Doomed?

[ChugAlong]

So my wife bought a 2012 a couple of years ago. Our mechanic mentioned to keep an eye on the "X" on the dipstick and oil dilution.

First year, no issues. Last June, oil warning light, level had risen, and oil change done. Same in early December.

Dropped by the garage for a chat with my mechanic, wondering if there was a fault. He had a quick look; there was no rattle or hissing, no black smoke from the exhaust, no sooting or mess around the injectors, so ruled out the injector seals. He said it was the way the earlier Skyactive-D engines work and when the engine was cold, not all diesel burned and anything left was washed down to the sump diluting the oil. As the majority of the journeys are short, with perhaps a 90 mile trip every couple of weeks, the engine doesn't really get up to temperature for very long.

He warned that the diesel would make the timing chain tensioner more brittle over time so it was vital to change the oil as soon as the level started to creep up.

Is his interpretation correct?

 

[N7turbo]

First year, no issues. Last June, oil warning light, level had risen, and oil change done. Same in early December.

How many miles were on the oil at that point?

 

[ChugAlong]

Car doesn't do much more than 5000 miles a year, so well under recommended change distance.

 

[N7turbo]

Modern oils meeting API SP spec have an additive for reducing timing chain wear. So in that sense, one of fuel dilution's effects could be reduced effectiveness of the additives, in addition to just not lubricating as well.

The manual warns that fuel level can increase over time with these direct-injected engines causing fuel dilution, though I personally haven't seen a change on the dipstick. My oil analyses say at 1,200 miles I already had 4% fuel in the oil. My subsequent two changes show 2% and with more than double the miles, so the rings are sealing better now at 8,000 miles. You're well past that but the point is, yes, it's a thing.

 

[Mazdiod2]

Car doesn't do much more than 5000 miles a year, so well under recommended change distance.

Be sure and use the proper CD-diesel rated oils. I sometimes change my oil with less than 2000 miles on it, for other reasons.

 

[ChugAlong]

Be sure and use the proper CD-diesel rated oils. I sometimes change my oil with less than 2000 miles on it, for other reasons.

Thanks but the oil used is whatever grade is supposed to go in.

However, grade of oil doesn't address my dilution query.

 

[N7turbo]

Thanks but the oil used is whatever grade is supposed to go in.

However, grade of oil doesn't address my dilution query.

Good info on oil for the diesel:

1

Post in thread '2013 CX-5 Diesel 2.2L drove 3000km with the wrong oil'

Oct 2, 2024

Until recently I owned a CX5 diesel 2.2 same engine as yours for 8 years and before that another CX5 diesel company car for 2 years, so I speak with some experience and knowledge of those engines and the oil they require.

Most members on this forum are in the US and the US never got the 2.2D in the CX5 so they wont have experience with that engine. Eu and Asia did get it.

The MOST IMPORTANT THING is an oil that meets the Mazda SAPS spec. Refer to the owners manual as it may vary slightly in your country.

The 2012-2019 2.2D specs call for oil that meets the JASO DL1 or ACEA C1 specs...

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[ChugAlong]

Good info on oil for the diesel:

1

Post in thread '2013 CX-5 Diesel 2.2L drove 3000km with the wrong oil'

Oct 2, 2024

Until recently I owned a CX5 diesel 2.2 same engine as yours for 8 years and before that another CX5 diesel company car for 2 years, so I speak with some experience and knowledge of those engines and the oil they require.

Most members on this forum are in the US and the US never got the 2.2D in the CX5 so they wont have experience with that engine. Eu and Asia did get it.

The MOST IMPORTANT THING is an oil that meets the Mazda SAPS spec. Refer to the owners manual as it may vary slightly in your country.

The 2012-2019 2.2D specs call for oil that meets the JASO DL1 or ACEA C1 specs...

• 151614

• 

Yes, the oil used meets the Mazda spec

 

[HyFlyer]

Hello @ChugAlong . There aren't many forum members on here who have the 2.2 diesel. Seems like the majority of members here are USA and Canada based and 2019 was the only year Mazda offered the 2.2 diesel in North America (only in the cx5). I may be the only active North American 2.2 member on here lol.

As to your issue of the oil dilution, your short drive cycles are definitely the biggest contributor to that. Compared to longer distance drive cycles, your car is using more fuel to get up to operating temperature, creating more soot in the DPF that requires more frequent regen cycles (those put the most fuel in the oil due to the extra fuel being injected into the engine to create the heat to burn out the soot in the DPF) . To compound the fuel diluted oil, the short drive cycles doesn't allow the oil to be hot enough for long enough to "cook" the fuel out of the oil.

As to what can be done about it? ...
Use an app on your phone called FORscan with a Bluetooth dongle plugged into the OBDii port to monitor several parameters to be sure regen cycles are completed. By knowing when a regen cycle is in progress, you could operate in a lower gear increasing the rpms ... That will help shorten the cycle.

Look into fuel additive products that reduce the time needed for regen cycles to complete (I don't know what's commonly available in Scotland, here in the US we have some products from Rislone and Power Service (PS) )

Take a nice long "country drive" occasionally to run at full operating temperature longer to cook the diesel out.

Do change the oil if it gets up to the X on the dipstick. Oil change is cheaper than engine change!

Try a fuel injector cleaner additive. A clogged injector could have a sub optimal spray pattern contributing to fuel dilution.


As to the timing chain guide becoming more brittle with oil dilution ... That I know nothing about. Check out a YouTube channel of MrNiceGuy . He's somewhere in Europe and seems to have a lot of knowledge about Mazda 2.2 diesels. He seems to be responsive to questions in his comments and social media .

Good luck to you improving the situation