Missing oil mystery
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Missing oil mystery
Can't seem to get the search engine to work, so here goes: Bought a '95 F150 ext cab 5.8l 140,000 miles for work. After 2,000 miles I notice momentary oil pressure drops. Pull dipstick, no oil on it. 2 quarts later, back on the road. Take it to an oil change place, they do a service on it, next day I drive from Houston to Dallas and back, about 500 miles all told. Next afternoon, after putting another 200 miles on it, I check the oil. Quart low. No smoke, no major leaks (usual rear main seal, but no spots on the driveway), no oil in the airbox. I don't dog this truck, it is how I make my living, but if it downshifts to 2nd around 50 or so, a little black smoke emits, nothing major. Am I wrong in thinking an engine burning a quart every 700 miles would smoke like a mosquito fogger?
Mountain Pass
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 226
Likes: 12
Missing oil mystery
Here's a stab at it for you.
When my '89 Bronco started using oil, at about that same rate, with no sign of where it was going, I was told by a reputable mechanic that it was my cat that was plugged. I had the old one removed, new high flow installed, hasn't used a drop of oil between changes since (this was over 25,000 miles ago)
Doesn't always work though, my '93 Mustang GT started using oil a while back, same symptoms as the Bronco, I pulled the stock H-pipe w/cats, installed new high flow cats w/new H-pipe, still losing oil, have no idea where it's going.
I've heard a good way to test your cat is to use one of those infrared thermometers and get a reading in front of your cat and one behind your cat.
If it's cooler in front of the cat, and hotter behind, your doing fine, cat's doing it's job.
If it's hotter in front of the cat than behind, then it's plugged, heat is building up in front because it has no where else to go.
If the temps are the same, then your cat's not doing anything, but it's not a restriction either.
Brian
When my '89 Bronco started using oil, at about that same rate, with no sign of where it was going, I was told by a reputable mechanic that it was my cat that was plugged. I had the old one removed, new high flow installed, hasn't used a drop of oil between changes since (this was over 25,000 miles ago)
Doesn't always work though, my '93 Mustang GT started using oil a while back, same symptoms as the Bronco, I pulled the stock H-pipe w/cats, installed new high flow cats w/new H-pipe, still losing oil, have no idea where it's going.
I've heard a good way to test your cat is to use one of those infrared thermometers and get a reading in front of your cat and one behind your cat.
If it's cooler in front of the cat, and hotter behind, your doing fine, cat's doing it's job.
If it's hotter in front of the cat than behind, then it's plugged, heat is building up in front because it has no where else to go.
If the temps are the same, then your cat's not doing anything, but it's not a restriction either.
Brian
