Ok, here's the deal with the '02:

I'm losing oil!!! About 1/2 to 3/4 quart to every 1000 miles. I know for a fact that it's not leaking anywhere because the outside of the motor is completely dry.

This is on the motor that came from the '00 that I put in this spring with 87,000 miles. Pulled the injectors to install the headstuds when on the stand. It partially hydro'd when bumping it for the first time in the truck. Then it cranked fine. I put approx. 2500 miles on it between then and getting to BTS for the injectors and trans. I'm positive that the oil was still exactly on full when I got there, just like before leaving. Did the injector swap and drove another 750 miles to my folks place. Checked oil before leaving there and it was down 1 1/4 or so qts. I didn't add any oil after the swap and know I lost some there. Didn't refill but remembered where it was on the hash marks. Then drove the remaining 1250 miles home. Oil level was down to the add mark.

So I topped off to full again and drove it approx. 500 miles or so around locally and it was down about 1/2 qt. Called Cale and he sent me a new set of injector o-rings just in case he cut some while installing. I re 0-ringed them with new Motorcraft ones and also completely changed the oil. I've run Schaeffer's 9000 for a while now.

I drove down to Wyoming this past weekend with the round trip being 1000 miles. To my dismay, the oil level is down about 1/2 to 3/4 of a quart. So I'm losing oil somewhere and have no idea where or why? I'd think that if something happened when I very first installed the motor and had the slight hydrolock issue that I'd start burning oil ASAP. But it didn't. I don't notice any abnormal sound to the engine. It idles good. I've pulled the oil cap off and the fumes coming out don't look excessive or that they're chugging out. The cap flipped upside down seems to vibrate off instead of "float." But I need to check again. Fuel mileage is about the same as it's always been.

Unfortunately, I don't have an AE or a scangauge to monitor pressures, data log, or do any testing. I'm just doing this to my brain trying to figure out what's wrong.

PLEASE HELP!!!
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Could be the turbo,mine started using a good bit of oil at around 75k miles (about 1 to 2 qts in 1500 miles) After changing the turbo at 114k miles it no longer burns oil

 

Bump to the top....

 

He recently installed a rebuilt van turbo, and no oil in the tailpipe so I think the turbo is ruled out.

 

Subscribing...

 

I thought it was normal for these engines to "use" a little oil, am I worng?

 

A little, yes. Ford says up to 1 qt per 1,000 miles is acceptable, but that's a lot of oil IMO.

 

I agree with you Chase.

 

Well so far Chase has answered all of the questions you guys have asked!

I forgot to mention that after I re o-ringed the injectors a few weeks ago, I also changed out both spin-on fuel filters and didn't see any traces of oil in them.

As for normal usage... It wouldn't bother me except I'm pretty sure it wasn't using any before.

 

This is why I was subscribing.. I am hoping to learn something here.

 

Some trucks as mine will do will burn off one quart and then there right in the middel of the safe opperating range. If I re-fill mine it will pull right back down to the middel of the range but if I leave it alone it will not use anymore. Running about 5-6K mile PM cycles I know I coould go longer but I am just an to big of a ***** to push it. Also to lazy to do any oil testing to see how far I could really push out the PM service. Side note this is the first summer I have used the Rotella Syn I usually switch bact to the Dino stuff in the summer but did not and it seemes to make no diff on the consumption.....

 

The turbo could be leaking oil on the pressure side, going through the tubes into the engine. That wouldn't show up in the exhaust pipe except for some blue smoke. Could oil be getting into the fuel system from the heads? Pulling the fuel filter could answer that pretty quick.

 

Ryan im sorry to hear that your still losing oil! I think that if your weren't losing oil before the injectors or turbo than it would have to do with one them? Just my thought, sorry im not more help

 

That's interesting... I know where it's at on the dipstick so maybe I'll just leave it be for a while and see what happens. My coolant was doing that here a month or so ago. If it was filled up to the "cold fill range" it was leaking somwhere and the level would drop a bit. But since it last leaked out, the bottle is a little over 1/2 full now and no more leaking. Go figure!

You'd think if that was the case that the hot side I/C pipe would have an oil coating or there'd be some oily residue on the boots, but when I pulled the pipes to re-oring the injectors the pipes were just as dry as they'd always been.

The only way that oil can get into the fuel system in the heads is thru the injectors. And if the o-rings are good (which they should be now) then I don't know of any other way for that to happen. The filters didn't show any traces of oil in the fuel.

Thanks Curt. I had the turbo before the injectors. I was going to call on Sat. when I came thru. But I was EXTREMELY hung over and really wanting to get home. By the time I got to Billings, I'd forgot. And remembered after leaving Eddy's Corner. I'll catch up with you next time I'm thru there.

 

Well, the only other 2 possibilities that I can come up with would be that the oil cooler has a leak, but that would show up quite easily in the radiator, or it's burning it. You said you switched to Schaeffers 9000 for a while now. Approximately how many miles ago? The reason I ask is that it's not uncommon for an engine to burn some oil when you switch from dino oil to synthetic. The synthetic does a better job at cleaning the engine that it can make it use some oil while it cleans the engine. That process is usually over though by the next oil change.