Intelligent Oil Life Monitor

[djcgmcse]

I'm at around 5500 miles, I'll see if I can do a health report today and see what it says.

[safetyguy14]

I'm at 1700 miles, mine says about 18,784

[scottjl]

Originally Posted by redav

Seriously, they have some odd & complex methods to do simple stuff: set how doors are unlocked, tell the car its oil was changed, open & close the driver's door to reset the MFT ...

Not really, my other vehicles were just as arcane. You have to remember you're not running a pretty desktop operating system here where you can just open up a control panel. Many of these computers are just embedded systems with limited programming. You have to design a sequence that (1) uses existing switches, levers, buttons, etc. and (2) can't be reset too easily. Would be completely useless if your oil life gauge reset every time you tapped both the break and gas pedals wouldn't it?

[silenthill]

Originally Posted by scottjl

Not really, my other vehicles were just as arcane. You have to remember you're not running a pretty desktop operating system here where you can just open up a control panel. Many of these computers are just embedded systems with limited programming. You have to design a sequence that (1) uses existing switches, levers, buttons, etc. and (2) can't be reset too easily. Would be completely useless if your oil life gauge reset every time you tapped both the break and gas pedals wouldn't it?

That's true, but these Foci have nifty directional pads and OK buttons I just find it odd how other Ford models do that through the LCD screens and the Focus isn't.

[redav]

Originally Posted by scottjl

Not really, my other vehicles were just as arcane. You have to remember you're not running a pretty desktop operating system here where you can just open up a control panel. Many of these computers are just embedded systems with limited programming. You have to design a sequence that (1) uses existing switches, levers, buttons, etc. and (2) can't be reset too easily. Would be completely useless if your oil life gauge reset every time you tapped both the break and gas pedals wouldn't it?

The car has diagnostic ports with very simple commands to reset items, such as CELs. A reset through that interface would be nearly impossible to screw up & they could make it standard procedure to check the computer for other issues whenever changing the oil.

Another option is that if the computer can use performance properties to predict the lifespan of the oil, then why can't it automatically detect when the oil has been changed? (After all, if it has an effect on performance properties that are measured, it should detect a difference/improvement in those measurements.)

Still another option is that since it outputs the information to the screen, and you have controls to manipulate the system to get to/view that screen, you can just as easily reset it using those controls when you are at that screen. This would be the easier to screw up, but more likely to actually do than the current system. I don't know which is worse: being a dummy and resetting it when you shouldn't because you have access to it on the screen, or never resetting it because you didn't press the pedals properly. Either way, the output ceases to be accurate/useful.

[scottjl]

Originally Posted by redav

The car has diagnostic ports with very simple commands to reset items, such as CELs. A reset through that interface would be nearly impossible to screw up & they could make it standard procedure to check the computer for other issues whenever changing the oil.

true, when your dealership is changing your oil. do you want to spend $XXX for a computer just to do the reset when you're changing your oil yourself in your driveway? then again might be another revenue stream for ford.

Another option is that if the computer can use performance properties to predict the lifespan of the oil, then why can't it automatically detect when the oil has been changed? (After all, if it has an effect on performance properties that are measured, it should detect a difference/improvement in those measurements.)

how would it detect this? when you change the oil filter? some optical sensor to detect the clarity of the oil? just something else to go wrong that really serves little purpose. not when a manual procedure isn't that hard.

Still another option is that since it outputs the information to the screen, and you have controls to manipulate the system to get to/view that screen, you can just as easily reset it using those controls when you are at that screen. This would be the easier to screw up, but more likely to actually do than the current system. I don't know which is worse: being a dummy and resetting it when you shouldn't because you have access to it on the screen, or never resetting it because you didn't press the pedals properly. Either way, the output ceases to be accurate/useful.

never under-estimate the power of stupid people. or kids sitting in the driver's seat who start pushing every button they can get at. oops. they just reset your oil meter. damn. i can't remember what it was last, guess i'll go get the oil changed next week.

should it be easier? sure. should it be fool-proof? absolutely. you should provide your feedback to ford so that they can improve this in the next version! we all might agree with you, but it isn't going to get anything changed (unless ford stumbles across this thread).

[6SPD_soul]

I think it's just a matter of avoiding people/kids inadvertently doing a message reset. I know if I were 7 years old again, I would find it totally fascinating to hit every damn button in the car and would probably find a way to do it if it were accessible through a touch screen.

And you KNOW there are people out there who would probably think easily finding it on a touchscreen and hitting the message reset would magically change the engine oil, so manufacturers circumvent those people by making the process look intimidating and technical.

There's no reliable way for the PCM to know the oil is new, it doesn't have an easily measurable or definitive impact on the other criteria they use to predict lifespan.

And sorry to the OP for writing a book up there on how the systems work, I don't try to presume what people know or don't know, but I'm in an auto tech program and it's helpful for me to write this stuff out to get a better grasp on it. And I like to look smart.

[burlingtonbob]

I think the 20k mile thing in the vehicle health report is just the first major scheduled maintenance, not when your next oil change is.

[tigertiger]

Originally Posted by 6SPD_soul

And you KNOW there are people out there who would probably think easily finding it on a touchscreen and hitting the message reset would magically change the engine oil,

Ha~

I was thinking exactly the same thing!

It does seem like some more intuitive process could be found, though. I'm curious how the sequence of pedal pushes and such accomplishes the reset.

[silenthill]

Originally Posted by 6SPD_soul

I think it's just a matter of avoiding people/kids inadvertently doing a message reset. I know if I were 7 years old again, I would find it totally fascinating to hit every damn button in the car and would probably find a way to do it if it were accessible through a touch screen.

And you KNOW there are people out there who would probably think easily finding it on a touchscreen and hitting the message reset would magically change the engine oil, so manufacturers circumvent those people by making the process look intimidating and technical.

There's no reliable way for the PCM to know the oil is new, it doesn't have an easily measurable or definitive impact on the other criteria they use to predict lifespan.

And sorry to the OP for writing a book up there on how the systems work, I don't try to presume what people know or don't know, but I'm in an auto tech program and it's helpful for me to write this stuff out to get a better grasp on it. And I like to look smart.

No need to apologize. Your contributions are great! I'm in a very technical-field myself.

My working hypothesis is that the iOLM software on this car is half-baked, but that's based on a sample-size of 2 (myself and the other person who posted their recommended 20k oil change). Hell, it's possible they pulled software engineers from that to work on MyFord Touch and were hoping to flash the software at some point.

My initial frustration was that the owners manual has a misprint, where it refers to the Instrument Cluster chapter for how to reset (which is where you'd do it in other Ford products).