I sent an email to Ford about their IOLM and gasoline dilution seen in some GDI engines. It took a while, but I actually got a response from them that was pretty detailed.
First is my inquiry:
Quote:
This is a question in regard to the Intelligent Oil Life Monitor on our 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium. I have read all the information about the system, I still have a question: There appear to be issues with fuel dilution in used oil analyses done on engines with direct injection. This seems to be a common issue with DI engines, and I am curious if this issue is tracked by the IOLM. We are planning on keeping the car for quite a while, and I'd hate to rely on the IOLM if the oil life has been exceeded due to fuel dilution. I am also surprised that there are no special requirements for the oil in a 2.0L turbo, such as a synthetic oil. Again - I'm just being paranoid about making sure I don't cause any damage to the engine by using an inferior oil.
This is the response:
Quote:
My name is Mea from Ford’s Customer Relationship Center (CRC). I received your email regarding your inquiry about the Intelligent Oil Life Monitor System (IOLM) on your 2013 Ford Fusion.
I understand you are asking if your vehicle’s IOLM can track the issues with fuel dilution. Also, you are concerned that there are no special requirements for the oil in a 2.0L turbo. I have looked into this matter for you.
To ensure that your inquiry is addressed in the most appropriate manner, I have escalated it to our Technical Subject Matter Expert (Tech SME). After checking our resources, it was verified that the Ecoboost line of engines simply requires the use of Synthetic Blend or Full Synthetic which is similar to all Ford vehicles. However, there may be a difference of viscosity as the 2.0L Ecoboost requires 5W30 and the 1.6L Ecoboost, while the 2.5L requires 5W20 Synthetic Blend or Full Synthetic. The requirement for the oil is that, it must meet or exceed Ford Specification WSS-M2C946-A for the 2.0L Ecoboost engine.
As the oil change requirements are determined based on several factors including injector on time, engine load and mileage to name a few, the IOLM system is designed to compensate for normal engine operation based on engineering testing of each powertrain system.
Care must be observed when evaluating laboratory results, as many laboratories’ testing procedures may not compensate for direct injection engines and will not be able to account for the increased levels of fuel in the oil caused by direct injection.
I appreciate you purchasing a new 2013 Fusion and I thank you for contacting Ford Motor Company.
Mea
Customer Relationship Center
Ford Motor Company
FWIW - I've always had my cars on a 5,000 mile OCI using whatever decent oil (PYB and QS usually) that's available. I'm actually thinking about going to 7,500 miles in that Fusion using M1 5W-30. My wife currently has 4,000 miles on the car, and the IOLM shows and extrapolated max like of around 10,000 miles. It seems like going to 7,500 miles ought to be OK to do based on Ford's own requirement. They can't really fault you for listening to their own diagnostic tool.
First is my inquiry:
Quote:
This is a question in regard to the Intelligent Oil Life Monitor on our 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium. I have read all the information about the system, I still have a question: There appear to be issues with fuel dilution in used oil analyses done on engines with direct injection. This seems to be a common issue with DI engines, and I am curious if this issue is tracked by the IOLM. We are planning on keeping the car for quite a while, and I'd hate to rely on the IOLM if the oil life has been exceeded due to fuel dilution. I am also surprised that there are no special requirements for the oil in a 2.0L turbo, such as a synthetic oil. Again - I'm just being paranoid about making sure I don't cause any damage to the engine by using an inferior oil.
This is the response:
Quote:
My name is Mea from Ford’s Customer Relationship Center (CRC). I received your email regarding your inquiry about the Intelligent Oil Life Monitor System (IOLM) on your 2013 Ford Fusion.
I understand you are asking if your vehicle’s IOLM can track the issues with fuel dilution. Also, you are concerned that there are no special requirements for the oil in a 2.0L turbo. I have looked into this matter for you.
To ensure that your inquiry is addressed in the most appropriate manner, I have escalated it to our Technical Subject Matter Expert (Tech SME). After checking our resources, it was verified that the Ecoboost line of engines simply requires the use of Synthetic Blend or Full Synthetic which is similar to all Ford vehicles. However, there may be a difference of viscosity as the 2.0L Ecoboost requires 5W30 and the 1.6L Ecoboost, while the 2.5L requires 5W20 Synthetic Blend or Full Synthetic. The requirement for the oil is that, it must meet or exceed Ford Specification WSS-M2C946-A for the 2.0L Ecoboost engine.
As the oil change requirements are determined based on several factors including injector on time, engine load and mileage to name a few, the IOLM system is designed to compensate for normal engine operation based on engineering testing of each powertrain system.
Care must be observed when evaluating laboratory results, as many laboratories’ testing procedures may not compensate for direct injection engines and will not be able to account for the increased levels of fuel in the oil caused by direct injection.
I appreciate you purchasing a new 2013 Fusion and I thank you for contacting Ford Motor Company.
Mea
Customer Relationship Center
Ford Motor Company
FWIW - I've always had my cars on a 5,000 mile OCI using whatever decent oil (PYB and QS usually) that's available. I'm actually thinking about going to 7,500 miles in that Fusion using M1 5W-30. My wife currently has 4,000 miles on the car, and the IOLM shows and extrapolated max like of around 10,000 miles. It seems like going to 7,500 miles ought to be OK to do based on Ford's own requirement. They can't really fault you for listening to their own diagnostic tool.