Ive got a 79 f250 2wd crew cab with a 460 and on my way home yesterday the oil light came on. Checked the oil after it cooled down and it wasnt even on the stick. Added two quarte and got it almost back perfect. Truck only has 1000 miles since last oil change, and has a tiny drip of a leak. Def not enough for 2 quarts gone. Truck does smoke a tiny bit when you first crank it but thats it. Runs like a top. Truck only has 56,000 original miles. Im running Castrol 10w30 synthetic blend.

Is it normal for the 460's to use oil? Should i change to a different oil? Any help is appreciated

 

A "tiny" drip at rest could be a deluge running down the road.

 

Was it "on the stick" BEFORE you started on your way home with it? Did you pull over immediately and shut it off when the oil light light came on? You know that light is a indicator of something bad, that is why they are there to warn you.

Did you ck it right then? It should of at least had something on it, or you should of put more in right then before you restarted it and or kept going.... Did you ck the radiator fluid for oil mixing? Maybe a head gasket is blown and letting it mix? Maybe you are leaking on the exhaust side and burning it as you go down the road, is the tail pipe oily?

"Truck does smoke a tiny bit when you first crank it but that's it. Truck only has 56,000 original miles." Now that is odd to me, maybe 156000 or 256000 on it?

Since you got oil level back up to the correct amount, take for a similar distance drive and see what happens.

What does the rest of the undercarriage, frame, axles look like, oil soaked? Has the truck been setting for a real long time?

 

It had been awhile since i checked it because i rarely drive it and i thought we had fixed the leak it had previously when it went to the shop. I was 1/4 mile from my house when light came on, and it only blinked on and went right back off. I didnt check oil immediately when i got home cuz ive always been told to check oil with truck cool. Ill check undercarriage and exhaust pipe tommorow.

Truck does have 56,000 original, it was a university of nebraska work truck and was only used for a maintenance truck around campus. The guy i bought it from only put 1500 miles on it in the 10-12 years he owned it. Ive put 1000 on it since i got it in november.

 

So it had a leak and you though it was fixed, ok fair enough. Evidently you did not. Do not ck the oil before you drive it, ok by me its your truck.

Light came on and went off 1/4 mile from the house, so do not stop, again your call. Not what I would of done though.

Yes good idea to always ck the oil with it cool and it all settled in the oil pan to get a accurate reading. But even right after a shut down you should have some thing on the stick.

Worse case you burn up some bearings and maybe score the crank on a motor with 56,000 miles. Again you truck, good luck with the leak.

 

breedo99 sorry if I seem a little harsh or direct in my reply, just cking the oil before you drive a rig that has been setting seems like a normal thing to do to me.

Same goes for if the oil light comes on, pull over, shut off truck, ck and or add oil.

Hope it is an easy fix.

 

I understand what you are saying, i own nothing but old vehicles and always get all the leaks fixed as soon as i buy them, im more of a jump in and drive guy so if a vehicle hasnt given me a reason to think there was a problem then i dont worry about it, normally i wouldve pulled over but i could literally see my driveway. I rechecked oil today and its still where i left it the other day after about 150-200 miles. Tailpipe was black but not oily. Havent checked under it yet but everything looks good so idk

 

If it were me I wouldn't worry too much about it at this point...it's an old motor and it's commmon for old motors to use (or lose) oil. Just keep a closer eye on the level. If it is consistently losing 2 quarts every 1000 miles then it'll be time to look into it further...and in my experience, synthetics + old engines = leaks.

 

thats what I was wandering and the reason for the whole post, wanted to see what oil everyone else was running, whether I should change from synthetic blend etc

 

This was largely a problem with the first generation of synthetics. The issue was really that non-synthetic oils cause more swelling of the elastomer materials used in oil seals than the early synthetic oils did; with the seals expanded, they wore down a bit over time. If you switch an engine with worn-out seals like this over to a synthetic oil, the seals would often shrink back up and leak a bit. Modern synthetic formulations typically have additives in them to maintain the same level of (in)compatibility with elastomers so that the seals won't shrink back up if you put them in old engines. (Modern seal materials also have improved compatibility with both types of oil formulations and don't swell as much in either case on newer engines).