I have 125k on my 3v 5.4. Starting at 120k, it had periodic oil burn that came and went. Now at 125k it seems to have come to stay. i burnt a little over a quart in 2600 miles, it used to be under a 1/8 at this point. I use full synthetic valvoline with a Mobil 1 filter. Any ideas?

 

a defective oil filter can cause oil consumption .
some motor oils evaporate while driving... leaving no evidence

is there smoke out the exhaust pipe, just after a stop light ( valve seals) or driving down the road (piston rings)

but by all manufacturers... One quart over 2,600 miles is NOT burning oil..... I know its not....

my 2012 6.2L.. in city driving uses 1 quart in 5,000 miles...but on a road trip of 2,000 miles towing heavy it used NO oil. ( NONE ) at 166,000 miles..

 

do you prefer a certain brand of oil filter? And the only smoke is black smoke under heavy load aka 50% throttle or more suddenly. And i understand 1 quart over 2600 isn't unreasonable but compared to what it was, it's a decent increase in consumption. I generally just do highway since my commute its 120 miles a day.

 

 

wouldn't i have noticed a decrease in power and mpg ?

 

 

well Damn. This truck has been a hand full. Planned on getting the passenger Manifold replaced next week but that might not happen now

 

I had the same problem with the 5.4 in my expedition and e150. Neither burned any oil up until about 150k miles and then after that it wasnt uncommon for them to burn up to 5 quarts in 5,000 miles. Never had a loss of power, smoke or fouled plugs. I traded them in when they hit 250k miles and both were still running good.

 

that's comforting to hear, my buddy said something similar a few minutes ago. If this truck hits 200k ill be happy

 

some oil consumption is Common on any engine... EVEN EXPECTED...

re-read my other post about my 6.2L... good example.. City driving and Freeway trips.

 

 

Ones with the anti-drain back seal, which for a 5.4 I think means Motorcraft; I don't know the OEM supplier for those. I would hope high-end filters from every brand has the seal in them, but if you aren't sure don't risk it. I don't believe myths like all Frams are the OCOD, but cheap filters from anyone can be bad. My brother had a 180k 5.4 in an '04 F-150 that was flawless, they are not throw-away engines by any stretch.

If you don't have a filter cutter, get one. I have a snazzy Longacre one because I cut every filter-every time on everything I own, but even a can opener or an air hammer chisel will work for an occasional inspection or for comparing brands. The main point is don't saw them, the goal is to inspect for visible metal contamination on the filter media.

 

Oil filter? never. check or change the pcv valve.. qt in 2500 miles isnt the end of the world. not good though.