Hi Don

I don't ever recall my oil being at or above my full mark in my '05 FEH after a oil change. The 2.3L takes only 4.5 quarts and I've seen people who had a high oil level when dumping all 5 quarts in. People just don't take the time and use a measuring tool to split that last quart. I've changed the oil in both my '05 and '09 FEH's since new, and I would never dump more than 4.5 quarts in my '05.

I never seen smoke out of my '09 2.5L when the oil was overfilled, just a drop in MPG. The FFH owners who saw smoke either drove hard or had severely overfilled oil. The 2.3L engine didn't seem to have any problems draining all the old oil on my ramps like my '09 does.

How does overfilling decrease MPG? The crankshaft is hitting the high oil level in the oil pan and throwing extra oil on the cylinder walls. The pistons and the rings fight the oil that's not needed. The crankshaft has oil passages already to oil the cylinders and moving parts correctly with the oil pump. If you get smoke from overfilling the oil pan, the oil is getting by the rings and into the combustion chamber and mixing with your fuel mixture. Even a little oil will not cause noticeable smoke, but it will drop your MPG as in my case.

Don, I'd check into a oil level near the full mark after an oil change if you're not changing it yourself and making sure you use 4.5 quarts only.

GaryG

 

I experienced the smoking problem in my 07 once, due to the Valvoline oil change place putting in a full 5 quarts, even though their computer screen clearly showed them to only put in 4.5 quarts. Since then I have them give me the extra half quart container and then I also check the level after they change it. Since mine doesn't seem to lose any oil between changes, I just bring it back the next time and have them only charge me to 4 quarts the next time.

I didn't have the oil overfilled long enough to see any MPG hit, because the smoke happened very soon after the overfill.

 

Thanks for the info guys.

When the dealer changes my oil I get back a partial quart, but it's overfilled by 1/8" on the dipstick. I think for the future I will request a 4qt fill and do the remaining 0.5qt myself.

 

Take my recommendation and go by the dip stick and request either synthetic or synthetic blend. Don't ever use a Valvoline oil change places that uses non synthetic oil if you plan to go over 3,000 miles before the next oil change.

Both the dealerships and quick oil change places use minimum wage employees to change oil. Overfill and wrong oil can screw your engine up for life.

I know when something is wrong with MPG within a few miles of travel, and I know right away to search for the reason for the change. People like Wayne Gerdes know what I'm talking about.

GaryG

 

Okay, its been a week so was the problem oil overfill? Has your MPG improved back to normal?

GaryG

 

Hi guys, this is my first post here after lurking and perusing your site and threads. I bought a 2009 FEH AWD new and have been very happy with it for 5 years (took delivery in late 2008). I've never approached the mpg Ford advertises or many of you have reported, but for the first several years most of my driving was highway @70+mph, and since I live in South Texas I use the A/C much of the year. But the car gets better mileage than its non-hybrid cousins, so it's been good. I'm now retired (just over a year ago; no more 33-mile commute each way 5 days a week!) and most driving is in town. I've enjoyed 24-25 mpg with air conditioning blasting, and 27-28 on cool days with no A/C.

My problem? My last 2 full tanks of gas I've gotten UNDER 20 mpg. Last fillup I got 19.1! The car has 60,800 miles on it, and I've followed the recommended service intervals carefully (at the dealer). I had the dealer do a diagnostic test this week. Results: all is normal. No error codes, no evidence of problems.

My driving habits haven't changed, and no maintenance has been done to the car in the last 6 months other than the 60K oil change. Tire pressure is good.

After reading your posts in this thread I immediately checked my oil level -- it's just above the "low" mark on the dipstick. No smoking exhaust. No miss or rough running (and the dealer said the diagnostics would have picked up on misses, bad plugs, timing, etc.) My conversations with the service writer and the hybrid mechanic left me wondering if they really knew what they were doing. Not many hybrid Fords in my small town, I guess. Both thought I should be getting higher mpg on the highway, and I had to explain about battery assist during acceleration, and engine stop at lights and often when easing along under 40 mph without A/C (or on "Econ"). They both said, "Oh, yeah. That's right. You should get higher mileage in town," and looked embarrassed.

The best advice they could muster was that maybe I had some carbon buildup in the cylinders, and to try some gas treatment for a couple of tanks of gas and see if that helps. I'm dubious, to say the least.

Any words of wisdom for me? Thanks!

John E.

 

Are you noticing any issues with the vehicle going into EV mode?

 

Problems going into EV mode... No. With the A/C off (or in "econ" mode) the engine will shut off at stops or during coasting or easy cruising below 40 mph, and then kick back on after a bit.

What I think I HAVE noticed though, is the "charge -- assist" gauge on the dash will show "assist" during acceleration, but not as much as I used to see. As I pull away from a stop the gauge will slip over into the "assist" side for about a second and then come back to dead center, or even a tad bit into "charge." It's hard to be sure since the gauge is just an indication of what's happening, not calibrated in numbers or divisions. I THINK it used to stay over in the "assist" side for much longer, but maybe I'm miss-remembering.

I mentioned all of that to the Ford dealer technician, who nodded but essentially dismissed it with the comment that if there were a problem with the EV control module it should have produced an error code. No error code = no problem.

 

Information from various sensors via a scanguage device or like would be helpful. Could something be "too" warm that is causing a drop in mpg?

 

Billy, good thought. I've wondered about the heat, although the ambient temps aren't any hotter this summer than they were last year. What kind of scangauge readings are you thinking about? I'm considering buying one. But (to echo the sentiment at the Ford dealer), wouldn't a temperature out-of-line enough to cause that large a drop in MPG also cause a blip in the dealer's diagnostics? This is a real puzzler to me. I appreciate your pondering this with me.