VMM and Oil Change Now

A1cntrler

Registered User
Got the title problem sorted out on my Annie 5 speed and got to play with her a little bit today. Put some fresh gas in it and it runs very smooth now. New tensioner pullys on it makes it no longer sound like a bunch of marbles rolling around in a coffee can. Shifts good to/from every gear except 1-2 upshift. Shifter feels pretty sloppy, but maybe a B&M will fix that and the shifting problem. Anyways..

I did an oil change in it about a week ago, but had not driven it on the roads because I could not register it or insure it as I did not yet have the title. I put on the Motorcraft filter and Havoline 5w-30 oil. The oil that came out of it was blacker then black and smelled some kind of terrible. Today I drove the car about 30 miles. During that time the VMM displayed Soon and then Now. Does the VMM monitor the condition of the oil, or is it like my 2007 Sport Trac and base it off of time/driving habits?? I checked the oil and it was again black. Maybe it cleaned some of the junk out of the system and needs a change again?? BTW head gaskets seem fine in the car..no bubbling in the rad. tank and the exhaust smells normal. It does steam, but it was 25 degrees here today and everyones car was doing it...
 
I believe it is set to go off about every 1500 miles. Mine does anyway. There was a thread here awhile back about the vmm and oil change issue but it basically boils down to ford setting it to about 1500 mi. I usually reset mine with an oil change and then again once more then change the oil



S
 
But why after 30 miles would it want me to do it again?? Maybe the miles are like dog years.... :confused:
 
What? Why in the world would ford design it to indicate an oil change every 1,500 miles?

The VMM takes several factors into consideration, however in no way does it actually examine the actual condition of the oil itself. Rather, it makes a decision based on lowest, highest and average oil temperatures, miles driven between key on/key off cycles, actual miles driven, engine coolant temperature info, and a few other factors.
It is also set to indicate an oil change at a maximum of 5,000 miles under all conditions.

Your oil turned black immediately becuase your engine has excess dirty oil and sludge built up in it. Just do regular oil changes every 2,000 miles for the next 5 or 6 changes and you will be all set.
Do not to forget to reset your VMM after each change or you will throw its calculations off. That is why yours illuminated after only 30 miles...it still thought the old oil was in there and was just continuing to add up the info.
Remember, it doesn't really 'know' the condition ofnthe oil...its all based on a complicated set of algorithems. The system must be manually reset after each oil change.
 
What? Why in the world would ford design it to indicate an oil change every 1,500 miles?
Design flaw in our systems

The VMM takes several factors into consideration, however in no way does it actually examine the actual condition of the oil itself. Rather, it makes a decision based on lowest, highest and average oil temperatures, miles driven between key on/key off cycles, actual miles driven, engine coolant temperature info, and a few other factors.

Maybe so I wont argue that point. But what are the few other factors?
 
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I guess when searching less is more.. I ALWAYS search prior to posting. Been doing this internet forum thing for a long time and I know there is nothing more annoying than answering the same questions over and over again. I searched "vmm, oil change now" and came up with several pages of stuff, while searching like you had put it brought up what I needed. My apologies, but thanks for the info!
 
FSM Says...

I consulted my 1989 FSM to see what the factory says. There are 18 pages of section 33 dedicated to the VMM alone, 16 of which specifically deal with diagnosis and testing. The system is really quite sophisticated, and is able to perform several self-diagnostics if you know how to initiate them. But, to the question at hand; regarding "Oil Change Indication", the FSM says:

"The greem bar under OK on the oil change display is lit for 0 to 89% of the oil change cycle, the word SOON under the word CHANGE is lit for 90 to 99% , the word NOW is lit for 100 to 115%, the word NOW is lit and flashes every 18 minutes for 17 seconds after 115% of the oil change cycle."

"The oil change display will turn off after 15 minutes if the VMM receives no tachometer signal. This is a diagnostic precaution that could be caused by an intermittant connection or by the engine not being on."

"The VMM monitors engine oil temperature and engine tachometer signals to measure quality of oil and indicate when engine oil should be changed."


In the diagnostic and testing section for "OIL INDICATOR ADVANCES TOO FAST", there is a note that states:

"NOTE: Average oil change intervals are 5000 miles for super charged engine and 7500 miles for non-super charged engine under normal driving conditions. This interval could be reduced by SEVERE DRIVING CONDITIONS."

So, the upper set limit for the VMM in Super Coupes is 5000 miles; not 1500 miles. If the VMM is not reset at the time of oil change, the VMM will continue to accumulate data towards changing the status bar (per above). Therefore, you MUST reset the VMM at each oil change to keep it as accurate as the design parameters allow. Also, as Kit stated, the VMM does not directly know the oil condition; it "triangulates" it from the data inputs mentioned above. It's a "best guess" that's actually fairly close to accurate on my cars. I drain at 3000 miles, and reset the VMM each time.

On a personal note:

1) There are no stupid/annoying questions. We're all here to learn. Sometimes the "search" function does not turn up exactly the answer to the question being asked. Or, often times, it turns up contradictory information; the "search" can't distinguish between correct and incorrect information. When in doubt, ask.

2) I can scan and email the FSM pages dealing with the diagnostic if you'd like. PM me with your email address, and I'll get them off in a day or so.

3) Let's all play nicely here. Geez, we're all just trying to find the right answers to improve our cars. No one is trying to put out disinformation on purpose.

Cheers,

JD
 
I knew this would start a pissing contest...as far as throwing the VMM off that the biggest load of BS I have ever heard of in my life. Try doing a little reading around the board yourself before spouting of.

Spouting off? The info I quoted is directly from the Ford Shop Manual. Maybe you should do a little research yourself before insulting someone else's rightful attempt to help explain an openly asked question.
There is a post directly above that directly agrees with the points I mentioned:
1) If you do not manually reset your VMM after each oil change, the indications will not be accurate.(Of course 'manually' is the only choice...there is no 'auto reset' function)
2) The vehicle uses computations, not fluid examination to determine intervals.
3) the upper limit UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES for SCs is 5,000 miles.

Thanks for your support.
 
Mine tells me to change oil almost exactly at 3,000 miles.....

That is when I am driving it quite a bit.....

When I don't drive her as often as I should, I have had it come on after only 1,500 miles.....
 
Well I see that something has gone wrong here and got to the bottom of it. Heres the deal.
Yesterday when I was getting ready to post again and question a few things about how the vmm is supposed to work and how mine and others around here do about the same thing I was called away from the computer by my work. During that time my oldest son and his friend got on here and took it upon their selves to totally screw up what I had initially planned on posting. Needless to say he no longer has access to this computer.
I will apologize for what was said by him and how it was worded. You can do a search of my few posts here and see that I dont talk to people that way and dont intend on starting. I have to take partial blame due to the fact that it was my computer and I failed to log off, that way this wouldnt have happened.
It took me about 15 minutes to get to the bottom of it and as soon as I get done with this post I am going to take it a step further and see if I can change my password here and elsewhere as a just in caser.
Sorry for the ill feelings but I personally didnt cause them, Im just the one that was at the end of a bad joke.

S

BTW I edited the original post to reflect what I had started and never finish.
 
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