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Oil Change interval

Bill #5 Explorer

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Chicago Area
Year, Model & Trim Level
2016 Explorer XLT
Like clock-work, the oil change monitor in my 2007 Eddie Bauer has me changing oil every 5,000 miles (I used full synthetic). This has worked out great after 120,000 miles of reliable use.

Should I expect the same 5,000 mile interval from the 2011??

Thanks.
 



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Odd. My 08 specifies 7500 mile intervals. I couldn't bring myself to go that far, but the manual gave me that number.
 






7500 is the same interval overseas, with the same engines, oils, and filters...
 






So I was looking at some stuff. Found the interval for the 3.5 is 10,000 miles.

I don't think I can do that...
 






The owners manual on the web states that the oil should be changed when the message center says it time. Does anyone know how many miles that is?
 






10K miles according to the manual.
 






I saw that in the manual but it says "can be up to 10,000 miles" and I'm wondering if different models have different limits. Plus I've seen in the manual where it says if the message center isn't working then change the oil every 5,000 miles.
 






It probably bases it off the oil quality and driving conditions.
 






I changed mine at the 1,000 mile mark with full sythetic 5W20. I'll change every 5,000-6,000 hereafter.
 






...or when revenue from dealer service shops is low. :D
 






I'd change it every 3k miles as my mechanic told me that lots of Ford engines in the past were messing up because 7k is just too long as the oil is too diluted with fuel.
 






too long as the oil is too diluted with fuel.

This is especially true for vehicles driven short distences. Oil never gets hot enough to burn off fuel residue and moisture (water). If in doubt, you can also send out your oil sample to a lab like Blackstone and do UOA's (used oil analysis). I do this on some personal cars I own that are very high performance.
 












I dont have the knowledge in this area so I asked the actual Ford Engineers who worked on this 3.5 V6 about the Ford Oil Life Monitoring System (OLMS). It's a very sophisticated algorithm that takes into account many things that the computers record about driving habits, engine temp, run time, RPM, mileage, etc etc. Apparently every driver will have a slightly different recommended oil change time.

The advice I got was. "changing oil at a set 3000 or 5000 miles is old school, old thinking, legacy technology, today you cant out think the OLMS. Wait for the light, then change your oil"
 






Changing oil as recommended in a modern engine is more than sufficient. Today engines will easily last the life of the vehicle. In the past, rebuilt engines, or engines from junked cars were a big business. Ask someone in that business today and they will tell you that there simply isn't much demand anymore (transmissions neither). You'll be spending a lot more money on things you don't want to replace before you ever have to replace the engine in this car (assuming you don't abuse it) so long as you follow manufacturer recommended oil change intervals.
 












I second that, thank you very much for the link. Can you add plus 1's to posts on this forum?
 






I second that, thank you very much for the link. Can you add plus 1's to posts on this forum?

Thank you, thank you very much.
 






First Oil Change

Performed the first oil change on the new Explorer today (2987 miles). According to the cluster I still had 70% left but did it anyways to get the early break in miles out of it. Was done in about 7 minutes. I'm going to have to upgrade my floor jack though. Seems like there is a little more clearance to the frame then my '02 has and it's the limit of my current jack. Filter was easy to get too and the oil didn't drip all over everything like my '02 does. This is probably the easiest vehicle I've ever changed oil on. Used Castrol Synthetic and ordered a whole case of Motorcraft filters from RockAuto for around $62. Good to go for future oil changes.

An easy job if anyone wants to do-it-yourself instead of spending $104 at the local dealer where I'm at. That price was supplying my own filter and oil too. Ridiculous. Then again I've always done my own oil changes. Don't know if I'll ever wait to 10K like the manual says. Probably stick to every 3k but we'll see.
 



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Performed the first oil change on the new Explorer today (2987 miles). According to the cluster I still had 70% left but did it anyways to get the early break in miles out of it. Was done in about 7 minutes. I'm going to have to upgrade my floor jack though. Seems like there is a little more clearance to the frame then my '02 has and it's the limit of my current jack. Filter was easy to get too and the oil didn't drip all over everything like my '02 does. This is probably the easiest vehicle I've ever changed oil on. Used Castrol Synthetic and ordered a whole case of Motorcraft filters from RockAuto for around $62. Good to go for future oil changes.

An easy job if anyone wants to do-it-yourself instead of spending $104 at the local dealer where I'm at. That price was supplying my own filter and oil too. Ridiculous. Then again I've always done my own oil changes. Don't know if I'll ever wait to 10K like the manual says. Probably stick to every 3k but we'll see.
Just make sure you keep a record and receipts in case there are any warranty issues down the road. That is one reason I always have the dealership do it. Not sure what Ford charges since I haven't had an oil change yet but Toyota was around $39.95 for oil and filter for my former Highlander.
 






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