I initially post this over on the Expedition page but I know this page is much more frequented. Our Expy is at 156k and has been burning oil. I switched it to 5W30 a couple of oil changes ago in an attempt to slow down oil consumption. That plans really hasn't worked so I'm considering moving to a 10W30. Has anyone tried running that heavy of an oil in a 5.4? More importantly, can I run that weight oil in a 5.4?

 

Some of the 5.4 motors have had valve chain noise and piston slap. Many of those guys have gone to a heavier oil and claim it helps with the noise. I know your problem is different, but the conclusion is the same. 10 w 30 will not harm the motor. Whether is helps with the oil consumption is another question.

 

your not using synthetic are you ? A good grade of dino oil would be your best bet.

 

Yes, I run Mobil 1 in it

 

Mobil 1 seems to have more consumption problems than many other brands in the normal weights. There are heavier and more exotic Euro blends of Mobil 1 that work well, but there are many Internet accounts of more oil burning and even engine bearing failures using the regular consumer stuff.

I used Mobil in one of my cars for a while and it did indeed burn more oil than with other brands. It was not my imagination and I flatly don't trust it any more. I have had great luck with other synthetics like Valvoline Synpower, Pennzoil, and Quaker State full syn oils.

Rather than amping up the oil weight, try something like Valvoline Max Life or a Castrol high mileage blend--maybe in a 5W30 weight at most. They make these high mileage oils in full syn and syn blends. Or good old Motorcraft syn blend has never let me down and gets great reviews on any website, Ford or not. I'd trust it before I'd trust Mobil 1. The mod motors like quick flowing 5W on the bottom end of the weight scale, and these engines will go hundreds of thousands of miles on 5W20 for most people.

There is an oil forum on FTE, and the ultimate hangout for oil geeks is bobistheoilguy.com (and I admit to hanging out there periodically)...

George

 

Its not a simple question with a yes/no answer. Even at 156K, the engine still could be harmed by heavier oil. If you did go heavier, you want to go heavier on the top number, not the bottom number, because you want the cold flow capabilities as well as a heavier hot oil. However, that brings up another problem of oils with a wide departure from the low number to the high one; the amount of viscosity modifiers in the oil, replacing the actual oil. Maybe you should drop the synthetic and try Valvoline Max Life 5W-30.
The other part of it is exactly what is the major contributor to the oil consumption? Does it smoke out of the tailpipe? Does it leak? Have you verified the working of the PCV system? Its not much use throwing fixes at it without knowing what the problems are.

 

Thank you for all the info. Two other people have also suggested switching it off of Mobil 1 oddly enough. Valvoline max life was the oil I was
Planning on switching to. I guess I'll try the 5w30 for at least the summer months.

 

If there are no leaks or engine issues an oil with a lower NOACK value might help with consumption rates. PQIA's website lists the NOACK values for many top brands and weights. Pennzoil products are hard to beat in that category!

 

Just curious, without leaks/engine issues, how would it be using oil?

 

In the 1960's, I considered a quart of oil in 1000 miles to be very low and acceptable oil consumption.

My standards these days are that an engine is totally acceptable if it uses less than a quart of oil every 3-5 thousand miles. The best engines I've had use less than 1/4 of a quart in 9-10k miles (my wife's Honda Civic which has 130k miles on it). My 4.6 E150 van will use a half quart in 5-6k miles and has 125k miles on it (it consumes less oil than it did when new).

The OP does not mention how much oil his engine is using, but every engine uses some oil. "Being an internal combustion engine" is an engine issue that will cause oil consumption....

Piston rings and valve seals hold oil back from getting into the combustion chambers, but they do not seal perfectly. Some recent engine designs are using more oil now than engines did 10 years ago due to light weight oils like 0W20 being specified, and piston rings being designed to have less friction against cylinder walls.

Many manufacturers still publish numbers like a quart in 1000 miles being acceptable.

George

 

I haven't had a new vehicle since 1990 that showed any measurable oil use. What little showed in 5000 miles was probably from checking it. My truck is a fine example and our new Honda Odyssey is also starting out right with no drop in oil level in the first 1000 miles. I would expect some oil use in the first 1000 mi but actually have never observed it with any new engine since the 'bad old days'. That date coincides with my finally understanding that the manufacturer's oil type and viscosity recommendation is actually the best thing to use.

 

Well, Saxman, consider yourself lucky. I have an '09 Subaru Forester (bought new) that got a head gasket replacement and new piston rings under my extended warranty in 2014 after I had to prove that it used more than a quart of oil in 1000 miles. (Oddly, the first HG replacement caused my engine to start using oil...so I got another HG replacement for free when they did the rings.) The Subaru is now going 4k miles between changes without me having to add any oil and I'm fine with that.

Subaru also introduced a new "FB" engine in 2011 and a LOT of owners got new rings (and some got new short blocks when the ring job did not work)--a lot of these engines could use more than a quart in 1000 miles. Low friction piston rings, bad oil ring material, and the change to full syn 0W20 oil were all blamed.

I have done well with my last 2 Hondas (a '98 Acura 2.5 TL and my wife's '07 Civic)...but here's a little blurb on a class action lawsuit against a million and a half Honda V6's in Odysseys, Pilots, etc. built from 2008-2013. And Honda's official corporate line was that a quart in 1000 miles is "normal" oil consumption. Excessive Oil Consumption in Honda Engines | HondaProblems.com

Again, cars are generally better these days but as long as they use internal combustion engines they are not perfect. A recent Porsche engine had an official "normal" oil use spec of 1.6 quarts in 622 miles...

Good luck to everyone,
George

 

It is inconceivable that evaporation could be a problem resulting in noticeable oil loss in a non-extreme-duty application. NOACK values should not be a factor in the selection of engine oil under normal circumstances. The fact that an oil has the latest API certification is sufficient since evaporation testing would be included.

 

So you're saying the testing for volatility specifically designed to determine consumption due to evaporation is irrelevant for consumption issues?http://www.perkinelmer.com/IN/CMSRes...Volatility.pdf

 

Never go with a heavier oil in the 5.4l engine. The oil needs to flow to lubricate the valve train in these engines.