UPDATED AGAIN: Blackstone Laboratories Oil Report - 2.3L Engine @ 2500, 5000, 10,000 and 15,000 miles (now using Motul 5w30)

[kodiakisland]

Is this engine known for fuel dilution?
Seems like in engines that it is a problem, it’s still mostly for vehicles driven short distances regularly.

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[zrizik99]

Fuel in the oil? Hmmm

 

[Longshot]

I've been using Blackstone for several years on various vehicles and have always recommended them for anyone who changes their own oil.
Me personally, I change mine within the first 1k, but it's just a routine I've come accustomed to. Usually, I'll send the next oil sample to BS after the first 5or6k to get a baseline, however, sending in the 1k sample will still show you any trends from there on out. The biggest reason for doing these samples is to have a professional lab break down your oil into several components and actually give you feedback on any trends they may see.
I had an '09 Mazdaspeed 3 for about 7 years and it was showing some weirdness at first with one of the elements, however after a couple of years and a few oil changes, it eventually cleared up. They basically let me know if it went higher, I may have been looking at an issue.
Like has been mentioned, they send you a box of sample bottles with shipping containers to send them back for free. You then pay $30/sample and your postage and give them about two weeks.

 

[redone17]

OP, thanks for taking a sample and sharing it! I typically sample every other oil change on my vehicles to keep an eye on how everything is wearing.


^^
I've taken a sample when I just pulled the car into the garage and didn't let it warm up fully. That sample came back with high fuel dilution. The next sample taken from the same vehicle fully warmed up came back with no fuel. If the dealership collected the sample for him, they may have just pulled the truck in after sitting outside for a while, or pulled the sample from the beginning or end of the drain.
If you do the 3000 mile change like they suggest, I'd say it's important to make sure the thing gets fully warmed up and sampled properly. No point in sending them another cold sample only to keep finding fuel in it.

I drove it a good 40 minutes on the highway before pulling the sample and it went straight onto the lift. I specifically requested for a mid-drain pull (and got the “what do you think I’m dumb?” look).

That being said - I’ll likely go back to changing my own oil and potentially using Motul - but, I want to ensure warranty will be honored as long as I keep records. First new vehicle for me.



Looking forward to the next analysis at 5500 and I’ll be sure to updated this thread. From their once a year if all looks good.

 

[Defyfate11]

Check on the Ranger forums if you want detailed wear info on the 2.3 oil analysis. The more engines sampled through varying amounts of use give Blackstone the averages to accurately comment on a specific engine.

I've sampled all of my vehicles (Fords, GMCs and Toyotas) through the years with Blackstone and its helped me steer away from certain products and use others. For example, I won't ever use a K&N air filter again based on the contaminants found in the analysis. On two different vehicles the high level of several contaminants disappeared when I replaced the K&N for a good ol Napa Gold or similar. Same oil, same oil change intervals, same everything except the K&N air filter.

Was the K&N filter the reusable oil type filter?

 

[jimmyu]

$30 for this type of testing is a steal. Just the digestion required to test the for the metals would run more than $30 at most other labs. I know that they’re running a lot of samples at a time so the cost goes down due to volume, but it’s still a really good deal.

 

[spada]

Isn't the engine under a powertrain warranty?
Maintain it, but don't baby it like it's a....baby. Enjoy it. Flog the hell out of it. if it breaks, tell Ford to give you a new engine. Rinse and repeat.

 

[pakrat]

Was the K&N filter the reusable oil type filter?

Yes. Specifically it was the drop in washable/reusable air filter replacement for both my diesel 7.3L F350 and my gas 2014 5.7L Tundra. Just the standard filters, not the cold air intake kits. Totally different engines but same results.

 

[MtnRanger]

USPS machines don’t like the black stone containers. I sent 3 containers, two for engine oil of two cars, 1 for transmission oil of second car. 1 container took 2 months to reach them and I got the report. Second container took 4 months and they got an empty container without any contents inside. Third container never made it there, it’s been lost in Philadelphia sorting facility. I just mailed them 4th container but put it inside a Amazon box and stick their label on top, I’ll see how long it takes this time

 

[BroBronco]

2.7L catch can kit:

https://juggernautpower.com/collections/bronco-catch-cans

Mishimoto just posted a blog yesterday about testing their catch cans on the 2.7L
https://www.mishimoto.com/engineering/2021/09/2021-ford-bronco-27-catch-can-prototype/

Ty! What about the 2.3?

 

[Efthreeoh]

I drove it a good 40 minutes on the highway before pulling the sample and it went straight onto the lift. I specifically requested for a mid-drain pull (and got the “what do you think I’m dumb?” look).

That being said - I’ll likely go back to changing my own oil and potentially using Motul - but, I want to ensure warranty will be honored as long as I keep records. First new vehicle for me.



Looking forward to the next analysis at 5500 and I’ll be sure to updated this thread. From their once a year if all looks good.

So it's like giving a urine sample. Lol.

 

[UtahBrandon]

I'm just so happy and surprised that this thread didn't devolve into a "sky is falling" thread and that "Ford is sh*t and doesn't know what they're doing" from a bunch of armchair engineers. There's some hope for this community yet.

 

[BroBronco]

Check on the Ranger forums if you want detailed wear info on the 2.3 oil analysis. The more engines sampled through varying amounts of use give Blackstone the averages to accurately comment on a specific engine.

I've sampled all of my vehicles (Fords, GMCs and Toyotas) through the years with Blackstone and its helped me steer away from certain products and use others. For example, I won't ever use a K&N air filter again based on the contaminants found in the analysis. On two different vehicles the high level of several contaminants disappeared when I replaced the K&N for a good ol Napa Gold or similar. Same oil, same oil change intervals, same everything except the K&N air filter.

Was the K&N filter oil getting in the engine? I don't see what else it could be.

If its from filter oil, do you think it never had a chance to dry after being cleaned/re-oiled before installation and the engine sucked some of the wet K&N love juice in the engine?

If its just the filter oil in general regardless of dry time, why not just de-grease the K&N and run it without the oil...which is actually better for trapping dust without robbing airflow. Out here in the desert I only clean my K&N. No filter oil added. Otherwise dust and sand cakes up in it and cuts off flow.

 

[Fly by Nite]

@KyleQ
@Laminar
Proper procedure to break in the piston rings is to beat on it.... a little! See the Mahle link below.

Meh, this soft break in recommendation isn't the best. The idea is to seat the rings, everything else doesn't really care. What seats rings? PRESSURE. The only way to achieve that is to load the engine and give it some RPMs - ala kinda beat on it.

I will be changing the oil ~1k as a result, but I'm also not going to keep the RPM's that low - just avoiding the redline until that first change. I doubt any of this actually matters with a modern computer controlled engine anyway. Things are built so well and oil is so dang good as long as it's wet it'll probably run.

....
The only people I see saying "yeah beat on it to break it in" are the people that are just repeating some BS they read on the internet or they're like "bro I've built 5 engines and I beat on them and they're all great" with absolutely no data on longevity through 60,000+ miles. And I'm sure you can find some racing engine builders that recommend a harsh break in cycle but again, they're not on the hook for 60,000 miles of warranty - the engines they build live a much different life with far fewer miles and hours of life than a manufactured, oem-spec, warrantied, emission-controlled passenger vehicle engine.

Proper piston ring break in does require a moderate load be placed on them, up to and including WOT. Don't overdo it..... only short bursts to load the rings, then back off to let them relax and get some lube.
Driving it too easy during break-in will not load the rings enough to wear them in properly. Could result in glazing, resulting in poor oil control.

Here's a couple of sources for more info:
Mahle, a engine part manufacturer:
https://www.us.mahle.com/media/usa/motorsports/mms-break-in-recommended-procedure-web.pdf
Engine Builder Mag, an industry trade mag:
https://www.enginebuildermag.com/2018/05/how-to-break-in-your-piston-rings-the-right-way/

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