Clean 5000 5w-20; Fusion 2.5L; 6k oil; 7.5k total

[dnewton3]

Vehicle: 2010 Fusion 2.5L I-4
Total vehicle miles at UOA: 7.5k
Total miles on oil/filter at UOA: 6k (OEM OCI service limit is 7.5k miles)
Oil: Mobil Clean 5000; 5w-20
Filter: Napa Gold 1348

New vehicle fall 2009. I ran 1500 miles on the factory oil fill, then did an OCI to get the “break in” metals out, (whatever that might represent). I then installed this load and ran it for 6k miles. I fully expected some continued wear/break-in metals on an engine so new, even after the “break-in flush”. My typical average driving pattern is split 50/50.

Blackstone Comments:
“The high wear metals and silicon are not unusual finds in the oil from your new Fusion. The wear is high due to break-in of new parts, while silicon is from sealers and sand-casted parts. Universal averages show typical wear metals for oil from this engine after 4,400 miles of oil use. We expect your engine will look that good or better in future oil changes. Keeping the first few oil changes somewhat short is a good way to speed up the wear-in process. No contamination was present and the TBN read 3.8, showing plenty of active additive left. 1.0 is low.”

My reading / univ average based upon 4400 miles
(Items not listed were at zero)
Al: 6 / 3
Cr: 0/1
Fe: 9 / 8
Cu: 34 / 4
Pb: 0 / 0
Tn: 3 / 0
Moly: 117 / 67
Mn: 1 / 0
K: 1 / 1
B: 24 / 26
Si: 29 / 12
Na: 2 / 25
Ca: 2231 / 2069
Mg: 11 / 12
P: 670 / 637
Zn: 861 / 772

SUS @ 210F: 50.8 / 46-60
cSt @ 100C: 7.51 / 6 – 10.5
FP @ F: 390 / 355
Fuel < .5%
Insol: .3%
TBN: 3.8

My thoughts:
I ran 6k miles contrasted to the “average” UOA of 4.4k miles, which is about 40% further than typical. Cu and Si are certainly elevated from a new engine; obviously break-in is still continuing as expected. With the TBN at 3.8, I believe the whole 7.5k miles is a manageable task, at least for Clean 5000. Vis and such all stayed nicely in spec as well.

I likely will not UOA at every OCI; cost becomes prohibitive. I will UOA perhaps every other or every third OCI after things settle down.

Overall, I believe this product combo is capable of the whole 7.5k miles. I really just did this UOA to show that today’s well made engines and oils can do the OEM recommended OCI with licensed fluids. Looks like 7.5k miles is not insane, and actually quite attainable on conventional dino fluids. I realize it's not a fair statement for all vehicles, but if you've got one of these engines, and you're doing 3k or 5k mile OCIs, you're likely wasting money.

 

[sw99]

That is nothing to worry about. Personally though, I would not do a UOA until 20k on a new vehicle.

That Ford will serve you well!

 

[Pablo]

Looks fine.

Just curious - what MPG are you getting in the Fusion?

 

[dnewton3]

I average around 27-28mpg for my day to day driving.

On a recent highway trip, I got more than 30mpg fully loaded with family and luggage.

 

[kballowe]

Thanks for posting ! I have a whopping 4,800 miles on my 2010 Fusion with the 2.5L four cylinder engine.

My first OCI was 1k. Will go to 5k for the next - and had planned 5k OCIs after that.

Right now my stash is Trop Artic synthetic blend... because I got is for $1.43/quart tax included.

I'm getting virtually the same fuel mileage.

 

[daman]

Great combo,stayed in grade should work for you to do 7k no problem,my self i would have dumped this second fill before 6k tho to flush the metals out,oil is cheap!

 

[addyguy]

Nice results - TBN is especially strong for 6k. Will do 7.5 with ease.

How is the power with the 2.5 in the Fusion?

 

[kballowe]

Speaking for myself - previous car was a Focus... It's decent. I prefer a manual transmission so this one is taking some "getting used to". Certainly, it's not a beast at 170 hp but it does well. I thought about the V6 but figured the 4 might be a little better if the gas prices went any higher. With the six-speed transmission I think it turns something like 2200 at 70 mph. The car does well at 70+ mph. It is a little odd getting used to six speeds but it's very, very, smooth on the shift.

Excellent braking. Panic handling is also excellent. May have something to do with the 18" tires on a 45 profile.

 

[ZZman]

That oil looks to have a good add pack. Nice TBN.

 

[panthermike]

Originally Posted By: ZZman
That oil looks to have a good add pack. Nice TBN.


I agree, looks good. I must say I'm surprised by the TBN. Do you buy the 5w20 grade from a parts store? My Walmart used to carry it, but not anymore.

 

[dnewton3]

I got the Mobil Clean 5000 at Rural King with a rebate as well; ended up costing me around $1.69/qrt! Not bad performance for a dino at that mileage. I'm very tempted to get some QS dino at WW this week; it's $10 for a 5 qrt jug. OTOH, it's hard to turn away from the MC semi-syn for only $11.50.

I guess my real point was that even the 5k mile OCI is a thing of past for some of these new engines. Many people would cringe at the thought of 7.5k miles on dino, but clearly some engine/oil combinations are capable. In this case, any licensed WSS-M2C930-A fluid (Ford 5w-20) is likely going to work well enough to provide plenty of cushion. I would never try that long of an OCI on a carb'd 5.7L from the 1970's. But the clean engine designs, good manufacturing controls, and quality dino lubes available today certainly lend towards long OCIs. 7.5k miles used to be the playground of synthetics, or top quality semi-syns. Now, quality dino lubes are hitting that mark.

One thing to note, and I did ponder the alternatives, is that I could have done several short OCI flushes. But, it's apparent to me that even though the Si and Cu are high, they affected nothing else; there were no negative effects seen from the single flush versus multiple flushes. Remember, my UOA was 40% longer than the "average", and everything else was very reasonable. After this engine finally settles in, I might tempt fate and push an OCI out even further, just a small bit at a time, to see where the real limit lies!

If a person were to limit the OCIs to 5k miles out of desire, I would think even a house brand would suffice, as long as it was SM/GF-4 (SuperTech, AAP, AZ, for example). Those are not licensed by Ford, but probably can still cut the mustard, but perhaps with a shade less "cushion" for extended OCIs. Anyone that puts PYB or other high-end dino in this engine, and then OCIs at 3-4k miles, is getting way, way less than what he paid for!

I have every intention of following the 7.5k mile OLM (it is simply a counter, and does not review conditions such as GM's OLM). My driving is very predictable; 50/50 with just occasional full throttle bursts here and there.

For those that asked, this little I-4 has more power than the Vulcan v-6 I traded in. 175 HP isn't too shabby with VVT and a medium sized car.

 

[kballowe]

My Daughter just picked up a 2010 Camry. The owner's manual specifies 0W-20 - and is hard-over on that point. They also specify 10,000 OCIs. Cartridge oil filter.

I sure would like to use the 5W-20 because I have a lot of it - and it goes into every other vehicle that I own. However, some of the members here tell me that I should use the 0W-20.

 

[dnewton3]

That's a tough one. I do advocate following OEM specs during warranty periods to aleviate a potential argument with the OEM should something go wrong.

OTOH, I cannot fathom how a 5w-20 versus a 0w-20 would make any darn difference. Do any of the 5w-20's have similar vis and CPPs to the 0w-20 of the Toyota spec?

 

[daman]

I my self don't think a 0/20 would hurt a thing,your getting optimal start up flow witch is always a plus in any weather.

i use 0/30 in my 5/30 spec'd engines all the time, it's still a 20 or 30w at temp witch is what matters if your following spec.

 

[Oregoonian]

Based on your experience, I wonder what Mobil 7500 (a blend) OCI's would be?

Mobil 7500 seems hard to find though.

Is there anyone out there that uses Mobil 7500?

 

[Best F100]

My sister recently bought this same combination: Silver 2010 Fusion SE with 2.5L 4 cylinder engine. She can't stop talking about how nice a car this is. Her reasons:

Comparable or better reliability than Camry and Accord. Much better to look at than both of them. (Kind of like marrying an ugly spouse. If you are going to wake up look at them for many years, you better pick one easy on the eyes)! Better handling than both.

Looking at this UAO, I am curious how many miles you could run Mobil 1 5W20 or Amsoil 0W20? 10 to 15K?

 

[jeepman]

Great report and congratulations on your new car. Engine is breaking in nicely and looks to me like you found a great combination for your application.

MC5K doesn't get talked about much, but at $11 for 5 quarts at Wally's, it may be the best bang for the buck oil out there. Strong add pack, and that TBN at 6k is great. 7500 miles should be easily attainable after break in finishes.

I personally wouldn't change a thing. You have proven that a good dino is all you need, to have a long happy life from modern engine/oil combos.

 

[whitesands]

That's an impressive report...6,000 miles on conventional oil, still well in grade, low wear numbers even on a new engine....Looks like the Mobil drive clean is doing a real good job and it doesn't cost that much either...

 

[Jim Allen]

A very good report... but not too surprising. It's easy "misunderestimate" and fail to notice that the technology used in the more whiz-bang formulations also finds it's way into the "vin ordinaire" of the oil world.

 

[dnewton3]

I must admit some terrible tendency deep down in dark recesses of my psyche to OCI on some pre-programmed mental limit. I am, at heart, a tinkerer, and love to putter around in the garage. But what I'm trying to learn for myself, and also educate others, is that today's engines and oils are flat awesome in stock form.

I do not take away anything from synthetics; they are great products when used for the correct reaons (very long OCIs and super-extreme cold temps). But when an OEM (Ford) tells you that any licensed dino fluid is good for 7.5k miles, and then you validate it with evidence in your own garrage, I suppose it's time to reset the mental OCI meter!

The same thing is happening in my Dmax truck (a bit off topic, I realize). I ran 10w-30 dino HDEO, and got stellar UOA results, even after heavy, hot towing. Ligher grades and OLMs are not the demon's domain any longer.

I do understand that there are older vehicles that cannot abide by these practices. Non-injected, old tech engines with large bearing clearances cannot be held to these new standards. For them, the 3 month / 3k mile OCI might be reasonable.

The point I'm trying to make is that we, as BITOGers, should be helping to educate the public, and ourselves, with the fact that modern engines and lubes are much more capable than most of us might be willing to admit. "Three months or 3,000 miles" is almost an unscrupulous and irresponsible postion today for modern vehicles.