I just bought a '88 F250 with a 460 engine and 73K miles. I got it from a used car lot and one of the first things I look for is leaking oil and smoke from the exhaust that may indicate possible problems. This truck ran great and had no signs of engine problems.
I've now put 3000 miles on it and have had to put 6 quarts of oil in it since I changed the oil on day 1.
I have a " warrantee" from a place called C.A.R.S. that the dealer talked me into and I am looking for some opinions.
#1. Can anyone give me a clue on what my problem might be?
#2. Anyone ever heard of this insurance company?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Randy

 

Check your PCV and associated crankcase ventilation, and air filter. Make sure you have the right dipstick, if the stick is short it would lead you to overfill the engine and increase oil consumption. Look for sludge down your oil filler for signs or oil consumption. Remove the oil filler while the engine is running ( warm and cold) to look for smoke and pressure exchange.

I have heard some opinions that qt/500m is not excessive for an engine this size, I think it is.

 

I appreciate the reply. Thanks!
Let me throw one more thing into the mix, although I doubt they would be related.
This thing idles really fast and from reading the repair manual I bought, it appears there is no adjustment for it. It also is hard to start when its been run any more than 15-20 miles.
Any ideas on this????

 

look for signs of vacuum leaks and pull the codes off of the computer to see if you have a sensor problem.

Like any vehicle, change fluids and filters.

When you start cold, does it idle up for a few seconds and then slow down below 1000rpm?

 

Have your throttle position sensor checked if EFI.

Frank

 

I am willing to bet the truck isa lot closer to having 173,000 or even 273,000, then only 73,000 (that only comes out to 4800 miles per year). On a "modern" engine burning a quart of oil every 500 miles is extremely excessive, even if it is a 460 unless you are just working it to death. If your just driving it like a car I would have been worried if it burned more then a quart in 3K miles.

I am also willing to bet your warranty only covers "internally lubricated parts" and its limited to "broken" parts (been there, done that). So all the sensors and electronics are not covered. If you tear the engine down and find extremely worn rings its not covered either (broken - not worn parts). You also have to go to one of C.A.R.S. approved shops, so you can't tear it down in your garage and look for yourself, unless you put it all back togather with the broken parts and drive to their shop.

Hate to say it but I would just as soon set a stack of money on fire on the salesman's desk then pay for an "extended warranty".

 

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.
Let me ask you, as well as everyone a question. How reliable are these "Carfax" reports? How could I prove that the mileage wasn't accurate?
As far as the "insurance"? I would never have bought it. When I was dealing for the truck, I got my price, and he had been pushing me to buy the insurance, while doing the deal, and he ended up putting it in the deal as a closer. I figured what the hell! I Also figured that it would be damn near useless.

 

I would check with a Ford dealership, they might have the information you need. When the vehicle is under warranty they record miles and work and put it in a central data center (don't want you to go over warranty on miles, roll them back and go to a differant dealer for additional service). Having information from 1988 to 1991 still on file might be a stretch though.

My brother had a nasty surprise back in 1987 when he bought a Bronco II. Bought it, drove it a month and had some minor problem and brought it to a differant dealer then where he bought it. They refused to service it as it came back on the computer as not having been sold yet! The dealer he bought it from had met his quota (sales goal) for the month and was holding off on reporting the Bronco sold until the next month when he might need the additional sales numbers.