I am so mad I could just scream - ok, I don't normally scream.. just when people hit my vehicles...

I posted last spring about my 2000 HD using oil. I wasn't sure what the actual amount/mileage was but it was over a quart and 1/2 in 5000 miles and we had been seeing smoke billowing out of the exhaust on startup. I took it to the dealership and was told by the service rep that it was a "known problem" with the 5.4s and that it was the valve seals.. Ok, no problem. I left the truck there overnight so they could witness the smoke and take care of it - 2 days later they still didn't see any smoke so they started an "oil consumption test." He told me they filled up the oil and I was to take the truck and drive it around until it got low again and bring it back... Ok - well, the next morning - hey what do you know... smoke.

I didn't drive the truck much over the summer so it was Oct when it was again low and now I had a new service rep. It had again used well over a quart, but this time it was only about 4000 miles. Again I left it over night and again - they saw no smoke... Again I was told that it was "normal" for the truck to use up to a quart within 900 miles 900 MILES?? my 91 Camaro with 80000 miles, that is dragraced and needs a valve job and blows smoke on EVERY start doesn't use that much oil... My boyfriend's 91 ford F250 with a 460 that is used daily and is used to tow his drag race vehicle doesn't use any oil.. and his 91 300ZX TT that has almost 200000 miles on it doesn't use any oil - how on earth should a 2000 truck with less than 20000 miles on it use that much oil??
Anyway, he said we'd start an "oil consumption test".. I told him that there was one started - he checked and said there was no record of one started.. there was actual paperwork that needed to be filled out. So, we started over.

I was so mad about the entire mess of no record of the first time, and the attitude of the new rep, that I took the truck to another dealership to trade it in on a 2002 harley - and was only offered 19000 trade in due to they saw smoke on startup and I was told that they really didn't want the truck. Another dealership offered me 22000 for the same truck - no mention of smoke, and they said they could offer more if needed. However, I had time to cool off by the second offer so I decided to keep the truck.

Yesterday I took the truck in again. I'd put on 2000 miles before the holidays and it was down a quart. I put some additional miles on during the holidays and it didn't go down any more, but it's kinda strange that it doesn't seem to go down steadily - it drops suddenly.. anyway - again I left it and again - no smoke. The service rep just called me and again we argued about the quart in 900 miles issue and the fact that numerous other people have seen smoke coming out of the back of my truck but somehow they never due - he finally said "well, at this point I'm through with you. Don't bring it back unless you want to spend lots of money and have the engine specked and microned." Ok, that made me far less than happy.. I have called both Ford customer service and the service manager - I'm supposed to talk to the service manager today when I pick up the truck and Ford customer service tomorrow. I told the service manager that I'd called customer service. I also told them that this is the first Ford product that I'd purchased.. I normally purchased Chevys and if this is the way they treat their customers - I'm going to trade it in on the new Chevy SS truck that's comming out this year.

I have a friend in Oregon that is a service manager that said the problem is the valve seals and that if I want to take the truck to oregon he'd fix it - he's done several and it is a known problem with the 5.4s and 5.6s... However, it's a long drive and I'd have to leave the truck there for a week.. might be worth it though..

All I know is the truck didn't use oil a year ago... A guy down the street has a 2000 HD (I test drove it, but bought mine) and his doesn't use oil, I've talked to others in the area with 5.4 engines that don't use oil ... Anybody else have this problem? Any suggestions?

thanks,

Lanna

 

You are mad at the wrong people - the Ford service advisor is following Ford Motor Company guidelines for oil consumption. Ford will not pay for an engine teardown for oil consumption that is less than 1 quart in 800-900 miles.

I have a '01 and I experience a quart loss in about 4,000-5,000 miles. Not abnormal. I've used Mobil 1 oil since 2,500 miles and have 32,000 miles on it now. It's not a big deal and I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. My Lightning used to use about 3/4 quart in the same mileage. The point that I would need to add a quart is the time I am changing the oil anyway.

Letting a vehicle sit for long periods of time is bad for seals as they tend to dry out and shrink a bit.

Have the seals replaced if you want. If it were mine I wouldn't bother with it because there really is nothing wrong and you might find the repair does not change oil use anyway.

 

Well, the kicker to this was the service manager called Ford Motor Company and spoke to them and now I am not "allowed" to take my truck to any other dealership for the oil consumption or smoke on startup issues because diagnostics and repairs will no longer be authorized under warranty so I can't even get a "second opinion." (The service manager left a message on my VM saying he called them and had them do it. I called customer service and yes, there are notes in my "file" to that effect.)

Also, according to them, my 2000 HD has a "high performance engine" and it is supposed to smoke when it starts due to the rings compressing when cold - so that too is normal.

I wouldn't worry so much if it wasn't getting worse. It was at 1 qt every 3000 miles a few months ago... now it's 1 qt in 2000 miles. I'm afraid it will hit the 1 qt in 1000 miles after the waranty is over and I'll be stuck paying for repairs. And it's the matter of the way I've been treated. They act like I'm not supposed to question what they say, I'm just supposed to be a good little girl and believe every word because they are guys and they know cars... Since I didn't behave properly, they made sure that I can't go anywhere else and possibly prove them wrong - unless I want to pay for it. That, in my opinion, was very unprofessional.

I hate being treated like a "girl" at shops.. I once had a mechanic tell me to "point to what you think is the intake manifold" when I took a new car in to have an intake manifold leak repaired...

I drag race, I do a lot of my own engine work on my 91 Z28 (I admit I get help from my boyfriend with the heavy stuff and the more stubborn bolts ) - and my license plate frame says "YOU JUST GOT SPANKED BY A WOMAN".....

 

Call SVT.....
Your service guy tells you that your truck has a high performance engine because technically it was designed by SVT.

I don't know if you will get anywhere with them but give it a shot.

 

She has a 2000, not a supercharged version. I thought that was a standard 5.4?

-Mark

 

Yes it is a 2000. I found out the other day that ALL of the HD'S are SVT designed. The engine is just a plain ol 5.4. It can't hurt to call SVT and find out what they may do. Right?

 

yup, our whole suspension is SVT also, and extended L aluminum driveshaft (except no bilsteins ) too bad they didn't put the blowers on them back in 00

 

Well,
I called the service manager at the dealership where I bought the truck - it happens that they have a woman service manager. I hadn't gone to that dealership because they are further from my home and they aren't open long enough in the evening for me to drop the truck off and have it get locked up inside. The area they are located in is right next to a "detention center" (fancy words for jail) so I refuse to let them leave the truck outside overnight. So it was just easier to go to the dealership closer to my house .. besides the other dealership (bad one) is a SVT dealership and I thought those were supposed to be the best.

Turns out she knows a couple of the engineers at the canada plant where the HDs were "born" so she called one of them and they are very interested in my truck and it's issues. They want to have her start a new oil consumption test and some additional tests and if it is continually using oil at the current rate of 1 qt in 2000 miles, or gets worse - they will do something about it.

I asked about the warranty issue and the "block" against further testing on these issues and I guess the engineers can over-ride the dealership's opinion.

Oh, and I don't drive the truck that much in the summer because I get to drive the camaro more then.. but it doesn't sit for more than 2 or 3 days so the seals shouldn't be drying out that much. I just don't do that much driving overall.. lots of short, fast, trips (well, in the camaro they're fast)

Lanna

 

What a crock of BS. I completely hate new car dealers. It's a total license to steal. They tell you theirs is Gold and yours is ***** when you trade, and then when you need service, they pi$$ on you then also.

My last truck was a Chevy with 183K on it when I sold it, and it didn't use any oil between changes. I changed the oil every 3k. If a Ford uses that much according to the other poster here, I will trade the POS. I'm not attached that much to them.

I think that is the most ridiculous thing i have ever heard. I don't care if it is a performance engine, it's not supposed to burn oil. It's either the rings or valve seals, most likely the seals. But 1 quart every 2000 miles sounds more like rings to me. Does it have piston slap too?