Okay guys. I have used the searched button, but still didn't get as much info as I wanted.

Last week, I went to start my 2000 Ford Expedition 5.4L in the morning, and my check oil light came on. Mind you, I still haven't reached up to 3000 miles yet, since my last oil change. Still have another 500 miles til' it reaches 3000 miles. I would think i dont need another oil changed until 4000 miles.

Anyways, I checked, and the oil is close to Low. So, I just added in some 10 30 weight valvoline oil to full. (I usually go to Midas to get my oil change and they told me they use 10 30. )

Well, the light turned off and my truck runs fine!

Then today, it did it again. I went to start it up in the morning (pretty cold outside), and the check oil light came on. Then I turned off the truck to check the oil, and the oil is only half way.

Start the truck again, and now the light is gone.
I dont freakin' get it. There is NO sign of oil leaks anywhere.

Afterwork, i'm going to go to Autozone right by my house and have them run the codes. What do you think could be wrong guys?

 

you have almost ruinned your engine twice. dude you need to keep the oil level at full . don't just add oil when the light is on. how much does the dipstick show when 1 quart is added? the codes will not show a thing.

 

No, I dont wait until the light comes up and then add oil. The light just happen to come on at only 2500 miles, which normally I check at 3000 to see if it needs an oil change. It suprised me when it lit up at 2500 miles, thats why I checked, and it was on low.

I know most people on here have said they have oil changes every 4000 miles or so.

ANyways, I went to Autozone and no codes came up. They said to just go back to 5 30 weight oil or something. Is that right?

Should I go to synthetic??? My expy has 85,000 miles on it.

 

well you should check your oil often not wait 3k. that expy takes 6 full quarts of oil. 5w20 oil is the reccomended grade for it but you could use 5w30.

 

yea, i'm starting to check the dip stick at least once a week, just to make sure it is okay. And i'm going to have an oil change this weekend and will probably change the weight to 5w20 or 5w30.

hopefully, that will fix the problem.

 

How many miles are on the rig?? If it's using/leaking/blowing the oil, that needs to be fixed, you've dodged the bullet twice, third time may not be a charm.. Check your oil every time you get gas, good practice, shut it down, fill with gas, pay attendant, then check your oil, that way it has sat for a few minutes to allow the oil to get back to the crank case, overfilling is no good either.. Just a suggestion..

Slick

 

it has 85,000 miles on it. Should I use synthetic or just regular oil?

I will check the oil once a week. That should be good.

 

IMHO, using synthetic oil is a waste of money in an Expedition. However, three possible exceptions come to mind where synthetic would be a good thing:

1) A highly modified, high-horsepower, high compression engine.

2) Operating in extreme cold temps, as in below -15°F.

3) Extended drain intervals

If I were you, I would use a Motorcarft FL-820S oil filter, with Motorcraft 5w20 oil. Top-up the oil frequently, making sure to keep the oil at the full mark on the dipstick, & change the oil & filter every 4-5k miles. If you happen to over-fill it a little bit (less than 1 qt.) it won't hurt anything.

 

change out your pcv it is a common cause of oil consumption and is only about 5.00.

 

thanks guys for the info/help. If there's anything else you can think of, please let me know.

 

Per manual of my 99 XLT, and if memory serves, for my totaled 00 EB, recommended oil weight is 5w-30, so if you stick with that, you can't be wrong (for your next oil change and any additional oil you need to top-it off during oil change interval). Some folks switched to 10w-30 during summer and use 5w-30 during winter, I prefer to stick with 5w-30 all season.

My 99 XLT 5.4 use 1/3 to 1/2 qt per 1000mi with no leak, and from what I'm hearing, that is normal and nothing to be alarmed about. But knowing that make me add around 1/4 oil every other week, or if I get lazy, about 1/2 every month (my use is roughly 1000 mi/month all paved city/hi-way road, no towing). With due respect to wavinwayne, you may want to avoid over-filling (XP manual and most vehicles put a strong warning against it), keeping your oil level more than half-way the low and high level should be enough, full level only means you more time allowance to 'forget' to check your oil. But definitley check your oil regularly, 2500 mi is just too long and your oil-check was no doubt caused by low oil level (which is not good).

I read some folks warn about switching to synthetic at high mileage, for possible leak after switching, and I don't think that's a myth. I personally use synthetic on all my vehicles, and did the switch on my XLT at 87k when I got it used and consider myself lucky for not having that problem. You may want to consider that before deciding to start using synthetic oil. A lot of good folks here swear by Motorcraft synth-blend, you may want to use that first and not jump into full synth right away.

OrleeC

 

The oil light doesn't light when the oil is low. Only if the oil PRESSURE is too low.

 

Actually it also means lower engine temps, and the oil stays good longer too. The more volume of oil you have in it, the longer it takes to heat that oil up and break it down. With the oil full you have more sitting in the pan at all times where it stays cooler than circulating through the engine. Now... if you put too much oil in it will start hitting the crank and foaming, which is horrible for an engine and robs power. A happy medium is needed. I always fill my engines up to the Full line, and try not to let it get below 1/2 quart down.

You're right, it's not a myth. However it usually only applies to older engines with natural cork gaskets. The dino oil causes the cork to swell and form a good seal. The synthetic doesn't cause that swelling so the gaskets shrink back and allow leaks. It happened on my brothers '66 bronco. Any newer (say 1990s and up) vehicle should be fine, regardless of milage.

 

The low temperature viscosity difference between 5W and 10W might just be enough to trip the low oil pressure light. The slightly thicker 10W oil might be having a little more difficulty circulating throughout the engine while cold. Shouldn't be a monumental difference in these early fall temps, but who knows?

 

the light is on because there is no oil covering the pickup tube so there is no oil to pump. also the cold crank specs between 10w and 5w only start to really show when they are about -32 below. 5w30 pours down to -33 10w30 pours down to -30.