see an earlier oil change as well, given that it's winter, so there is more idling and short distances, and very cold starts at work with no plug in. We shall see, I will post my mileage and idling time and total hours for comparison.

 

I know this is off topic but what are the two small green light looking thing that look like they are head butting each other on the bottom right of the instrument screen? I tried to find this in the manual but can't find it.

 

Just got my Oil Change Required message tonight. I have 6800+ miles. Was hoping I'd be able to make it to 7500 miles. I thought there was a location in the settings to see how much life there was left with the engine oil? I tried looking tonight but couldn't find it. Is it something I need to take to dealer to be added to my view?

 

I'm pretty sure those are your fog lights. That indicator illuminates when you have your fogs on.

 

I changed mine this weekend, 8860 miles it had 16% oil life left

217 hours , 34 idle hours

Some towing, some traffic stop and go, alot of highway

 

I believe that is your headlights, and the symbol above the N is for the foglights.

 

Every dealership has their best diesel tech and mine is no different. I always request him to service my truck when I go in and this allows me to pick his brain when he brings me my keys. The subject of when to change the break-in oil came up when I owned my 2014 F250.


Now, for some background. I'm old school. I believe in changing out break-in oil early and often. In the past I always changed my break-in oil at 1500 miles, again at 3000, then 5,000 miles and every 5,000 after that. Never had a single problem doing that. (Until the 6.7)

When I took my 2014 6.7 in for the first change at 1500 miles, my Tech came out and strongly recommended that I wait until the minder tells me to change it. He said that it was taking money out of Ford's pocket, but he didn't want to see me screw my engine up. At this point I do the Tim Allen, aaarrrggg. (confused look on my face) He told me that Ford instructed him in training on the Scorpion that the break-in oil has additives that need to be in there for all of those miles. Otherwise I'd chance causing the dreaded "typewriter noise" that these 6.7s are known for. (if you haven't heard of it, do a Google search, it's interesting).
Well, I take his advice, sort of. I go home and come back when the truck had 3500 miles on it. I couldn't wait any longer. He warned me again, but I told him to change it. Within 25 miles of the dealership my engine started ticking loudly. Like a lifter was bad. It was the typewriter noise. He was right!
This noise was driving me Nucking Futs. I had a $60,000 truck that sounded like a Junker, it was embarrassing.
It ended up that in order to stop this noise, I had to add a bottle of Motorcraft XL-17 friction modifier with every oil change at a cost of $33.00 a bottle. Without it, it ticked terribly.
SO, the bottom line is, I'm not opining here guys. You can call BS if you want to, but this is my story. I learned the hard way, (read, expensive way) to listen to my Ford Tech. You can do as you please, but you're forewarned. This doesn't happen to every engine that gets an early oil change, but as luck would have it, it DID happen to mine.
How's your luck been lately?


I need to say this too. I have spoke to several Ford Techs since this happened to me. Some of them agree totally with the Tech that warned me. Others don't remember hearing about this in training, so your local Tech may, or may not agree with this.


I'm 57 years old and have built many engines in my lifetime. I thought I knew better, and that Ford was letting the tree huggers run things to save the planet by reducing oil changes.
Trust me, this isn't the case. Times change, and so does technology.


The sad thing is, this whole story was worrisome, expensive, and most of all unnecessary. All I had to do was listen to someone who was smarter than I. Lesson learned.
Bob

 

Awesome story!

 

Ford says wait for the OCI to go off to change the oil.

So I will wait.

Not because I am a passive, submissive drone.

But because I am cheap.

PS - I also do not think that I am smarter than the Ford engineers.