Ford says 1 quart or less every 1500 miles is normal. ALL engines burn oil. ALL. If they didn't burn oil the top compression rings would scorch in a matter of minutes. Why doesn't the level drop on the dipstick? Some of the oil gets replaced by water vapor and blow-by gases. Has anyone noticed if you drive mostly around town and then go on a long trip the oil level drops? All the stuff in the oil has time to evaporate out. One qt in 5k miles is good. I know I'm going to catch some crap for this but trust me. I'm a Ford Master engine tech at a dealership and actually have some integrity. A lot of ppl here talk crap about "stealerships" but there are some good ones around.

 

I don't recall mine ever being low before an oil change (I had an '05, and now an '07 5.4L).

I know the 5.0L engines used in the late 80s/early '90s used about a quart every 1k miles. This was typical of those engines.

 

wreedZ71: I have an '05 5.4L with 13K miles and am using the same oil and filter. I have about 2500 on the oil now and it hasn't gone down much, if at all. Temperature will effect the level on the stick, with a hot engine showing somewhat higher (if it's given sufficient draindown time) over a cold one. The effect will be more pronounced with more variance in ambient temp vs oil temp (e.g. the oil at 40 degrees ambient vs the oil at 170 as opposed to the oil at 70 ambient vs 170 oil temp). On a warm day, you won't see much of a difference with a hot or cold engine.

In any case, I wouldn't sweat it. A little oil use isn't the end of the world.. and it could eventually stop on it's own. Just be sure you check the level occasionally. Hot weather also tends to cause more oil consumption.

FWIW and IMHO, depending on your driving cycle, you can probably go at least to 7.5K on that oil and filter. If you do lots of short hop, stop and go driving, I'd do it about now. If the truck gets plenty of time to get hot when you are using it, then 7.5K.

 

My truck uses 1/2 a quart after 3000miles, I consider that awesome.....It's really no big deal, & not worth worrying you Nads off about a little consumption! Geeezzzz!

 

the level is only half way in the hash marks with 7 qts. of oil @ change, so that should be normal for an engine that may not be fully broken in- esp. if using full synthetic oil.

 

'It's fine with MC 5W-30 semi-synth or regular oil. It really drinks up full synthetic.'

There's the difference, unless you typed an error. You're saying it uses 5W20 but not 5W30 - that would be very understandable since the 5W30 will have a little more viscosity when hot.
Beyond that, there are enough variables here to make the information we now have inadequate in the scientific sense. For example, was the oil level checked after the first hot run after the oil change to make sure the level was correct? Maybe it was low from the beginning. Is the oil always checked at the exact same parking location? Is it always checked hot after a two-minute drain-down? Is 5W20 the recommended oil, or is it possibly 5W30? If the manual says 5W30, there is your answer. If it says 5W20, you're starting to have an oil consumption problem if you've been checking it properly and it was full to start with. If it actually requires 5W30, you need to be using that. You cannot deviate from the recommended oil viscosity without causing problems at some point.

 

Hmm this is good info, I might just switch to the Motorcraft oil the manual recommends.

Thanks guys!

 

Does anyone know a site where I can order Motorcraft oils and filters?

 

walmart sells both the oil and filters

 

No. You read in error.

All my Modulars past and present "use" more oil when the oil is full synthetic. I used the example of my GM 5.3L being the same way.

 

I run mobil 1 full syn 5w-20 w/motorcraft oil filters in my 04 F250 2v 5.4 and I change the oil every 5000 miles. With 40,000 miles on the truck it does not use any oil. 95% of those miles are freeways. Seems some motors use more oil than others

 

it all comes down to the quality of the piston rings, and if the motor assembler was rotating and spacing the rings properly. good rings and proper spacing will give you a damn near perfect seal.

it happens

 

You can get 5W-20 Motorcraft Oil and a FL-820S filter at most WalMart and Orielly Auto Parts stores.

 

Guys sorry to bring up a old thread but do yall know how much a quart is in relation to the hash marks on the dipstick?

 

As was already mentioned, with 7 quarts (6.6 litres) of oil, the level indicated on your dipstick should be exactly half way up in the hash marks on the dipstick. If it's at the half way mark, you haven't used any oil. Make sure the truck is on level ground when checking the dipstick as well. Being on an unlevel surface really makes a difference in your reading.
If you want your oil level to be right at the full mark, add half a quart, but that's not what the specs call for. You want it half way in the hash marks.

We use litres here in Canada. From the add line to the full line on the dipstick is 1 litre.