i have a 97 f150 with a 5.4l triton it seems to use oil i was wondering if this was common ford says a qt. every 900 to 1000 miles was not uncommon. i have never had a truck that used oil like this. just wondering if anyone eles had experienced this.

 

I have a 98 and my POS uses 2 to 3 quarts every 3500 miles, doors are crack, and lost #4 coil last week on a 1500 mile trip. And this is the best late model truck of any brand i have owned!
My 79 f150 4x4 resto will be done in a couple of weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Want to by a 98 F150?

 

craig, Did it just starting using oil or has it always. This may not be your case but with most people that say that the motor is using oil on the 97-current 150s is because they are overfull on oil and the motor burns off the excess. How many quarts do you put in when you change the oil?
When you change your oil refill with 6 quarts. Crank it and kill it. Then wait atleast 30 mins. go check the oil and however high the level is, take a knife or something and scratch a line on the dipstick where the level is. From now on use this as your reference. For some reason these trucks will hold 7 quarts and that will read full on the dipstick. The motor will then try to burn off the excess oil bringing the level back down to where it is actually supposed to be. Then when you check it you see that it is not to the full mark so you add oil and it burns it off again. This is just what I have noticed with other vehicles and my mothers expedition. I got my 97 with the 5.4 used after the expedition so I knew just to put 6 qt. in. If you have done this or the oil level goes down or even below the low mark on the dipstick you may actually be burning oil. Our ex. and 150 don't burn a drop of oil.
I talked to travis on another chat line, but I told him the probable cause to his coil failure.
This is a note for all 5.4 owners. Check your heater hoses where they go into the passenger compartment, and make sure they are tight. On some vehicles it may not me tight enough and drip water on the #4 coil thus shorting it out over a period of time.
I don't know why any company claims a quart in 1000 miles is normal because it is not. Several months ago I read in a magazine where a guy had a newer Chevorlet Tahoe and it was using oil bad with only 40 something thousand miles. Chevorlet also told him that a qt. in 1000 miles is normal.
I can't help you with the door cracks.