F150, 5.4L, 2001. Engine is consuming 3Qt oil in 5000 miles. Performance and operation is flawless. Air intake system is clean up to the throttle plate. The backside(toward intake manifold) of the throttle plate and the duct after the plate is heavily coated in oil. What is causing the oil to be pulled into the engine? Thanks,

 

Degrease the engine area as clean as possible. After that check and see if you can locate the leak and repair it, new gasket pvc hose etc.. Oil leaks are almost impossible to locate after it is all over the place. It should not be "pulling" it back into the engine.

 

your pcv system... Get a bypass kit, i got mine from www.rpmoutlet.com No more loosing oil, and your engine stays clean

 

Its simple.....when the oil change intervals are to long, over time the engine begins consuming more and more oil. I've seen this happen time and time again on a variety of different vehicles. My 98 5.4 consumes about 2 quarts every 3K miles. Its been like that since the day I got it.

Change your oil more frequently, and check it once a week.

 

PCV valve could be stuck open. u can make a PCV bypass kit with parts from walmart for about 11 bucks

 

Check the PCV valve for flow and if you haven't already done so in the last 25,000 miles, replace it. Check the lines to the intake to make sure they aren't plugged up as well. My opinion is that this is not your problem. You most likely have stuck rings which seems to be a common issue with the 5.4. I would suggest running a dose of Auto-Rx thru the engine. This is about the only oil "additive" that I use and recommend. It is a lanolin ester that will slowly clean the engine and seals. If you have any minor leaks at seals this will fix them as well as clean the engine and rings. It does perform as advertized but make sure to follow the exact instructions.
http://www.auto-rx.com/

 

How do I check PVC Valve air flow? Thank You

 

Could you please give more info on by-passing the PCV valve? Thanks,

 

it is either the PCV system or more likely worn rings. I am guessing worn rings. Check the pcv system... if that is good have a leak down test done to see if your rings are sealing up... not to expensive to do.

 

I've been adding about a quart every 1200 miles for the last 150,000 miles to my '97 4.6. It has caused me zero issues. 2 of the 4 O2's are original as are the catz. Performance and economy are fine. Oil is cheap. Any internal work to the engine will cost thousands of dollars to fix. The extra oil cost me about $175 over the last 8 years.

I'm with chris. The engine is getting old. Old modular engines seem to have some issues with valve guide seals. Nothing major, but they typically use some oil. I'm sure someone will come along and tell you that their 200,000 mile modular doesn't use a drop of oil, but mine and lots of others do, and it hasn't been a big deal at all.

If you think it will help, play with the PCV. If you do, please post your results here so we all can learn something.

 

Being an '01, it could be the passenger side headgasket. It was a common issue on '99-'01s. You can get it fixed, but its going to cost about $1500.
My '99 has that leak. Mine leaks about 1 quart of oil every 3,000 miles. Ive just delt with the leak. You can smell the burning oil, you have to be carefull where you park because it drips a little oil and you will want to add 1/2 a quart of oil ever 1500 miles, but IMO its not a big enough of a deal to invest $1500 in.
Take a look at your passenger side exhaust manifold and see if it looks wet after you get done driving. If it looks wet or you smell burning oil, chances are thats where your leak is.

 

Assuming it's not leaking, on your model year truck, anything less than a quart every 900 miles is considered normal per Ford specs. (It's called out specifically in the service manual)

 

there are no signs of leaks on my motr. she purrs down the road with 155k. Its a 4.6 as opposed to your 5.4 but it burns 1 to 1.5 quarts between oil changes. I change every 5k using Mobil1 Full Synthetic 5w30.
Burning oil is ok but check the following
leaking it out the motor
check your coolant when its cold for any mixing
clean the motor and run it a while to check for leaks
etc...

 

Hello everyone! New to the forum (came across forum on google search). I have a '97 F-150 (original owner) w/5.4 L that has recently started consuming a lot of oil. I see no leaks so not sure where it is going. My truck has 275,500+ miles on it and I typically change the oil every 4,000 miles. I use a high mileage synthetic blend (Valvoline or comparable). I am also averaging 10.7 MPG over the past three tank fulls which is another eye opener. I average maybe 200 miles/week. Both oil and gas consumption are a recent phenomena. I had a major tuneup last year and having the truck so long, I can tell almost immediately when something is off.

I'll ask my mechanic to check the PCV valve and some of the other suggestions posted. Any suggestions or recommendations are appreciated.

Thanks,

Geoff

 

At your mileage your engine may just be getting worn out. It has been a good one.