2015 Ford F-150: EcoBoost V6 Makes You Wait

Edmunds.com

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kirkhilles1

Wow, what a pain! If you're going to REQUIRE a 15 minute delay, then you should absolutely NOT have a dipstick, otherwise a large percentage of your owners are going to have an overfilled vehicle which is a dangerous thing.

barich1

That requires the assumption that anyone actually checks their oil.

dm7279

My 2014 S60 has similar text in the owners manual with regard to checking oil level. It is very real, because my car has come back from service at the dealer with an overfilled crank case (by at least 1/2 quart). I will be checking the dipstick next time before I drive off.

stever

I don't think I've ever removed the oil filter before draining the oil on my cars over the years either, much less wait more than 5 minutes to check the level at a service station.

bankerdanny

(a) this is just plain stupid and (b) why wouldn't they just include a hot and cold fill line to deal with this issue?

dgcamero

bankerdanny said:

(a) this is just plain stupid and (b) why wouldn't they just include a hot and cold fill line to deal with this issue?

Not that it isn't stupid, but it holds oil because of the start-stop feature. They should have a sensor that automatically informs you when it's necessary to add a quart, and does not relent until you add the quart. I like the idea of the dipstick as a backup though.

allthingshonda

The oil check procedure in the owner's manual doesn't specify that it only applies to the 2.7 EcoBoost. Ford clearly means for this procedure to be used on all engines. Like it or not the longer you wait for oil to drain back into the pan the more accurate the reading on the dipstick. Checking after sitting overnight is the best. The 2.7, although very small, holds 6 quarts of oil and more engine coolant than the 3.5 EB or the 5.0 V8. The 5.0 V8 holds 7.7 quarts in comparison. I'm sure some of the reason it holds so much oil and why the oil drains slowly into the pan is that it needs that oil to absorb the heat from the engine and turbos. Turbocharged engines should ideally be allowed to idle for a minute or so after being driven to give the turbos time to cool off by allowing oil to continue to circulate. The RAM Ecodiesel owners manual lists cool down idle times for the engine depending on how it's driven. Ford engineers probably figured out that nobody does this so they compensated by designing the engine to hold oil longer and drain slower.

marmotking

The next editor to drive the F-150 that parks it on a level surface could be tasked with checking this out. Bring a measuring instrument, a tape measure will do, a caliper would be better. Park it, then check the dipstick at regular intervals for, say, twenty minutes. Also note ambient temperature, and oil temperature before shutting off the engine. Generate a graph, publish in an update. When the truck is due for an oil change, do it yourself on a cold engine and repeat the test - but wait until "winter" and do it on a cold-for-SoCal day so the results are more universally relevant. You could also do this on other vehicles, maybe this phenomenon is more universal than suspected. @allthingshonda's astute observation regarding turbochargers could very well be a factor.
I think I'll test our beater '89 F-250 (460) next time I drive it, and again if/when I ever get around to changing the oil. I bet it will be a flat graph after about 45 seconds.

bankerdanny

dgcamero said:

bankerdanny said:

(a) this is just plain stupid and (b) why wouldn't they just include a hot and cold fill line to deal with this issue?

Not that it isn't stupid, but it holds oil because of the start-stop feature. They should have a sensor that automatically informs you when it's necessary to add a quart, and does not relent until you add the quart. I like the idea of the dipstick as a backup though.

Thanks dg, it does make more sense considering the start-stop and the need to keep the oil passages full to ensure immediate oil pressure recovery after a re-start.

tom_in_mn

But after 15 minutes the oil is still at least warm, checking cold oil can also lead to an over fill.

wtgkb8

I have always waited a while with any engine that has been running to check the oil for the reason you'll rarely get an accurate reading on what your oil level is on any engine that was just operating. I have always seen a different oil level on many makes and models of engines (not just cars/trucks...but lawn mowers...power washers...tractors...etc) when the engine was just operating compared to waiting several min or even cold.

skisurf1

Yup that is the Ford I remember from the 80's and 90's, always have to be different.

explorerx4

My Fusion says to check the oil level when the engine is cold or wait 10 minutes if warm, but it only has one turbo. ;0