As the thread header suggests, there is concern that Diesel Particulate Filter fitted models have a problem that the regeneration process could be contaminating the engine oil. So it is either complete TOSH you must have the correct viscosity oil, and it all apparently goes out of the window. Either that, or because of the dilution of the oil with diesel, your going to suffer engine wear that was not foreseen when the development of DPF engined cars went into mass production. WHICH IS IT?

So it would be interesting to see if TDCi forum owners with DPF equipped cars could report back on this thread regards their engine oil levels.Are they ending up with more oil in their sumps than what they started off at?

Volvo who share engines with Ford are introducing new oil change fill levels and a software update. And better than me repeating second hand, I advise concerned owners visit the [url="http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=95323&highlight=oil+level+increases&page=6"]Volvo forum thread on the issue[/url], there are some clued up guys over there. It comprises 39 pages of contribution. That's because it is a very active site, having over a thousand viewings and over 250 post on an average day. Suffice to say you will get the gist of the problem, Volvo's tight lipped response, and their on the hoof remedy to over full oil sumps, by reading the first page of the thread.


But just to show an example of the calibre of some of the contributors on the subject, I'll copy post from one contributor.His credentials are as follows

[quote][b]I have been treated the same appalling way by Volvo. Forgive my immodesty. I am a Consulting Engineer. My educational and professional credentials are EurIng, CEng, BSc, PhD, FIMechE, FIOA, MEWI. I have also spent part of my career in the Oil Industry. The Engineering consultancy I ran (now retired) had a worldwide reputation for designing automotive fuel systems, so I have as much if not more so than anyone in Volvo UK.[/b][/quote]

Anyway here are his first two posts in full: Note his comment on a possible dilution rate of [b]23.7%[/b]

I have presented the posts in bold type for ease of reading, but I consider it better to read said posts on the original thread.The Doc content starts on [url="http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=95323&highlight=oil+level+increases&page=6"]page six[/url]

[quote][b]Can I offer some factual updates related to the issue of diesel fuel leaking in the engine oil please?
But first some a few corrections to some small technical errors in earlier contributions.
When the dealer "reduces the oil to 2/3rds" that is NOT 2/3rds the total volume of oil in the sump (which is 6 litres on the V70 D5). It is 2/3rds of the distance between the MAX and MIN marks on the dipstick. Since the volume between MAX and MIN is 1.5 litres, then level reduction is 0.5 litres but that is starting from MAX.

My level started about 0.6 litres above MAX, so they reduced my level by about 1.1 litres. However, by careful measurement (by photographing the dipstick and measuring the image) I found that Volvo didn't reduce the down to 67% of the Max Min range but to 52%. Incompetent of them!

With my original oil level being 0.6 litre above MAX then the dilution of my lube oil with diesel fuel has been 11.6%. But should it fill again to the original level above MAX, then, as someone else pointed out, this would be a dilution on a dilution. In my case that would mean a dilution rate of around 23.7%.
I have been treated the same appalling way by Volvo. Forgive my immodesty. I am a Consulting Engineer. My educational and professional credentials are EurIng, CEng, BSc, PhD, FIMechE, FIOA, MEWI. I have also spent part of my career in the Oil Industry. The Engineering consultancy I ran (now retired) had a worldwide reputation for designing automotive fuel systems, so I have as much if not more so than anyone in Volvo UK.

I am new to this forum so I will keep this brief in case I overrun some word limit.
The reassurance from Castrol is without foundation. The protestation that Volvo would not risk their reputation by saving a buck is not credible. Remember the Toyota debacle. Castrol is s business partner of Volvo, so they are not independent, indeed they could be said to have a conflict of interest, theirs with our's.

I took a sample of my lube oil and had it analysed by one of the leading authorities in the country. They analyse oil from major industrial plant and the owners of these multi-million pound plant assets trust and act on their recommendations.

Two extracts from the analysts report said:
“Currently viscosity of the oil in use is equivalent to an SAE20 oil, rather than the SAE30 that it should be. This would offer reduced protection from wear and demands attention. ……….
The condition of the oil is unacceptable for continued use. Our recommendation is to rectify the underlying fault and to change the oil before any wear can occur.”
There are also wear particles present.

I will be sending the findings of the oil analysis to my dealer tomorrow to put them and Volvo on notice that they are now responsible for the integrity of my engine, because they are now in possession of ‘material knowledge’ about this problem. If they choose to continue to ignore me (or us) then legal damages would ensue if the engine is damaged.
There is more to tell but I will stop there in case my message is too large and fails to be accepted. WATCH THIS SPACE.
The Doc[/b] [/quote]

[quote] [b]Is it possible to post .jpg files here?
If so then I can share with you guys
(a) images of the oil analysis report,
( show you how a way in which you can measure the oil level accurately and
(c) images of extracts from the owners handbook to turn Volvo's information back on themselves.
This information exhorts us to use only the specified super duper grade of oil for fear of dire consequences for our engines but Volvo allow themselves to turn this super duper oil into a diesel and lube oil cocktail, assuring us that this will not be a problem.
For the record the identification spec' of the oil is:
"CASTROL 0W/30 SLX Professional Longtec Volvo Cars A5/B5 - Full Synthetic
18,000 miles between services."
I checked the Castrol website about this fantastic "18,000 mile between services lube oil product" and it says nothing about the benefits to be derived from it being diluted 10% to 20% with diesel fuel oil.

The Technical Manager in Castrol has said:

"I can understand your concern regarding your Volvo, however, it is
common for there to be dilution of the engine oil with diesel fuel to
quite high levels, [HE DIDN'T DEFINE WHAT A HIGH LEVEL WAS] especially in modern diesel engines fitted with diesel particulate filters, and modern oils are designed to cope with this.

It very much depends on the engine design as to what is a safe level of
diesel dilution, some engines can be sensitive to 10%, whereas we've
seen others running quite happily with 20% and even more on our test
beds. If Volvo feel that diesel dilution resulting in a 5mm increase in
oil level is safe, then that judgement will be based on their knowledge
of their engines from hundreds of hours of development testing, so you
can take some comfort from that. It would not be in their interest to
benefit from a short term cost saving by not changing the oil, compared
to the reputational damage if any number of these vehicles subsequently
suffer from premature failure.

I hope this answers your query, please contact us again if you require
any further information."

I am doing a dissecting analysis of this gentleman's response to my enquiry. But I also believe a similar answer was given to an enquiry by the Forum.
The Castrol Tech Manager says: "If Volvo feel that diesel dilution resulting in a 5mm increase in oil level is safe, ..... blah blah blah." The problem with his analysis is that the increase in level is not 5mm but it was 24.7mm above MAX.
The reduction in level to 67% on the dip stick is a distance on the dip stick of 28.9mm, so what faith can we place in his judgement now he has made that simple and fundamental mistake?
It is interesting that he is confident that Volvo will have made their "It's OK lads" statement based on hundreds of hours of development testing ....". If that is the case then what is Volvo's "Date of Knowledge" of this problem? The date of knowledge is the date from which all liability and damages are calculated.

The man from Castrol goes on to say:
"It would not be in their interest to benefit from a short term cost saving by not changing the oil, compared to the reputational damage if any number of these vehicles subsequently suffer from premature failure."
A short term benefit implies a small amount of money but if these all the particular vehicles worldwide had to have their oil changed every 1500 miles then this would be a galactic sum of money. However, you need to remember that [b]Castrol = BP and Volvo = Ford.[/b]

The inability of BP to properly evaluate cock-ups and resolved is now legendary considering the disaster that is unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico.
Why Ford, the owners of Volvo?
Put this link into your browser and see how big business deals with their reputation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto
Ford calculated it was cheaper to pay out when people died than to pay for a redesign. Never mind the moral issues, it is only money. Until the courts issued punitive damages. I have great faith in Courts to get these guys sorted all they need is the evidence. That is where you and I come into the equation.
The Doc[/b] [/quote]

apparently it has something to do with ordinary diesel containing around 5 to 7% of biodiesel in it.Theory is during forced regeneration cycle, as against during passive regeneration [engine running hot enough to burn off soot deposits in the DPF]some of the extra diesel squirted in to the engine, gets past the piston rings and ends up diluting the engine oil. At 20% dilution of the lubricating oil, the lubricating values of the oil falls out of the permitted range that the oil in question was evaluated at, as being needed to protect your engine. Opinion has it that the biodiesel component does not burn off completely in the combustion process.

And in a few cases it has been reported that when the sump is overfilled with this dilute oil/fuel mixture it can find it's way into the combustion parts of the engine. Causing it to maintain or increase the speed of the vehicle even with your foot removed from the accelerator.

So in regard to engine wear and possible "self fuelling" this could cost the auto industry millions in compensation claims So no wonder the industry are not admitting there is a problem..............


And in the mean time Volvo has introduced a double whammy solution to the problem

1. is at service under fill with oil, allowing for 0.5lt of diesel to contaminate the lubricating oil, when oil on the dip stick reads MAX, above Max and the dilution is greater.
2. Software upgrade it restrict the amount of extra fuelling during forced regeneration.

So you could end up with a engine prematurely wearing out due to poor lubrication. And DPF's failing to remove the soot and failing............but look on the bright side your MPG should improve slightly

I must state they are saying only certain cars are affected at the moment, some S40' owners amongst others [shared engine with Focus] are being called in for the software fix.

given that Volvo and Ford share engines, I amazed that no forum TDCi owners have passed comment on this thread. I would have expected some sort of interest.....

[i]My oils spot on, on max mark after service, thereabouts or a tad lower just prior to the following service. Or hey, my oil level is always way over Max mark come the next service.[/i]

But nope NADA.................Volvo forum just short of 400 contributions to the thread, yet over on bling your motor OP is talking to himself

is this allTDCi's i.e. Focus, Fiesta....

[quote name='RCJ' date='12 September 2010 - 10:19 PM' timestamp='1284325798' post='97009']
is this allTDCi's i.e. Focus, Fiesta....
[/quote]

Well that is what I'm trying to establish, if there is indeed a problem with oil levels with Ford offerings of DPF fitted cars. But that means TDCi owners actually getting of their asses and dipping their sumps, and reporting back. And or checking fill levels after Ford dealers do oil changes.

Me I'm not effected as I run a petrol fuelled car, so if this thread dies on it's arse it's no skin of my nose. But I'm sure as hell, if I were a Ford TDCi owner I'd want to know if Ford vehicles were affected. I mean besides possible deterioration of power due to engine wear, engine failures, possible self fuelling of the engine, even possible loss of resale values.

The consequences of this could be bank breaking for manufactures, so none are being open about it. Volvo have not got a solution to the actual contamination of the lubricating oil, they are simply reducing the oil levels at services to accommodate the diesel that is contaminating the lubricating oil. One Mazda-6 owner reported on the Volvo forum his vehicle "self fuelled" it's self, because with an over full sump the lube oil /diesel mix found its way into the combustion chambers and self fuelled the engine even with his foot of the accelerator. He stated a test on the sump contents revealed 62% contamination in his case. He has refused to drive the car for a year and is in dispute with Mazda. [another Ford owned and engine sharing company]

Like I say if we have some input from TDCi owners we will find out if any are experiencing this rising oil level issue. I ran a 54 plate Volvo S40 2.0D SE fitted with a DPF for nine months, I sold it with 63K on the clock. I will say I never experienced any DPF problems, or any rising oil issues in all that time. But obviously other Volvo owners are having issues, and Volvo have done a recall on 20 odd thousand motors, for the oil level reduction and a software update, but other than that they are being tight lipped.

ill check me mums tomz, at some point

[quote name='RCJ' date='13 September 2010 - 12:13 AM' timestamp='1284332610' post='97029']
ill check me mums tomz, at some point
[/quote]

Good lad

Here is what one Focus owner said on another thread discussing fuel economy, but what got me interested was his comments about oil levels. Hence I started this thread, because I knew there where issues on other forums regards it.

[quote]I have driven my 50k, 2006 1.6 tdci estate very economically over a period of about 8 months and no matter how careful with the throttle I am, I can only achieve 39-43 mpg, including a couple of motorway trips where I did occasionaly hit 80-85mph. I have spent days hardly touching the throttle, and am a little dissappointed with this aspect of the car, everything else has impressed me for a 1.6 diesel and apart from having to get the passenger to apply the handbrake and the satnav/radio that picks the channels for your whether you like it or not, i really like the car and actually enjoy driving it (i should get out more !). [b]One strange thing though, each time I do an oil change, every 5/6 months, there is more fluid than I put in ! I suspected this after the first service, so for the past two oil changes I have made sure of the reading and amount of oil going in. Is there anyway that diesel (or anything else) can be getting into my oil, maybe coming past the pistons, sounds crazy,but over a period of 6 months or so, the reading on the stick is past the end of the plastic and I made a point of not filling it to the max last time. Any ideas anyone ?[/b] (havent been to a garage as car drives perfect, doesnt smoke, seems to have enough power etc)

Adam [/quote]

Funny thing is I posted a link to this thread after raising concerns on that thread, yet he has not made any further input on this or the other thread. Funny that considering he asked if anyone had any ideas.....now't as queer as folk as they say

Hawker an ex TDCi owner told me in a PM tonight [ don't think he will mind me sharing this with the board]

[quote]I actually drained some oil out of my focus as it was about 8mm above the max level. I blamed the CarShop from where I bought it for overfilling it with oil at their service, which they denied. One of the problems I had was that the injector seals went, and I thought it may have been related to too much pressure in the engine due to there being to much oil, hence the reason I drained it, but also by judging on other Mazda 6 problems I've read about, it could well have been the DPF all along.

I'm so glad I have a petrol engine now! [/quote]

See where FAME gets you, it can screw your motor up .......[url="http://www.stocksy.co.uk/articles/Cars/diesel_particulate_filters_dpfs_and_rising_oil_levels_the_uk_government_demonstrates_the_law_of_unintended_consequences/"]Diesel Particulte Filters (DPF) and Rising Oil Levels - The UK Government Demonstrates the Law of Unintended Consequences[/url]

Quote part content.

As surely as night follows day, problems occurred. A moment ago, I said that some diesel used in DPF regeneration can dilute the engine oil, but will evaporate away over time. Biodiesel turns out to be less volatile than petrochemical diesel, so it sets up a permanent home in the sump. Over time this causes the engine oil level to steadily rise. In some cases, the oil level has risen so high that it begins to enter the combustion chamber, causing the engine to run on its own oil and an uncommanded increase in engine RPM. In some cases, this increase in RPM has been so severe that it has caused a runaway situation. Here is an account of a Fiat 500 owner on Fiat's own web site, detailing how their engine was completely destroyed by oil contamination

"My husband was driving the car home when it started accelerating and masses of smoke began pouring out of it (filling the cabin too). He pulled into a layby and the engine was over-revving madly - didn't stop even when he pulled the key out of the ignition. It was a very scary experience."

A Volvo C30 owner relates his own tale:

"I had owned my D5 for about eight months before one day it nearly sent me into orbit by itself while accellerating[sic] on the motorway. Basically the oil level had risen so much that oil was pushed somehow into the engine and burnt like fuel. The car went flat out while at the same time billowing blue smoke from the exhaust. Scary to say the least."

Other owners are, through proper maintenance, noticing the problem before it destroys their engine, such as this unfortunate chap who is having to change the oil in his Honda Civic every other month.

...I could go on. My own Volvo V50 is busily filling its sump such that I have to visit the dealer every 4,000 miles or so to have them drain off the excess oil and diesel mixture. What is the environmental impact of all this wasted diesel, extra waste motor oil, trips to the dealer and ruined engines? I bet it's more that the meagre amount saved by adding a bit of FAME to our diesel.

Had my focus TDCi estate for five months (bought from Dad) who told me the oil level was above max then. We've never looked at it until today - it's still over. Think I should get a complete change?

[quote name='sail2bob' timestamp='1286824158' post='100644']
Had my focus TDCi estate for five months (bought from Dad) who told me the oil level was above max then. We've never looked at it until today - it's still over. Think I should get a complete change?
[/quote]

Well that's a question.....how much over the Max line is it? Is it possible it was overfilled at the last service? Maybe try draining some oil off, say to halfway between Min and Max on dip stick. Then keep your eye on it to see if the level creeps up to the Max make again. If it does then you are definitely getting fuel contamination in your lube oil. That or water, but I think you would know if it was water contamination.

Not had my car long but when I checked the oil was just a tad over the max line. Will keep an eye on it and report back to see if the level changes.

Thanks for the info!

Hey Guys,

Not sure whats took me so long to find this forum - i have been fighting my case with Mazda for 1 year and 8 months now. One of you actually noted about the guy with the 62% diesel/oil contamination, that's me. I had a engune run-away whilst travelling on a motorway for about 2 hours, so firstly - the DPF would have regenerated.

The below has been taken from another forum (saves me time), its what i have found out too:

[i]"Firstly, a bit of technical background, for those of you who don't already know ... I've spent the best part of the past month trying to understand DPF's and their regeneration process - Google it yourself if you want - basically, the idea of a DPF is it collects the nasty diesel soot, then USES RAW DIESEL FUEL on the EXHAUST STROKE of the engine cycle to burn it off when the filter gets full - that's the regeneration process. Under a "proper" or "normal" DPF design, the diesel fuel is injected by an injector situated in the DPF itself, where an exothermic reaction takes place with the hot exhaust gases, burning off the soot. So, why is Mazda's system then troublesome? Well, like (apparently) VW and MOST other manufacturers, Mazda does not have a fuel injector in the DPF to do this exothermic regeneration process, but rather uses the EXISTING engine cylinder fuel injector (which in a diesel engine here, is a direct injector into the combustion chamber) to do this raw diesel injection on the exhaust stroke - this system is basically ... you guessed it ... cheaper than having a separate injector system for the DPF. The consequence of this is that because the diesel fuel that is injected upstream in the cylinder during the exhaust stroke (before it exits the cylinder and reaches the DPF) is still raw, some of it slips past the piston rings, and into the crankcase. None of this would obviously happen, if diesel wasn't being injected into the cylinder at the exhaust stroke, but rather further downstream into the DPF itself.

This fuel entering the crankcase past the piston rings is technically known as "fuel dilution" ie. the engine oil gets diluted by fuel.

Another terrible downside of fuel dilution is ... once again you guessed it ... the engine oil deteriorates, causing engine wear. So while DPF is great for the environment (basically it was these regulations that forced DPF's into existence), it's not so good for engine protection ... at least the cheaper versions of DPF."[/i]

Whereas i have been fighting this with mazda for this long now, i am now, finally at the stage of an engine inspection which will be carried out by an independent engineer. I am putting all my points across for him to check, no matter what the cost so he can detail in his report that the design of this system is wrong - hopefully it will go for many other drivers facing the same problem with high oil levels due to excess diesel entering into the pan. Its pure WRONG. My aim is to go to court, refuse all Mazda has to offer which have been tempting so far to basically 'Shut up', i am working my bum off before this inspection letting everyone know some more and whether the ones of you who have had similar problems to drop me an email or PM with your issues and experiences.

If i happen to win in court and prove that there is a huge design fault with the DPF systems that causes this oil dilution to occur then i hope for the ones of you that have used money to fix a problem of the manufacturers you can get it back.

Please note, Mazda's response to us that have had these issues mainly comes down to driving styles being wrong, us not checking oil levels, and ignoring warning lights. I must make sure to say that in my cars issue, i have never had any warning lights appear in regards to the DPF or anything that would warn about the engine run-away....The below is quoted from Mazda's head customer service guy:

"I can confirm the vehicles on board diagnostic system does monitor oil dilution and particulate matter, which would lead to warning light illumination"


To conclude this post - at the end of the day the design system is wrong, it should have been recalled & still should. Why would all manufacturers make a new DPF system that uses its own injectors single or duel thats actually placed inside the DPF. This way the car does not use the main injectors/cylinders! what does that mean? No high risk of this diesel coming down the cylinder/injector into the sump from a failed DPF regen or engine wear.

I hope you guys found this useful & if you would like to support me and put your points accross you can do so:

www.mazda-campaign.co.uk/phpbb3
contact@mazda-campaign.co.uk

Well, I carried out an oil change 2500 miles ago ( 3 month) guess what.... on oil change was half way between 3/4 and max. Its now on the max level!!!!

To be honest, on further investigation I think the problem of diesel fuel contamination of the sump oil is related to the later CDPF being used on the 2.0 TDCi engined cars 2008 onwards.

The Mk2/2.5 1.6 engined cars 2005 through to and including the last cars produced in 2011. Are on the old DPF with the eloy's additive. We could do with hearing some feed back from owners of 2.00 TDCi's really. The new Mk3 TDCi Focus 1.6 like the 2.0 will be fitted with the newer CDPF that has been causing that problem of diesel in the engine oil. Well there have been reported problems on Volvo's and Mazda's which coincidently were all sharing diesel engines being either Ford Group owned as in Volvo's case, and Mazda part owned by Ford.

So we really need drivers of the new Mk3 1.6 TDCi to start monitoring their fuel levels. Me I'm running a 1.6 petrol so not a problem, but I may think of buying a second hand Mk3 TDCi when the wife retires and stops doing 1.5 mile cold start town runs in peak time traffic.

I worked out with lower Road Tax and fuel savings, but with similar servicing costs as a petrol engined car. Even on a low annual mileage, I could cut the cost of running a motor on an annual basis by circa 33% [Diesel price premium aside] Which will not be a problem to me buying second hand and considering I'll most likely keep it six years or so.

Alright people,

im a complete noob but have serious issue with this oil level thing.

*ford fiesta tdci climate 2005*

Took my car to a ford "specialist" because it would not turn over properly. they repaired it but afterward loads of blue smoke started pouring out of it on the way home.

At gradually increasing revs it was blue, although at quickly applied revs it blew black.

I checked the oil level and it was quarter the way up the stick!!

I drained it completely today and am not sure but think i could get a wiff of deisel from it.

I'm aware of the fuel injector problem with this model so stripped the air filter off today to take a look, the first injector was clean as a whistle from the look of it but the others were dirty especially the third one in (from the left).

Im hoping that after the oil change the exhaust will stop blowing out the black smoke, im going to wait until the morning and check the level before i use the car and again a couple of hours after im done with it for the day.

I'm not sure if my car has the issue you guys are concerned with but any input would be great as im in germany and the biodiesel content in the fuel is higher than usual!

I think I have this issue is there a way of testing the oil or how to I check the injectors ?? Ford focus 2006 1.8 td and constant rising oil

I have had the light in question come on today on my way home from work. It is a 61 reg Fiesta Zetec S TDCi. I bought the car nearing 11,000 miles just 2 weeks ago tomorrow Friday. My dad and I checked when its last service was which was done by Polar Ford on the 26th of January this year at 10914 miles, the garage i bought it from, so it has probably done the additional 1000 miles moving very short journeys being moved around the lot and on test drives in the months before i had bought it. In the time i have had it however it has done 5 journeys down the motorway in 2 weeks, 1 from wilmslow to wigan, then from wigan to liverpool down the m58 and back twice, enough to get the DPF system going im assuming. all other trips have been anywhere from 1.5 mile trips to my work down the road and back, other times have been 3 - 8 miles trips pottering about. In the 2 weeks of having it for this to happen doesnt feel right and after reading all of the above posts im worried about what i have bought into, i love the car, im getting mileage figures i was hoping for on the trips im doing hoping to get nearing roughly between 370 - 400 miles on the 45 quid i put in it when i got it.

im going to check the oil level and see where it is and monitor it, ill be ringing the salesman and see what he has to say about it in the morning.

Dave first off .........Welcome to the Forum.

Second off .....don't worry to much as your covered by the Sale of Goods Act. Meaning the said Act trumps any implied restrictions of any warranties give to you at the point of sale.

The car has to be "Fit for Purpose" you have had it two weeks and from what I can glean from your post, a Engine Management Warning light has come on. Are you also saying the oil level on the dip stick is over the maximum fill line?

A correction to an earlier post of mine, some late model Mk2.5 Foci, I've since found out were supplied with the newer CDPF. The ones fitted to the later Volvo S40's feature earlier on in this thread. Best to confirm which DPF your car is fitted with, any Ford Parts desk should be able to give you that information by supplying them with the cars registration number.


Take the car back to Ford Polar, voice your concerns [if the oil is over the max line] and your in fear of oil contamination to the lubricating oil, and thus the potential to cause undue wear to the engine. Given the aforementioned, tell them you require them [at their expense] to drain the oil out, flush the engine, renew the oil and filter [filled to the correct line, not above or below] And that you will be monitoring the oil situation. And if the problem persists, and given your concerns as to potential premature engine wear. You will be returning the car, as is your right under the Sale of Goods Act for a full refund .

Hi
New to this site but I found it while doing a search for "Diesel in oil warning light on a Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDI Titanium".
I purchased this car for my wife from Evans Halshaw in Preston and I live in Poole Dorset so there is not much chance of me taking it back to where I bought it. Anyway the car is an 11 plate with 6000 mls on the clock and Evans Halshaw serviced the car prior to us picking the car up in March this year. Tha car has been fine until yesterday when my wife reported to me that the Deisel in oil light was on. True enough the warning lamp was on I dipped the engine only to see that the oil level is about 1/2" above the full mark. Icalled ford assist who sent out the AA man who scratched his head and said "It will have to go into the dealers for them to sort it out" He had never seen this problem before. The car drives fine but I will get my wife to take it into Ford in Poole tomorrow to see what they say. I will get back and let you know the outcome. Incidently my wife is really hacked off, she had her last 1.4 petrol Fiesta for 10 years and it never broke down once.
Jumper

Hi Ron welcome to the forum mate,

from your post and posts over on the Volvo[url="http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=95323&highlight=oil+level+increases&page=41"] Diesel [/url][url="http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=95323&highlight=oil+level+increases"]DPF recall [/url]thread started May 2010, which I linked to at the beginning of this thread [ now 41 pages long with 31,127 views and 409 replies to date] I have gleaned Ford, Mazda and Volvo now have a Diesel in Engine Oil" contamination warning light.

So the problem is indeed real and ongoing, and think on never mind diesel destroying the lubricating properties of the engine oil. In worst cases, it could lead to self fuelling of the engine.......... a runaway car. Just think wife's out in the car and that happens!

As to your remarks about the wife's petrol variant, I totally agree. I bought a 04 reg S40 2.0 turbo diesel Volvo back in Jan 2008 in total ignorance of the implications of DPF's. And that was before the issue of engine oil contamination came to light, to be fair I never experienced any DPF issues in nine months of ownership, but I moved it on and came back to a petrol Focus.

And that is why I started this thread back in Sept 2010 to warn others. Now I'm no expert on DPF's or the law. But that said, had I at The Point Of Sale been made aware of the potential for issues with DPF's equipped cars, given certain driving styles and conditions. Then I would not have bought the car in the first place. So IMHO I reckon any purchaser themselves not made aware of those issuse could contest that the Contract of Sale was null and void. Obviously I'd run that opinion past your local Trading Standards Office, and or a decent lawyer before I'd go down that path.

Myself, I reckon my next car [ two years down the road when it's purchase price is circa 50% off it's List Price when new] will be the new out this year [url="http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/2012-ford-focus-1-0-125-ecoboost-review/262109"]Focus 1.0 125 Ecoboost[/url] .................I'm a patient kind of guy who puts conserving his hard earned cash before the impulse for instant gratification.

Ron please keep the board informed as to how you go on at the dealers. As all input adds to the knowledge base that we all use when we hit the web search button on our PC's ...........long may the Internet empower the masses, in the face of Big Moneys attempts to bury the Truth, whatever the issue in question is.

Re my last post, my wife took the Fiesta into English Ford in Poole, (I was working so could not attend) The technician asked my wife what the problem was, she related the storey about the diesel in oil warning light comming on. He asked to see the service book which my wife showed him, he asked why the car was serviced in March rather than in May when it was a year old. My wife explained that as part of the purchase with Evans Halshaw they serviced the car prior to us picking the car up.

They went to the car and the technician stated that "Ford use the diesel in oil warning light as a [u]service light[/u]". He then said they have had this problem before and Ford are working on a master key to reset this. He then got into the car switched on the ignition and started to press the pedals, (clutch, brake, accelerator) at which point the fault light went out. he switched the ignition off then on again and the warning light remained out. He stated that if it was a diesel in oil fault, then the fault light would have come back on.

The Tech told my wife that as the car was serviced in March then the service (Fault) light would probably appear again next March but by then they should have this "master reset key" When she asked him about the high oil level he said "dont worry about it"

So there you have it, I have not heard anything like it , has anyone else had this "explanation " from a Ford dealer?

To reset the oil service light, use the following procedure:
1. With the ignition in the off position, press the brake and accelerator pedals.
2. For keyed vehicles, turn the key to the accessory position; for pushbutton start vehicles, press the Start/Stop button once quickly. Do not start the engine.
3. Press the accelerator and brake pedals fully for 20 seconds.
4. “Engine Oil Change Due Next Service” and the oil service light will display.
5. Turn the vehicle off. The message and lights will be cleared.

[left][color=#474747]I have had the same problem as Ron. The service was carried out 4 weeks early. After problems with the local Ford agent had not drained the oil fully using the sump plug and had not replaced the filter element which left the black and contaminated. I replace the oil and filter myself a week later with Ford specified oil a week later. Problem was accepted by the main dealer and gave credit for oil and filter. Yesterday 15 July Oil contamination light came on. Checked oil level it is still clear and the same level it was after the oil change (5 marks below max.) [/color][/left]

[left][color=#474747]I will try Clive’s reset procedure and report back. [/color][/left]
[left][color=#474747]Thanks for the infornation.[/color][/left]

[left][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"][color="#000000"]Success: I tried Clive’s procedure to reset oil service message and oil warning light. The message and light have now disappeared and have not returned thanks Clive.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"][color="#000000"]However, my car is key operated and I had to make a slight change to the procedure on Item 2. I had to turn the ignition key to the “ON” position not the “ACCESSORY” position to make the procedure work. Suggest procedure for Key Ignition 1.6 TDci car is:-[/color][/size][/font][/left]

[left][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"][color="#000000"]1. With ignition key in off position, press brake and accelerator pedles and hold down.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"][color="#000000"]2. Turn ignition key to “ON” position but do not start.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"][color="#000000"]3. Message “Engine oil change due next service” and “Oil Service” light will display then then extinguish after 20 seconds.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"][color="#000000"]4. Wait 5 seconds then turn off ignition. The warning lights will be cleared.[/color][/size][/font][/left]

[left][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"][color="#000000"]Thanks again for the advice it raises some questions the Message and Oil Light have 2 functions. They warn of fuel in the oil and the 12 month service has not been carried out.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"][color="#000000"]My questions are:-[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"][color="#000000"]1. If the fuel is contaminated, do both the message and the oil light come on together or just the oil contamination light?[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"][color="#000000"]2. Should the main dealer reset the message and oil light when they carry out the annual service if carried out early?[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"][color="#000000"]3. Should the main dealer upgrade the Power Control Module (PCM) software to the latest issue when they carry out the annual service?[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"][color="#000000"]5. Why is the resetting procedure not in the hand book or given in the Haynes owner’s manual?[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"][color="#000000"]6. The oil contamination sensor is very cleaver bit of kit. How does it work? Where is it located?[/color][/size][/font][/left]

Hi folks, interesting reading. I just had the contamination light come on yesterday. I checked the oil level (the drive is not 100% level) and it was reading over max fill. So I parked it on the level and will check it again after work.

I've got the 1.6 tdci in the mk7 Fiesta and from new for about a year there was no problem. It had an oil change about a month ago and now this. So I'll maybe try the reset procedure before taking it to a Ford garage to see what they say. Will keep you updated.

welcome to the forum,

now regards

[quote name='Junzo' timestamp='1342770448' post='194977']
It had an oil change about a month ago and now this. [/quote]

all I will say is this.................. it's quite common for mechanics to overfill fluids when renewing same................[url="http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/33867-power-steering-fluid-issue/page__p__188012__hl__+power%20+steering%20+hose%20+replacement__fromsearch__1#entry188012"].see this thread[/url]

Hence it is always recommended that you check same on reciept of the vehicle.

Yes I know you pay a Dealer circa £70/80 an hour to do the job properly. But the reality as always in life is .................taking the cynical view, you will be proved right nine times out of ten .

Oil checked on a level surface and it's near max. Also I reset the warning lights and it's not come back on again...yet...so...problem solved .... ha. Guess we'll see.

Hi, I've just joined the forum, having just bought a Mondeo TDCi 2002. How can you tell if my car has a Diesel Particulate Filter?

Hi. Only just found this thread (and so joinedthe forum!) due to the problems I've had recently. The story starts last September when I had to have a new Turbo fitted (broke as starved of lubrication - I had let the oil get to sludgy ). Then in December I had a fuel filter failure. Just mentioning these things as not sure if related to the current issue:

Last Saturday I had a warning light come on during a short journey and car went into limp home mode. AA diags said the DPF was blocked and to take it to a garage as they could regenerate it. The AA man also noted oil level was very high. As it was changed twice around the turbo failure period I presumed it had just been over filled. Anyway, local garage forced a regeneration a few days ago and cleared the warning light in doing so. Why the DPF didn't clear automatically I have no idea as I regularly do longer motorway journeys....I presume there is a fair change it will happen again if the auto-process hasn't been working.

The garage also took some oil out (2 litres so back to Max as it were) and said they would be very surprised if they overfilled it last time (beusing them for years and they are very reliable and trustworthy). They did mention it could be leaking diesel, nut unlikely, and made no relation to the DPF issue - which I have now read about! Two days later, I have checked the oiil and it has risen again - 5mm or so above the max line. What I do not know as I write this is if they took oil out before they did the regeneration, as reading above, logic says the diluted oil level will increase due to the regeneration process.

Maybe this is of help to people - any observations or suggestions welcomed! I think the next step is to lower the oil amount to max again and see if it rises again, now it is running "normally" again. I read above that using supermarket fuel could "irritate" this condition (which I use). Any views on that? Should I stick to a better known brand - any suggestions?

Thanks for your time! By the way, I have 75k on this car and owned for 4 years with very few issues!

Oh, and forgot to mention. Pre new Turbo, I was getting 55/65 mpg motorway consumption. Since new turbo, that came down to under 55 and now - since DPF problem - I am getting 45 mpg on same motorway journey! Painful!

Hello chaps just found this thread and found it most interesting, I'm a mobile tech and have recently been given a mondeo 2.0 Tdci 2009 with this engine oil/fuel problem.

 My initial thoughts were to test diesel pump as this is a common problem amongst higher mileage engines, this was found to be ok. The vehicle is doing around 21 mls to the gallon and filling the sump rapidly,I have found myself consulting the web and forums more and more in recent years as the problems i'm facing are the more peculiar problems but ones that i feel are becoming more common. I would like to thank everyone who has had an input to this thread as it's information is invaluable and i'm now a lot clearer as far as the job in hand is concerned.I'm now going to e-mail the chap who was looking to take mazda to court and see what his outcome was (If he is still on his mazda campaign).

 

 My next quest is to find a fix does anyone know if Ford have a software update to this effect??.

Hi Newbie. Since I posted the above (yours), further research showed that the options were to replace the DPF (faulty and causing the oil to fill with diesel), get it cleaned chemically, or remove the filter material in the DPF and put it back on. I plumped for the later with a local specialist garage. They re-programmed the ECU so that it thinks no DPF fitted also. Fantastic - no problems since, fuel consumption back to normal, accelerates quicker, engine is quieter - just a complete success!

Hi Newbie. Since I posted the above (yours), further research showed that the options were to replace the DPF (faulty and causing the oil to fill with diesel), get it cleaned chemically, or remove the filter material in the DPF and put it back on. I plumped for the later with a local specialist garage. They re-programmed the ECU so that it thinks no DPF fitted also. Fantastic - no problems since, fuel consumption back to normal, accelerates quicker, engine is quieter - just a complete success!

And np more DPF related problems - hurrah!