Sponsored

pakrat

Badlands
Well-Known Member
First Name
JG
Joined
Jul 30, 2021
Threads
16
Messages
745
Reaction score
1,852
Location
Lake Tahoe
Vehicle(s)
Toyota 4Runner-F250-Tundra
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
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.
No. It was letting contaminants from the environment in. It was getting high levels of silica and a few other elements (I live in snow country and I assume it is from the roads being sanded and salted). Either way contaminants were making it past the element.
Sponsored

 

BroBronco

Banned
Banned
Banned
Joined
Sep 11, 2021
Threads
5
Messages
116
Reaction score
273
Location
N/A
Vehicle(s)
Ford Bronco
Your Bronco Model
Undecided
No. It was letting contaminants from the environment in. It was getting high levels of silica and a few other elements (I live in snow country and I assume it is from the roads being sanded and salted). Either way contaminants were making it past the element.
Thanks. Elements passing through the filter was my next guess. I always swapped my K&N back to factory filter whenever very dusty out bc it did much better at filtering fine particulates. However, its not as fun and doesn't sound as good :ROFLMAO:
 

Phil

Raptor
Well-Known Member
First Name
Phil
Joined
Aug 10, 2021
Threads
1
Messages
688
Reaction score
1,752
Location
USA
Vehicle(s)
2022 Tesla Model 3 LR
Your Bronco Model
Raptor

ssolypop

Badlands
Well-Known Member
First Name
Solomon
Joined
Nov 18, 2020
Threads
6
Messages
690
Reaction score
1,005
Location
Hawaii
Vehicle(s)
Avenger
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
Clubs
 
I chose to wait until 2500 miles for our first oil change. I know a few on here were insisting on 1000. I split the difference so to speak.

Even though the dealer insisted 5000 would be fine and that I was wasting money - I was confident in wanting to see what this report revealed and provide info for the rest of the community to make their own decisions based on these results.

I used Ford Pass Points - which is weird because I gained 495 points at the same time.

Those of you with more experience - please chime in. I’ve used Blackstone in the past - but, it was for a TDI/Diesel engine and I was moderating metals due to camshaft wear

Breaking-in regime was:

Drove it as suggested by manufacturer. 1,000 went quickly. Lots of hilly backroads, some highway and to and from work - which is only a mile (down/up hill). Wondering if that has something to do with fuel in the oil.

I am pretty certain I kept it below 3500 RPMs (for the most part anyhow) and didn’t take it off-road until after the 1k.

Ford Bronco UPDATED AGAIN: Blackstone Laboratories Oil Report - 2.3L Engine @ 2500, 5000, 10,000 and 15,000 miles (now using Motul 5w30) 1632504711104
Nice report. You can see right away the areas for question. Being that we all would expect most of the numbers to be high (metals anyway) seeing that fuel% so high this early is really the possible concern as you noted. I am not familiar with the rings, but could it be that they provide a better seal over time as the engine breaks in? If that is the case, that fuel % could've been early in the break-in period before the rings got a chance to really provide a good seal. That could also be a good reason for the 1000 mile oil change vice waiting till 2500. You considering another change at the next 2500 miles to do a comparison?

It would be nice if Blackstone provided a flow chart of likely problems based on other high readings as well. For the fuel it seems to really come down to the rings.
 

Laminar

Black Diamond
Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2020
Threads
5
Messages
969
Reaction score
2,498
Location
Iowa
Vehicle(s)
Cougar
Your Bronco Model
Black Diamond

Sponsored

Rick Astley

Raptor
Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2020
Threads
70
Messages
5,019
Reaction score
18,563
Location
Up Doug's ass
Vehicle(s)
d
Your Bronco Model
Raptor
I chose to wait until 2500 miles for our first oil change. I know a few on here were insisting on 1000. I split the difference so to speak.

Even though the dealer insisted 5000 would be fine and that I was wasting money - I was confident in wanting to see what this report revealed and provide info for the rest of the community to make their own decisions based on these results.

I used Ford Pass Points - which is weird because I gained 495 points at the same time.

Those of you with more experience - please chime in. I’ve used Blackstone in the past - but, it was for a TDI/Diesel engine and I was moderating metals due to camshaft wear

Breaking-in regime was:

Drove it as suggested by manufacturer. 1,000 went quickly. Lots of hilly backroads, some highway and to and from work - which is only a mile (down/up hill). Wondering if that has something to do with fuel in the oil.

I am pretty certain I kept it below 3500 RPMs (for the most part anyhow) and didn’t take it off-road until after the 1k.

Ford Bronco UPDATED AGAIN: Blackstone Laboratories Oil Report - 2.3L Engine @ 2500, 5000, 10,000 and 15,000 miles (now using Motul 5w30) 1632504711104
I'll have to dig for our Blackstone reports from the '19 Ranger (GF's rig, she keeps the documents for it) to compare.

Of note: like they warn, viscosity is a bit low, but that makes sense for the fact that assembly oil will be in the engine from 0 miles.

Fuel dilution is absolutely an issue with the 2.3 as the high pressure fuel pumps can have a habit of leaking around seals at the pump or injectors. 2.5 is just a touch high, however, if it were me, I would pull that oil at 5K miles for analysis. You can pull just a sample via removing the filter only. That will drain about 1.5-2 quarts and give you material to send in without a full oil change.

Once the results are back it will tell you if you want to do a full change and also contact the dealership re: fuel dilution.

Zinc: For turbocharged applications (in general) 1,000 PPM is a great general baseline. Obviously factory oil won't have that but it's something to be aware of as the engine ages, you might try using a zinc additive or switching to high-zinc formulas.

Overall: Everything looks fine right now and you have awesome baselines to start with, PLUS, you are the rare unicorn who got baseline sampling and comprehensive testing done from the get-go instead of 20K miles down the line when trying to guess what might have happened. Well done!
 

Swamp Yankee

Badlands
Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2020
Threads
1
Messages
58
Reaction score
151
Location
Seattle, WA
Vehicle(s)
2006 Land Rover LR3
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
You can use Blackstone nationwide. I live in Alaska and use them regularly. You request sample kits online and they send them to you for free. You hang on to them until you pull a sample, then pop it in the mail in its pre-paid container. You can even have a credit card on file with them so you don't have to send payment each time.
Thanks for the info. Sounds easy and like a great business model for them. Very interested!
 

nminus1

Banned
Base
Banned
Banned
First Name
Henry
Joined
Jul 16, 2020
Threads
6
Messages
525
Reaction score
992
Location
High Desert So Cal
Vehicle(s)
Chevy Duramax, Trailblazer, and Ford Escape
Your Bronco Model
Base
You need to exercise the new motor. NOT pin it and hold it, but up to the power peak occasionally to seat the rings.
My 2003 Chevy was broken in this way, at 320k miles still runs nearly new and only uses about 1/3 quart of oil per 4k oil change and passes smog so clean the tech is usually amazed. It needs what athletes would call interval training, leaning towards the easier size at first but definitely up to 5500 rpms now and then after 500 mile break in.
After 3000k drive it normally (have fun). JMO.
 

Lakelife36

Big Bend
Well-Known Member
First Name
Ben
Joined
Jul 25, 2020
Threads
17
Messages
1,755
Reaction score
2,486
Location
Interior of BC
Vehicle(s)
2010 Kia Borrego, 2012 Chevy Cruze, 2022 Bronco
Your Bronco Model
Big Bend
Clubs
 
The analysis is on the report.

you just have to read it.
The purpose of analysis is to let people understand whT the results actually mean. Like this:
The numbers on the "Elements in PPM" section show how much of each material was found in the oil. The far right column shows the averages that Blackstone has measured in other 2.3 EcoBoosts. The tech pointed out that the copper and silicon values were much higher than average - copper is found in bearings, silicon is introduced by poor air filtration, coolant leakage, or by dust/particles in the air making their way into an open engine while it's being worked on. Iron is usually cylinder walls, chromium is often the piston rings, and aluminum is usually piston material. If you look at what value is high, you can usually figure out what's wearing out. In this case, the copper was high due to initial bearing break-in, and silicon was high because it's a fresh build.

Also the Moly level is high, so maybe Ford's break-in oil contains a little extra moly to reduce friction/wear.
 

Sponsored

wrbix

Badlands
Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2021
Threads
10
Messages
859
Reaction score
1,594
Location
VA and FL
Vehicle(s)
LR Def90, F250 7.3, Caterham 7, LR Series III, etc
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
Clubs
 
They offer the kits for free. You mail it in via USPS.
….and ask Blackstone for their cover letter to take to the Post Office to cover the questions there of “anything flammable/toxic/etc” or similar.
ive been using Blackstone for years for my airplane engine…..a common practice in the GA community.….anything to predict failure there is money well spent - engine failure can lead to death.
 

BroBronco

Banned
Banned
Banned
Joined
Sep 11, 2021
Threads
5
Messages
116
Reaction score
273
Location
N/A
Vehicle(s)
Ford Bronco
Your Bronco Model
Undecided
What do you think happened to the dust and sand that used to cake up your filter ?
Uhhhh it got caked up in my filter haha.

My old FJ had an OEM pre-filter built into the air box that helped a lot. Ford should do this...

A pre-filter sock always really helps filter out dust/sand before it even hits the filter here in desert-if K&N is exposed vs in a box. I used both K&N with sock on my dune buggy and never any issues, my buggy had 4Cyl engine.

Now if you really want to mess something up over time wherever there is dust etc just bolt on a CAI. I think they are fun but really only change the sound under the hood any not much else.

Bottom line, if a dust storm or offroading might not want to use a thin K&N. However, keep your factory airbox and use a K&N drop in filter to improve air flow for the turbo.

IMO K&N drop in filters work good enough and have for me going on 25 years with zero engine issues.
 

NC_Pinz

Outer Banks
Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2020
Threads
21
Messages
1,217
Reaction score
2,800
Location
Central NC
Vehicle(s)
2022 Ford Bronco OBX w/ Squatch, 1975 Ford Bronco
Your Bronco Model
Outer Banks
Clubs
 
What do you think happened to the dust and sand that used to cake up your filter ?
I stopped using K&N filters. Summer time off roading in our area can be pretty dusty. Dust and K&N filters don't go well together. The dust will wick the oil out of the filter media drying it out and leaving poor filtration in place.
 

BroBronco

Banned
Banned
Banned
Joined
Sep 11, 2021
Threads
5
Messages
116
Reaction score
273
Location
N/A
Vehicle(s)
Ford Bronco
Your Bronco Model
Undecided
I stopped using K&N filters. Summer time off roading in our area can be pretty dusty. Dust and K&N filters don't go well together. The dust will wick the oil out of the filter media drying it out and leaving poor filtration in place.
Yes. Just dont use it in dust/sand and its fine.
 

mpeugeot

Outer Banks
Well-Known Member
First Name
Mark
Joined
May 14, 2021
Threads
17
Messages
7,299
Reaction score
13,558
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
97 Ferrari F355, 11 Ford F-150, 21 OBX 2D
Your Bronco Model
Outer Banks
Rarely do I blindly appeal to authority, but in this case the manufacturer knows EVERYTHING about the engine's metallurgy and construction, they have tens or even hundreds of thousands of hours of real-world testing and data, and they are the absolutely on the hook for the engine's condition through the warranty period.

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.
I think people are over-thinking this...



This is what happens when you just beat an ecoboost engine.

I am sure that they probably had a 20 min to 1 hour breakin period and then let it rip.
Sponsored

 
 


Top