Okay, let me see if I can explain this. This is my first pickup and needless to say, I'm about ready to throw in the towel.

I have a 91 F150 XLT Lariat 4wd (I have no idea what size the engine is). It's always had a little knock and ping, so I've put the 92/93 octane in it - no problemo.

I just took it in to the shop to have some unrelated work done on it (battery/alternator wiring), and the guy calls me to tell me that I've got carbon buildup, and what looks like a partial tune-up. Basically, someone had gone in and replaced the plugs, but left the old points, distributor cap, etc. So they "finished" the tune up.

I'm told it'll run better than ever.

OKAY.

NOW, not only does it still knock and ping when I put the good gas in, but it burns oil (I've put in two quarts since the work was done about 3 weeks ago), and there's a lovely blue smoke coming out the tail pipe when it's pinging and it smells terrible.

I guess what I'm wondering is if it's something little like the timing that needs to be tweaked or if I'm looking at some major engine problems...

ANY thoughts or suggestions would be VERY helpful. THX!

 

Sounds like normal wear and tear on an engine. The rings don't seal as well, valve guides leak a bit, carbon buildup on the heads, and sludge prevents the oil from flowing like it once did.

The best solution is to give it two treatments of Auto-RX. After that run some Schaeffer's Neutra 131 in the gas to clean out the carbon in the cylinders. I think you'll be surprised at how well it will run.