Ford IOLM doesn't adjust for idling?

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Klutch9

Klutch9

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Jan 7, 2009
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Rochester, MI, US, World
Noticed something on our '11 Fusion this winter. Last spring I installed a remote starter, which wasn't really used until this winter. Pretty much every day so far since mid November, the car gets remote started and runs for 10-15 minutes 5 days per week in the morning before driving off, and sometimes 5 or so minutes before my wife leaves work. The Ford IOLM, however it works, monitors things like RPMs, temperatures, etc and sometimes adjusts the IOLM from the 10,000 mile mark. Currenty, the car has 5,100 miles on this OCI and 49% remaining according to the ECU (in other words, it's sticking to the 10,000 mile OCI). Checked the oil today, and it is quite black and smells a little bit like fuel. I'm wondering if I should ignore the IOLM in the winter and change the oil a little bit early? I've also noticed that the oil level was maybe 1/3 the way down the hatch marks, and I don't recall it burning oil before. This could be because of excessive idling, but who knows. I've pretty much found, with the exception of one long highway trip, that the Ford IOLM system strictly goes by mileage, even when your driving style varies greatly. Anyone else noticed this?

Additionally, please don't school me on how idling cars is bad for the motor and wasteful. My vehicles work for me, not the other way around. Proceed...
 
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Idle to warm up is hard hard hard on an engine. If you have direct injection it is even worse.

Best to idle with the heater off so engine reaches temp fast. Then go out and turn on the heater if you need to clear windows.

And yes, you need an oil change. And a long high speed drive to purge carbon


Rod
 
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Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Additionally, please don't school me on how idling cars is bad for the motor and wasteful. My vehicles work for me, not the other way around. Proceed...


LOL, request obviously not heeded. People down south don't realize the challenges associated with hoping into a car that sat overnight outdoors in minus 20F temperatures. Even with an engine block heater, the rest of the car is not very happy.

We all know the cons of long idling. Sometimes we just have to grit our teeth and suffer the consequences of shortening the life of our engine a few miles. For what its worth, my Jeep's OLM doesn't seem to be recognizing our weather either.
 
I'd change it now, and have a UOA on a sample of the used oil.

That will tell you if you can go longer or not for future changes in the winter.
 
Wonder if fuel dilution is what you are noticing. Without a UOA its just guessing i believe. Change it and send in for uoa.
 
I cannot speak for ford but my gm olm definitely notices winter conditions including warming up the car. The difference is not as great as I thought it would be.

The description of your OLM sounds a little off. I would change the oil before the monitor hit zero. %20?
 
Do you think Ford forgot to take into account idling? If they forgot something so obvious and simple how can you trust them at all? IMO they are not stupid and are taking it into account as long as it truely isnt just a miles counter.
 
If you are worried about it just change at 25%
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You do need to be schooled on idling. If you think 10-15 minutes is excessive, you have no idea what idling means.

You're fine. Don't let these parrots scare you. Change the oil when the OLM says to. You will trade the vehicle or it will get smashed long before you have an oil related engine issue.
 
If the OLM really goes strictly by mileage, then it isn't an IOLM at all.
What does your OM say about the operation of the OLM on your car?
It may be that the relatively little idling you're doing really is of little consequence.
Nothing wrong with a ten to fifteen minute idle on a cold morning to get the windows cleared off and warm enough to resist any falling precipitation freezing on them while you're driving.
I don't think that idling an engine with the control systems of the past twenty years plus is all that harmful either.
It's not as though you're idling a '70 Nova inline six with a choke that might not open when it should.
 
It seems they take a bunch of factors into account. My 14 is supposed to be on the 10K interval for changes. I change at 5K because I am paranoid. At 5K my IOLM said 38%, this is with using the Motorcraft 5W50.
 
Irony: "Fear disturbs your concentration." -Sabine Schmitz

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
I change at 5K because I am paranoid.
 
Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
Irony: "Fear disturbs your concentration." -Sabine Schmitz

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
I change at 5K because I am paranoid.


Well that and oil is cheaper than a new Coyote engine. I might be getting a new one under warranty at some point, as there is a ticking noise that will not go away. The car is getting the Ford racing 12quart pan when that engine goes in.
 
Yes change it @ 5k miles in winter. I'm not sure how the Ford OLM system works but a lot of cars still run off a mileage only system. From the evidence you provided, I'm guessing Ford does the same.
 
The ford iolm was quite conservative when I ran it to zero (really 5%) and tested.

I expect the answer is that whatever detriment the idling does is substantially mitigated by the fact the engine runs longer at operating temperature.
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
Irony: "Fear disturbs your concentration." -Sabine Schmitz

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
I change at 5K because I am paranoid.


Well that and oil is cheaper than a new Coyote engine. I might be getting a new one under warranty at some point, as there is a ticking noise that will not go away. The car is getting the Ford racing 12quart pan when that engine goes in.


I just went through this with my 5.0 F150. Oil was changed every 5,000 miles at the dealer and still that ticking appeared. Engine was clean as a whistle when they took it apart too.

Idling always affected my OLM % reading versus normal driving.
 
The OLM on my 14 Mustang GT goes down when the car sits but I'm not sure about idling. I don't idle the car very much. I change the oil by the OLM and now have almost 7,000 miles on this oil change. I will change it in about two weeks which will be a year from when it was last changed. Last time I looked at the OLM % it was at 8% and the oil still looks very clear on the dipstick. I also have no ticking in the engine and I have a little over 11,000 miles on the car.
 
If I understand you correctly, you have the opposite issue that I do. I don't drive my truck during certain months (when I'm away) and the OLM goes down to 0 all by itself....
 
My car has mostly sat since November at which time the OLM was at 14%. In December I pulled the car out for about four days of good weather and the OLM was at 9% at the end of four days. I pulled the car out a couple of weeks ago and the OLM was at 8%.

I have noticed other times in the past that the OLM has gone down after the car has sat for awhile. This car is not my daily driver so it sits a lot, especially this time of year.

Wayne
 
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