Excessive oil usage/460
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Excessive oil usage/460
I have a 1989 F 450 Stakebody with a 460 and 5 speed manual. It has 168k miles and I bought it used. I don't know how it was taken care of but having my doubts. I changed the oil and filter and used 10w40. I tow a 18' enclosed trailer and it is using about a qt. in 300 miles. The weird thing is it doesn't leak and smoke is minimal. If I'm going up a hill and then shift a puff will come out the tailpipe. Occasionly when I start the truck a cloud comes out, maybe 3 times in the past 2 months. I didn't do a compression check yet. If the engine is fatal, Is Jasper the way to go? Any help or tips would be appreciated. Thanks Matt
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Matt, a cloud of blue smoke at startup usually indicates poor valve guide seals-either worn or hardened up with age. You could install these seals without removing the heads or go the whole nine yards and replace rings, big end bearing shells and valve guide seals.
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Would the valve seals cause this much oil usage? I would think there should be a constant flow of blue smoke with this much usage. Actually I think it is wishful thinking that I could fix the problem without pulling the engine. Thanks Matt
Post Fiend
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Yes but it is using that much oil and not showing blue smoke all the time. The oil has to be comming up the bores or down the valve guides. There is no other way out of the engine unless thru a leaking oil seal or a gasket! What do you think?
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If a quart of oil is leaking out of the engine in 300 miles shouldn't I have a puddle under the truck? ( Like an old Chevy LOL) I started the truck today and the oil pressure is VERY slow to come up, The valves were noisy. Sorry for all the basic questions, I'm very very frustrated. Matt
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From: N. Gwinnett Co. Georgia
Check the PCV filter at the airbox and see if it has excessive oil evidence. This would indicate blowby. The valve guides will allow consumption of a fair amount of oil, but the evidence should be a bluish smoke on a regular basis. Pull and check your plugs for signs of oil fouling/burning. If the pressure came up as slow as all that, I'd take an actual pressure gauge and make sure of the pressure in motor. The sender unit is just indicating that you have 7 psi and is not vairable if factory (although I may be wrong with reference to an '89.) Try your basics as listed and see what you get.
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Tex, I tuned the truck about 2 months ago. The plugs looked good and the PVC valve was free, I replaced it also. That is why I'm puzzled. The plugs should tell the story about the engine. It idles nice and runs smooth. I guess the next thing is do a compression test. Thanks Matt
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From: N. Gwinnett Co. Georgia
Try this, maybe-maybe not....
If the plugs looked good and the PCV was free that doesn't add up, does it? Did you look in the airbox under the filter for oil traces/puddles from blowby? Take a minute to crawl under the truck and look at the bottom of the engine. Friend had a 460 with a little blowby, but ran fine and he started using oil, though not at this rate. Just puzzled the heck out of us for about 3 months. He had a cat that had to be replaced and came by our little shop/pole barn and when under it we found that the oil pan gasket had somehow moved to the outside near the starter and oil traced from there to the trans (E4od) shield down to the crossover pipe and dropped, where it was promptly burned off by the hot exhaust pipe and never dripped a drop. Only came out under operation I guess. You could see the varnishing effect burning oil has on top of the crossover pipe and he said he could smell a very slight burning oil smell. We loosened the oil pan bolts and pushed the gasket back, tightened them again, and it stopped, simple as that. It happened again about 6-7 months later, from high revs and use, I guess, same fix, and another 6-7 months. It's worth a look.
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From: covington wa.
I have the same basic problem, but i go throught a quart about
every 100-140 miles on highway use and alittle more during in town i have no signs what so ever of blue smoke leaking oil the
only thing i notice is as i let off the gas(highway speeds) i get
black smoke out the exhaust, and its all over the rear tire and
rim, nasty to clean.
every 100-140 miles on highway use and alittle more during in town i have no signs what so ever of blue smoke leaking oil the
only thing i notice is as i let off the gas(highway speeds) i get
black smoke out the exhaust, and its all over the rear tire and
rim, nasty to clean.
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Joined: Feb 2004
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From: N.E. Ohio
Same problem with my f-250 with a 460 I have looked every where for a leak have found nothing. I have found if I use Lucas oil stabilizer every oil change the oil usage is cut in half. I think that it must be either a valve seal or a bad ring in either case I can deal with the oil usage for now
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