Inability to get oil to operating temp

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Originally Posted By: bbhero
The W the winter rating. So a 5w is just fine. The 50 part I agree with you on.


You agree and disagree at the same time?

Only on BITOG.
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Did this just start when the COLD hit


Seeing how he posted this when it’s cold out (below normal), I would assume so.
 
Does the RS have the active flaps in the front grille some other ecoboost cars do? I think if I understand them correctly they close to block airflow when warming up, and open to allow when warm.

Not the same car but when I had my Caliber SRT (2.4 turbo 300ish hp with mods) it took a pretty long time to heat up in the cold as well. About 10 miles I would see 180ish oil temp, and never really saw over 200F on cold days. I always figured the front was designed to let so much air in, and it had an oil cooler as well.
 
Use the oil grade stamped on the oil fill cap as a starting point. The oil is too thick for your app at 10 degrees.
 
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Originally Posted By: FZ1
Use the oil grade stamped on the oil fill cap as a starting point. The oil is too thick for your app at 10 degrees.


Pretty sure the RS specs 5W-50 motorcraft oil as it's fill. 5W can pump at -30 celsius though. 10F is what, like minus 10-15 Celsius? Not cold enough to stop it pumping. And that's assuming the oil temp is same as outdoor temp, which it wouldn't be unless he parks an RS on the street/snow overnight....
crazy.gif


EDIT: and for everyone saying it's too thick. Ford are assuming this car will be tracked and from people I know who've test driven them, they are indeed a track car. For daily commutes, the ST is probably a much better option, unless you can somehow resist the urge to put that pedal down. 5W50 does shear down more from the UOA's I've seen, but I wouldn't go throwing a resource conserving 30 grade in one of these engines. I'd stick to the factory fill or a very stout 40 grade.
 
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Originally Posted By: KL31
Originally Posted By: FZ1
Use the oil grade stamped on the oil fill cap as a starting point. The oil is too thick for your app at 10 degrees.


Pretty sure the RS specs 5W-50 motorcraft oil as it's fill. 5W can pump at -30 celsius though. 10F is what, like minus 10-15 Celsius? Not cold enough to stop it pumping. And that's assuming the oil temp is same as outdoor temp, which it wouldn't be unless he parks an RS on the street/snow overnight....
crazy.gif


EDIT: and for everyone saying it's too thick. Ford are assuming this car will be tracked and from people I know who've test driven them, they are indeed a track car. For daily commutes, the ST is probably a much better option, unless you can somehow resist the urge to put that pedal down. 5W50 does shear down more from the UOA's I've seen, but I wouldn't go throwing a resource conserving 30 grade in one of these engines. I'd stick to the factory fill or a very stout 40 grade.


The RS is just a tad faster than the SHO, which is a family sized sedan. The SHO spec's a 5w30. Like I said, I would check to see whether or not the manual allows for a thinner oil. Realistically, 5w50 isn't required for Cars 'n Coffee meets, DD etc.

Doesn't it seem strange OP questions this with 0*F weather?
 
This car specs 5w-50; no other oil weights are mentioned as an option. Ford is obviously convinced this motor needs it. Being a 2.3L DI Turbo that puts out 350hp, that is a lot of stress, especially the way most of these cars are driven. Mine sees wide open throttle and high revs daily.

The past week or two, it has been near or below zero many mornings in the Cincy area. Not to mention I spent a few days in northern IL where it was well below freezing. 15w-50 as someone mentioned is not an option. Given the car is driven hard year round, stepping down a weight doesn't sit well with me either.

The RS does not have active flaps like the ST, which I owned previously before it was totaled in a hit and run. I have a bluetooth OBD scanner that reads coolant temps and I've never seen any vehicle i've owned fail to get over 160-170 degree oil temps in a 30+ mile commute. I suppose it could be that the oil cooler is just that efficient when it's near zero. My concern was the impact this has on the oil over a long interval, and given my driving style and length of commute, if I should consider dialing back from a 7.5k OCI.

Thanks!
 
Originally Posted By: Atomic
Hello,

Last time I stopped by was to get input on what oil I should run in my new Focus RS. I have been on Mobil 1 5w-50 and a Fram Ultra and just completed second oil change at 10.5k (7.5k run).

With the arrival of winter, I am noticing the oil is never exceeding ~170 degrees, even with my 60 mile round trip to work and back, and with my lack of will power to keep from hammering down on it. On a recent 450 Mile road trip, I drove between 80-100 for hours at 3.5k RPM with the oil temp never reaching even 190 degrees.

All said, is this going to have a negative impact on the oil, necessitating a change earlier than the 7.5k I will run normally?

Thanks!


How can you drive 80-100 MPH in Ohio and not get tickets. Every time I drive through Ohio I see more cops per mile than any other state I have been in.
 
Washington State would like to have a word with you
grin.gif


66 in a 60? No negotiations, you’re getting popped and ticketed
 
Originally Posted By: JEL01
Washington State would like to have a word with you
grin.gif


66 in a 60? No negotiations, you’re getting popped and ticketed





Yep and the State Patrol are as thick as flies on bull chips.
 
2.3 Ecoboost engine in the Mustang GT requires 5W30. I think that pretty well covers it. Now if you want to go racing, the 5W50 may be what you need.

Motorcraft® SAE 5W-50 Full Synthetic Motor Oil
Top-quality motor oil required for Ford GT and Ford Mustang Shelby GT-500™
American Petroleum Institute (API) Service Category SM
Manufactured with high-viscosity index, premium-quality, synthetic base oils and performance additives that provide wear and oxidation protection under severe operating conditions
Resistant to deposit formation, including supercharged and turbocharged applications
Provides quick flow to engine parts during start-up and lubricates effectively over a wide temperature range
Compatible with other synthetic and petroleum-based formulations
Recommended by Ford Motor Company
Available in cases of 12 one-quart bottles
 
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Seeing as you have a coolant/oil oil cooler, that is particularly strange. Oil should be close to coolant temps.


Not necessarily.....
oil coolers are always in the "cold" hose (return from radiator to engine)...
and coolant temp sensors are usually near the hottest part (near thermostat housing)


My oil temp follows my coolant temp at -30C ambient. It depends on the vehicle, location of the heat exchanger, size of heat exchanger...etc.
 
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Originally Posted By: KL31
Originally Posted By: FZ1
Use the oil grade stamped on the oil fill cap as a starting point. The oil is too thick for your app at 10 degrees.


Pretty sure the RS specs 5W-50 motorcraft oil as it's fill. 5W can pump at -30 celsius though. 10F is what, like minus 10-15 Celsius? Not cold enough to stop it pumping. And that's assuming the oil temp is same as outdoor temp, which it wouldn't be unless he parks an RS on the street/snow overnight....
crazy.gif


EDIT: and for everyone saying it's too thick. Ford are assuming this car will be tracked and from people I know who've test driven them, they are indeed a track car. For daily commutes, the ST is probably a much better option, unless you can somehow resist the urge to put that pedal down. 5W50 does shear down more from the UOA's I've seen, but I wouldn't go throwing a resource conserving 30 grade in one of these engines. I'd stick to the factory fill or a very stout 40 grade.


The RS is just a tad faster than the SHO, which is a family sized sedan. The SHO spec's a 5w30. Like I said, I would check to see whether or not the manual allows for a thinner oil. Realistically, 5w50 isn't required for Cars 'n Coffee meets, DD etc.

Doesn't it seem strange OP questions this with 0*F weather?


The SHO is 104HP/L, the RS is 152HP/L, that's a rather massive difference and certainly justification for a heavier lubricant.
 
Originally Posted By: Atomic
This car specs 5w-50; no other oil weights are mentioned as an option. Ford is obviously convinced this motor needs it. Being a 2.3L DI Turbo that puts out 350hp, that is a lot of stress, especially the way most of these cars are driven. Mine sees wide open throttle and high revs daily.

The past week or two, it has been near or below zero many mornings in the Cincy area. Not to mention I spent a few days in northern IL where it was well below freezing. 15w-50 as someone mentioned is not an option. Given the car is driven hard year round, stepping down a weight doesn't sit well with me either.

The RS does not have active flaps like the ST, which I owned previously before it was totaled in a hit and run. I have a bluetooth OBD scanner that reads coolant temps and I've never seen any vehicle i've owned fail to get over 160-170 degree oil temps in a 30+ mile commute. I suppose it could be that the oil cooler is just that efficient when it's near zero. My concern was the impact this has on the oil over a long interval, and given my driving style and length of commute, if I should consider dialing back from a 7.5k OCI.

Thanks!


That temp is ultimately so close to operating I wouldn't worry about it. I had similar issues with my BMW M5, but ultimately I didn't see any detrimental effects from it.
 
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
The RS is just a tad faster than the SHO, which is a family sized sedan. The SHO spec's a 5w30. Like I said, I would check to see whether or not the manual allows for a thinner oil. Realistically, 5w50 isn't required for Cars 'n Coffee meets, DD etc.

Doesn't it seem strange OP questions this with 0*F weather?



Just googled the SHO. Everything is saying it's a V6 engine? Focus RS is a 4 cylinder DI-T engine. If the SHO does indeed use the exact same engine, then you make an interesting point and not to be offensive but I don't think we can compare if they're totally different engines.

Originally Posted By: Atomic
My concern was the impact this has on the oil over a long interval, and given my driving style and length of commute, if I should consider dialing back from a 7.5k OCI.

Thanks!


Would have zero impact if the car was port injected and didn't fuel dilute. The fuel diltion is the enemy of T-GDI engines. Temp is not the problem at all. 70-90 degrees celsius is fine in my opinion. With a cold winter, it might struggle to get past 70C on a shorter trip. And no you can't burn the fuel out once it has diluted the oil just by driving for longer and trying to get the oil hotter. Seems to be quite the urban myth. UOA shows time and time again that even with massive highway miles, the dilution is still there. The less short trips the better, but that is impossible unless you drive the opposite direction of your destination for 10 miles just to lengthen your commute.

But because of fuel dilution, long OCI don't seem the best. Maybe 5K OCI would be better. I saw some UOA's on the RS forums and the 50 grade motorcraft turned into a 30 grade pretty quickly. Blackstone's fuel testing is again proving notoriously bad for T-GDI engine UOAs. There almost needs to be a public announcement about how far off their readings are because they aren't using GC to test the fuel %.
 
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Originally Posted By: KL31


Just googled the SHO. Everything is saying it's a V6 engine?


Yes, the SHO has the 3.5L Ecoboost engine @ 104HP/L, which is significantly less dense than this 2.3L engine.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Yes, the SHO has the 3.5L Ecoboost engine @ 104HP/L, which is significantly less dense than this 2.3L engine.


Thanks for confirming. You make a good point about it having 40HP more than the Mustang too. 40HP is not to be sneezed at when it's the same engine, which already has a very high output for it's size. If all the internals are the same, you could expect higher boost pressure, tweaked ECU and exhaust system (just guessing). Plus Ford would be anticipating that the RS will be tracked more than a 4CYL mustang. You wouldn't track the 4 pot Mustang, I'd imagine most would buy the V8 if they planned on tracking and potentially adding more ponies to the pony.
 
Castrol UK couples this Oil to the RS
https://applications.castrol.com/oilselector/en_gb/c/recommendation?vehicleType=cars&manufacturer=ford-(eu)&model=focus-mk-iii-(c346)-(2011-)&modelType=focus-2-3-rs-ecoboost-(257-kw)-(2014-)
 
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