From the chart on page 264 of the 2015 Owners Manual:


Minimum 87 octane


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I saw it said use 87 octane as a minimum. But no reference of anything higher octane being compatible. I find it weird they would specifically say it in the 2013 manuals but leave it out of the 2015 manuals. Just don't want to be caught in a position where the dealer would try to put blame on me if something went wrong and I was using 91-93 octane when there is no mention of it in the manual, aside from "don't use anything under 87 octane."

 

That's strange. After I read the 2015 manual, I checked my 2013 manual and found this:

Octane Recommendations

Regular unleaded gasoline with a pump
(R+M)/2 octane rating of 87 is
recommended. Some fuel stations offer
fuels posted as regular with an octane
rating below 87, particularly in high altitude
areas. Fuels with octane levels below 87
are not recommended.

Note: Premium fuel will provide improved
performance for vehicles with EcoBoost®
engines and is recommended for severe duty
use such as trailer tow.

As a side note, be sure to understand which gas retailers are part of the Top Tier program. Top Tier Gasoline

 

That's strange. After I read the 2015 manual, I checked my 2013 manual and found this:



As a side note, be sure to understand which gas retailers are part of the Top Tier program. Top Tier Gasoline

Thanks for the info. I always wondered if certain gas stations had a better quality of gas compared to others. I always try to use Mobil due to their motor oil quality. Good to know not to go to Speedway or Marathon anymore.

 

Fuel never enters the intake on a 2.0, it has direct injection into the cylinder. Your service manager needs to get some schooling on modern gasoline engines.

 

In mathematics and statistics minimum is the lowest value. Since the manual may not have a maximum value listed, one can argue that 91 and 93 are acceptable and perhaps even more desirable. Your dealer would be backed into a corner trying to argue that minimum means 'only'
Also Ford touts the specification of the 2015 2.0 using 93 octane on page 3 here: http://www.ford.com/services/assets/Brochure?make=Ford&model=Escape&year=2015

 

I live in Syracuse, NY. According to the top tier chart, the only dealers in my area selling top tier fuel are Costco, Valero, and a few Mobil. What I find interesting though is that I see the same companies tankers delivering fuel to ALL the stations in the area. Do Costco, Valero and Mobil have a different source for their fuel or is it all a smoking mirror? They all use the same companies to transport their product.

 

http://www.fordservicecontent.com/F...alog/owner_information/2015-Escape-Owners-Manual-version-1_om_EN-US_07_2014.pdf

Below I have copy and pasted the fuel section of the 2015 Escape Owners manual. I bolded and underlined the parts that stuck out to me, these are the parts open to interpretation. Ford states "the use of any other fuel other than recommended fuel" can cause damage, blah blah blah and WILL NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. Then further down the page Ford's RECOMMENDED gas is specifically stated as "87 octane" (not "at least" or "anything over", specifically 87 octane.) To me this means Ford recommends 87 octane, and if you use anything besides what they recommend, your warranty will be void.


Choosing the Right Fuel


Use only UNLEADED gasoline or

UNLEADED gasoline blended with a

maximum of 15% ethanol in your gasoline

vehicle. If your vehicle is a Flex Fuel Vehicle

(FFV), it will have a yellow bezel placed

over the fuel fill inlet.

Do not use:


• Fuels containing more than 15%

ethanol or E-85 fuel.


• Fuels containing methanol.

• Fuels containing metallic based



additives, including manganese-based

compounds.


• Fuels containing the octane booster



additive, methylcyclopentadienyl

manganese tricarbonyl (MMT).


• Leaded-fuel (The use of leaded fuel is



prohibited by law).


Note: Use of any fuel other than

recommended fuel can cause powertrain

damage, impair the emission control system

or cause loss of vehicle performance. Any

damage to vehicle that is caused by use of

fuel not recommended will not be covered

under warranty.


Do not be concerned if your engine

sometimes knocks lightly. However, if it

knocks heavily under most driving

conditions while you are using fuel with the

recommended octane rating, contact an

authorized dealer to prevent any engine

damage.


2.5L Engines


We recommend regular unleaded gasoline

with a pump octane rating of 87. Some fuel

stations offer fuels posted as regular with

an octane rating below 87, particularly in

high altitude areas. We do not recommend

fuels with an octane rating below 87.


1.6L and 2.0L EcoBoost Engines


We recommend regular unleaded gasoline

with a pump octane rating of 87. Some fuel

stations offer fuels posted as regular with

an octane rating below 87, particularly in

high altitude areas. We do not recommend

fuels with an octane rating below 87.


RUNNING OUT OF FUEL


Avoid running out of fuel because this

situation may have an adverse effect on

powertrain components.

 

If you don't like the answers you got ... ignore them.


We all know what the owners manual says. It says different things on different pages. You seem to be the only one concerned with using a higher octane.


If using anything higher than 87 concerns you, don't do it. It bothers you. It doesn't bother most people. Do what you think is right for you and the rest of us will use what we are happy with.




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If you don't like the answers you got ... ignore them.


We all know what the owners manual says. It says different things on different pages. You seem to be the only one concerned with using a higher octane.


If using anything higher than 87 concerns you, don't do it. It bothers you. It doesn't bother most people. Do what you think is right for you and the rest of us will use what we are happy with.




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I am looking for opinions on how others interoperate what the manual says. If you think my thread is meritless then no need to post your opinion, nor am I looking for snarky remarks, so take that elsewhere. Using higher than 87 does not bother me, hence why I would like to do it. However when the manual for the 2015 took out wordage of using higher than 87 octane, there is a reason...... no? Dealers love to blame consumers for the failure of their vehicles, if and when they do fail, thus my inquiry on this forum.

 

Maybe @FordService can assist? Can 91 or 93 octane gasoline be used without issues to warranty on 2.0 Ecoboost engines? If so, are there are any year Escapes (2013-2016) where it cannot? The owners manual seems vague on this as of MY2015.
Thanks!

 

Maybe @FordService can assist? Can 91 or 93 octane gasoline be used without issues to warranty on 2.0 Ecoboost engines? If so, are there are any year Escapes (2013-2016) where it cannot? The owners manual seems vague on this as of MY2015.
Thanks!

If they say we can't use 93, can they advertise 240 hp?




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The Escapes ecoboost are being sold in countries where 87 is not available (only higher than)... so...
As far as I can tell 1.6 ecoboost running at 95 oct for about 46, 000kms not a problem regarding engine performance.
About the manual and comparing it with other manufacturers I understand that they will stablish a minimun oct rating to protect engine from severe knocking... manufacturers will not limit higher oct rating because it will be along with more fuel cost thus less likely to happend aside from that it will not damage the engine. Mine was used once with 3 octane booster bottles on a 95 oct 3/4 tank. What did I noticed? The best performance ever on the car.

Sent from my SM-A500Y using Tapatalk

 

Other countries use a different method to calculate octane so you can't compare the numbers with US numbers.

 

Then further down the page Ford's RECOMMENDED gas is specifically stated as "87 octane" (not "at least" or "anything over", specifically 87 octane.) To me this means Ford recommends 87 octane, and if you use anything besides what they recommend, your warranty will be void.

This is what seems to be the crux of the issue. If 87 is truly just a minimum specification, why not print that?

 

They did, on page 264 of the 2015 owners manual.


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When the manual says do not use fuels other than specified, they're not referencing octane level. Notice how that passage is right after the passage about E85? What they are saying is, don't use ethanol (more than 15%) or diesel or fuel with metallic additives or you will damage your engine.

 

I suspect the blurb about higher octane for performance was accidentally left out of the 2015 manual. The 2016 manual does include it.


These are turbo engines, they will take (and prefer) the higher octane just fine. Ford's own spec sheet shows they achieve their horsepower rating using 93 octane. They are tuned to this octane rating, and the ECU allows the engine to "dial down" the timing (and power) for 87. Long story short: use 87 at a minimum, but feel free to use anything higher for a little more performance.


I wouldn't take "recommended" so literal in manuals. There are a lot of recommended things that don't make a lot of sense in practical use. The manual for my Ford Fusion "recommends" using BP fuel. Do you want to guess how many times I've fueled up at a BP station?

 

The reason I began this thread in the first place was because of being put in a bad situation by Chevy not too long ago. I had a 2012 Sonic 1.4L Turbo 6 speed manual. The turbo charger died at 59,000 miles. The dealer grilled me about using any fuel injection cleaners (Gumout) and/or what kind of gasoline I was putting in my car. I was putting in 93 octane because it seemed to give me better performance and MPG. The dealer tried to say the 93 octane was the reason for my engine (Turbo) failure. I pointed out that their manual only said not to use anything under 87 octane, but it did also "recommend" 87 octane (much like this Ford manual). The dealer held steady that the turbo failure was the result of my using 93 octane and it was not going to be covered under warranty because I didn't use the grade of gasoline they recommended. Luckily I have a family friend who is an attorney, who wrote the dealer a nice letter for me, basically threatening legal action and also sent a copy to GM. Well something he said got their attention and they changed their tune. So they tried their best to put me through the ringer, but luckily I had someone educated in law on my side. They ended up covering it under warranty. I would just rather not have to go through that again, as it was over a month without a vehicle they refused to fix under warranty, and a huge inconvenience for me. This is the reason why I take a recommendation of a manual seriously. For those of you who cannot seem to understand that, hopefully you never need to. I however do not see anything wrong with educating myself and possibly others at the same time by getting a clarification from @FordService.

 

I however do not see anything wrong with educating myself and possibly others at the same time by getting a clarification from @FordService.

Hey ChiliHolePunch,

Awaiting word from my colleague. Have a wonderful day!

Todd

 

I do see your point but honestly, but they didn't have a leg to stand on. Injector cleaners or premium fuel could in no possible way cause the failure you had, in a court of law this would be found to be totally incorrect. I see why you bought a Ford this time, as to weather a Ford dealer would react differently is anyone's guess though. For myself, I'll take the chance on pumping premium and would welcome such a discussion with an ignorant service manager.

 

That Chevy dealer sounds like an ***. Never go back there.

 

I by no means consider myself mechanically inclined. I can change my own tires, oil, and lights (well maybe not on the escape, since you have to take off nothing short of 1 million screws for the fog lights.... lol) I can jump a vehicle and replace a battery. But when it comes to turning a wrench on an engine or tranny, or knowing the complexities or mechanics of the inner workings of those systems I am ignorant. I figured the Chevy dealer was trying to put me through the ringer, but again knowing next to nothing about how a turbo system works I had to inquire help from someone who did. Thankfully I had that person around, I still would have fought it, but it would have been much more of a hassle. Yeah once the Turbo failed at 59,000 miles I had little faith left in the vehicle. Plus AWD was something that I wanted for the Michigan winters, which can be fairly brutal. So far I am happy with my Escape. I just received my winter tire/rim package from The Tire Rack today. Ordered some 225/60/17's (General Altimax Arctic) and had them put on 17" steel rims. Can't wait to try them out this winter.

 

I expected a lot better explanation than this. I think some of us were looking for specific reasons, what changed on the fuel recommendation between 2013 and 2015???

 

If you have further questions, please speak directly with the service manager at your local Ford Dealer.

ChiliHolePunch did:

I asked the service manager about it at my local Ford dealer (where I purchased the vehicle.) He told me NOT to run anything besides 87 octane, that anything higher octane burns more slowly and leaves deposits in parts of the intake/fuel system.

So why does my 2013 owners manual say?;

Note: Premium fuel will provide improved
performance for vehicles with EcoBoost®
engines and is recommended for severe duty
use such as trailer tow.

Should I not be following what is written in my owners manual?

 

So why does my 2013 owners manual say?;



Note: Premium fuel will provide improved

performance for vehicles with EcoBoost®

engines and is recommended for severe duty

use such as trailer tow.



Should I not be following what is written in my owners manual?

If you read the OP's original post. He has a 2015 FE and his manual doesn't say what you quoted. This is the concern the OP has.

 

I didn't read this whole thread, but what is the issue?

Higher altitudes the turbo will spin 1% faster for ever 1000ft above sea level. Your ECU will compensate the altitude, temp, fuel etc to run the same as other altitudes, but obviously not be exact. I'm not sure who is saying what, but running a higher octane is SMARTER and more efficient than the 87 crap gas w/ ethanol, they shove down on us now, for these OEM tuned engines/ecu's. Adding that low amount of ethanol is a financial gain for certain corn growers, not an engine gain. Even people tuned on E85, get crap mileage, it helps cooling, BUT they are fully tuned on e85, for specific reasons. Anyone that says going over 87 will break the engine or turbo, has no idea what is going on. Using that crappy gas will help create knock and make the engine run bad. Turbo's will break, it happens. That is why we have warranties. I suspect we should get around 100k on a turbo, but there are always outliers.

 

I didn't read this whole thread, but what is the issue?

Thanks. It wasn't an issue, I just asked out of curiosity.




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On the 2015 OM the table on page says Minimum 87 octane

 

To FordService: Why would Ford advertise HP and torque ratings using 93 octane if its not "recommended" to use?
http://www.ford.com/suvs/escape/2015/specifications/engine/


Was there a design change to the 2015 engine? My understanding is that the engines are identical for the 13-16 M/Y Escape.

 

This response is like telling your child not to do something and when they ask you why you just respond, "Because I Said So". The people on here who are genuinely interested and some concerned, deserve a better answer than the one we got from a Ford expert.

 

I am aware that the OP has a 2015. That is why I wrote this:

"That's strange. After I read the 2015 manual, I checked my 2013 manual and found this:...."

I think Gator06 is asking the question that we all need answered. Why are the 2013 and 2015 owners manuals different if the engines are the same?

 

I really think its just an oversight in the manual. They aren't always accurate, as we have seen with other areas of the Escape. For example, mine makes mention of seat warmers during remote start which is n/a with the Escape. It also doesn't mention the Titanium cornering lights at all in the manual, but I know for sure they are there lol.

With all do respect to Ford Service, they probably didn't have access to the engineering data and by default the customer service procedure is to always refer back to the manual when in doubt. It doesn't help when the manual itself is the issue at hand.

My personal opinion on the issue is that higher octane is always prefered with turbocharged engines, and if anything should be safer than using 87. 87 is only possible on Ecoboosts because the ECU is sophisticated enough to detect pinging and detonation quick enough to adjust the timing/direct injection spray to reduce power. If that detection somehow doesn't work right...well you could be looking at some engine repair down the road. Only downside of 91/93 is paying a few more bucks at the pump, but for me its good peace of mind and I get the benefit of having full power the engine was designed for. If I wanted to poke around, I wouldn't have gotten the 2.0!