My Lightning has about about 8,200 miles on it! About every 1,000 miles it will use about 3/4 quart of motor oil. Is this normal? What can I do to fix it? Thanks

 

My truck has never used oil.

 

according to ford it it. I think last time it was mentioned that a quart every 800 miles was acceptable. To them maybe but not to me!

 

That is defiantly not normal. Typically, it is acceptable for a motor to use approx. 1qt of oil per every 3,000 miles. You should look for any visible signs of oil lose. For example I would check around the value covers, check to make sure you don’t have oil leaking from a possible bad head gasket, and check the lines running to the oil filter/cooler.

Not sure if there is a way to check if the main seals are leaking or not. Hopefully someone with more experience then me will come along as I don’t have a lot of knowledge on these motors and what might be a “common” problem for oil lose. With low miles I wouldn’t think you would have bad or broken rings, worn valve guides or a cracked piston which are other ways of consuming oil.

 

My 01 had the same issue. My exhuast tips were oily on the inside which lead me to believe this was not "normal". I started an oil consumption test with my dealer to monitor the problem and so they could verify the condition.

 

My exhaust tips are just black from soot that comes out, but they are not shiney or oiley. I sometimes get smoke on start up. Could I need an oil seperator to keep oil out of the intake so it doesnt burn it, therefore using it and causing smoke.

 

yep Ford says it's normal but we all know better....

 

So does yours do it to?

 

You may want to see if any oil is seaping out between the block and the heads at the rear of the engine. espeshaly in 01 some trucks had a problem.

 

Mine stopped "using oil" once it got down near the fill line. Never had to add any again once I stopped topping it off.

 

I will check. But it seems like I would smell oil burning and see smoke under the hood when the motor is hot.

 

No....I have had 2 Lightnings and neither one has lost oil like that...But there are L engines that do and it has been documented that Ford says that falls within the norm...Anyone who has had anykind of engine knows that is not right. Ford just does not want to pay.....

 

I had thought of that too! Maybe the dip-sticks are to short in our motors?

 

My L is stock, well-maintained, never raced at the track, 30,000 miles, driven daily, with highway time. It burns about a quart every 1500 miles. It belches out a pretty good sized cloud of gray smoke everytime I start it, especially if I let it sit overnight. It definitely smells like burning oil. The exhaust tips are black and sooty. I took it to the dealership, and they told me it was normal for the "special" exhaust to hold in moisture . I personally think it burns way too much oil for a low mileage modern truck. I've owned 11 other vehicles, and I've been much harder on most of them, and they never burned oil like this motor does. My V8 Toyota Tundra has 70,000 miles, and it doesn't burn any oil whatsoever, and I'm actually much rougher on it, since it's so much slower than my L.

On a broader note (rant), I'm really disappointed with the Lightning drivetrain. I like the concept of the L, but Ford needs to build better quality vehicles, and spend less money on marketing. Let's see, launching plugs, weak rods, leaking valve guide seals, oil burning, oil in the intake, head gasket leaks, flaking supercharger rotors, and intercooler leaks. And that's just the engine. Luckily I "only" have oil burning and hard starting, but I also forgot to mention that my transmission is slipping, and again, the dealer said everything is just fine. I'm sure my motor has other problems that are just waiting to show up at the worst time.

I'm a Ford fan, but I will never ever buy another Ford vehicle again. I know some people will say "build up a motor for it", but i didn't buy this L to have it modded. If I want to really go fast, I'd rather put the mod money into a new superbike. If I'm going to mod a car, I'll mod/restore my 65 Mustang or build up an AC Cobra replica. I'm gonna be selling my L since I'd rather put the money into another vehicle (not sure which one though), and I don't want to deal with the other problems which are surely gonna arise as my L gets older. The dealer isn't supportive, and that's what broke my back. Sorry for the griping.

 

My L was also burning oil a little while back. I'd say i was burning a quart about every 1000 - 1500 miles. Took it to the dealer and went through an oil cosumption test. They took everything apart and couldn't figure out what was going wrong.

They ended up replacing the whole drivertrain; Motor, Tranny, supercharger, everything. Nothing was reused.

New motor doesn't burn a drop.

Take it in, hopefully you have warranty.