Actually it is true on Explorer Sport Tracs, I'm not sure on other Ford vehicles, maybe was some sort of test run on the ST and then decided later on other models to keep or toss. Yes, I am the OP of the post in the other forum, and yes its true, I even test it when I let the level go down and it'll do it.
When your OIL LIFE becomes less than 10%, it ALSO limits your POWER to about 75-80% and lowers your rev limiter to about 4500rpm!!! I know this because this had happened to me and as soon as I reset the OIL LIFE % it instantly got all the power back! From factory it does this so you don't run FULL power on dirty oil, so your engine can last longer! Just rememeber to reset it when you get you oil changed, since most places don't do that for you.
Also the factory setup limits your standing acceleration/takeoff, gives you only like 60-70% max throttle until you start to move and it'll gradually increase as you go, hence to make smoother take-offs and makes the drivetrain last longer. Thats why if you're moving and going about 15-20Kph and then floor it you'll notice a harder takeoff then standing still because you're moving and the system will then give you near full throttle, just limits you're takeoff from stop, and also softer shifting for smoother shifts. You can fix this with a Custom TUNE like SCT!
Thats why it feels unlike a V8 compared to normal vehicles at take-off because of this limiter!
All these nifty perks from Ford to make the engine and drivetrain last longer is cool, but most ppl don't know about this and are surprised when it seems not as powerful as they might think!
They should have had this mentioned in the manual! Alot of people do not know about this feature, smart on Ford, but for people who do not know, it kinda sucks when you need the power and aren't getting it and don't know why.
I found out by racing my buddy home sometimes after work for fun, always beating him big time! Until one day it didn't take off as hard, and the rpm was heavily limited too, and he kicked my butt big time... thought something was up. I knew the oil change reminder came up, but its not until the 10% point is when the power limiter kicks in. Confused I check everything on what was going wrong, then finally just out of curiousity I reseted the OIL LIFE and voila immediately got the power take off and higher rev limiter back. Then race my buddy the next day and whooped his ass as usual! LOL
If you don't believe me and you have a Gen2 ST, let your OIL monitor drop lower than 10%, you'll notice the lack of hard acceleration and the limited RPM at 4500rpm!!!
And then goto your OIL settings and reset, and it'll be back to normal!
