I have a 2001 F150 with the 5.4 and 62k miles. I am the second owner, and aside from regular maintenance, this truck has had nothing done in its entire life (for either owner). I have been VERY happy for the 10k miles that I have owned it...

Well, all of a sudden, in the last two weeks or so, I have had 3 to 5 seconds of whitish-blue smoke on startup. However, it only happens if the vehicle has sat for a long time, like 8 hours or overnight. (For example, if it sits for an hour, there is no smoke at all.) I'm usually pretty good about checking my oil regularly, but it seems like we all get used to our vehicles running good and just assume the oil is at the right level. Well, I checked my oil today and added two quarts. I about started crying. It has been about 2500 miles since my last oil change (two months ago), and that was probably the last time I checked it. Up to this point, it hasn't burned a drop of oil, but it's obvious that it is now. I'm not sure if this leakage has occured over the entire 2500 miles or if it has been recent, or what. The truck has had no noticeable loss in performance.

My immediate guess was valve stem seals. It just started getting cold in the last few weeks, so is it possible that a cracked or broken seal could have shrunk and started leaking worse? What else could it be? I'm hoping that there is not something wrong internally (such as piston rings), and also that I have not caused any major damage in whatever time that I have been driving with low oil. This is very disappointing for a truck with this low of mileage, very little heavy use, regular maintenance, and mostly highway miles. Like I said, only noticeable smoke on startup. I appreciate ANY help or suggestions.

 

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Welcome to FTE!!

You are correct, it's probably valve guide seals. Sometime in the engine's life, it may have been over heated, damaging the seals. One other thing you may want to check is the PCV valve.

 

As far as the PCV valve, what exactly should I be looking for? Oil in the lines? Thanks for the reply.

Honestly, at 62k, this oil leakage shouldn't even be an issue.

 

If the PCV valve was leaking, it would pull too much oil into the intake. I agree, at that mileage, I would not expect any signs of using oil, unless it's been over heated, like I previously posted....

 

The 5.4L is notorious for using alot of oil when the PCV valve is bad and it is a common problem. Put a new one in and see if it helps.

 

Ok, I checked the PCV valve today. I simply pulled it out of the valve cover, still connected to the hose, and gave it a few little shakes. It made a rattle noise like it was supposed to. I then took the PCV out and there was a light skim of oil in it; my guess is this is nothing huge (correct me if I'm wrong). I gave the hose a quick inspection and noticed nothing out of line. (However, the 90 deg. angle turns look like they could easily close up a line.) No oil really came out of the hose after the PCV was off.

Nonetheless, since the PCV is a cheap, easy-to-install part that will eventually need to be replaced, I figured I might as well just spend a couple bucks and replace it. It would at least hopefully eliminate a variable. The new one from the store had a lot more movement than the old one. Upon further inspection, I noticed that the old one's piston only moved a little bit compared to the new one. I pushed on the piston of the old one and it clicked onto the spring. I then shook it, and it was basically the same as the new one, but soon the piston came loose like before.

Maybe I'm just dreaming, but that was enough to convince me it was worth it. I'm going to monitor the oil level and the exhaust color closely over the next week or so. Hopefully I stumbled upon the problem. Is it worth replacing the PCV hose now or should I just wait?

By the way, the coolant overflow does not appear to have any oil in it, which hopefully eliminates the probability of that situation. And I still find it hard to believe that my valve seals or piston rings could be worn at 62k. [img]images/smilies2/smilies6.gif[/img]

Thanks everyone for your help so far. I'll keep you updated.

 

You won't het any oil into the coolant unless you crack a head or block. Also, check the rear elbow, they are known to get soft and crack. If it is sucking shut, you could build too much pressure in the crankcase causing oil to be sucked into the intake tract where the tube comes from the drivers side valvecover.

 

Well, ever since I replaced the PCV valve, I have not had any smoke come out of my exhaust (a big contrast compared to before). This has made me quite happy! I will still be monitoring the dipstick for a while in order to fully determine if any oil loss is still occuring. A spark plug change will probably happen as soon as I know the problem is solved. The current ones may be a little fouled, and at 62k, it's not a bad time.

So for the time being, thanks to everyone that has provided input on this problem. I would never have guessed to check the PCV valve. I guess I'm so used to older engines that my mind shot instantly to valve seals or piston rings. I'll be sure to update if anything changes.

If anything, this whole ordeal has taught me a valuable lesson: Check your oil regularly (once a week), even if it's a newer vehicle and you assume it is full!

THANKS AGAIN!

 

Great news, I hope it does well for you!!!!!