ha, ha! I read his post before anyone even answered yet and I said to myself.. "why did he say he uses a Fram oil filter!! All he is going to hear is that it's crap and also that no one is going to say that 1 qt of oil in 3,000 miles is a 'bad' thing.."

Mitch

 

Mitch, because it is ^^^^^ I wouldn't want to use a qt. of oil in 3K mi. (but then he said it used a qt.in a change, 4-5 K mi.) Fords standard is a qt. in 1000 mi. is OK, nothing wrong. When I worked for Chev. dealer years ago, their (GM's) standard was a qt. in 500 mi. was OK, they wouldn't do anything about it even in the 12K mi. warranty. Don't agree with any of that, but I didn't make up the rules.

 

I've had a 1999 4.6, 2001 4.6, 2003 4.6, 2006 5.4, 2008 4.6 and now a 2011 5.0. The 2011 is the only one of the 6 that when I checked the oil said, "Holy crap I need to add oil!!". Not to say the others didn't use any oil, but not enough to make me feel I needed to add any between oil changes. I've heard a lot of people saying the same thing with the 5.0 though, so I wouldn't worry about it...and I use Motorcraft filters btw...

 

Put a catch can on it and watch how much oil is being blown out of the crank case and into your intake manifold. You'll be amazed. That will account for some of your oil loss.

 

My 5.0 uses about half a quart between changes at 5000 to 6000 miles. I'm happy with that.

 

Only one oil change here (at 4500 miles), and that's what I saw too. Fine with it.

OP, three words for ya....listen to Labnerd!!

 

I don't want to de-rail this thread, but as Labnerd has a posting here, I have a concern. Many people warn to stay away from Pennzoil products because of sludge build-up, especially with the Dino products. Guess I don't quite understand the logic here, and I DO value Labnerd's knowledge on the subject, but why use Pennzoil yellow bottle in these engines?? (talking about the 5.4 3v). Back on the OP's topic, from my perspective I would like to see an engine use 'some' oil as in 1qt between changes give or take, it tells me that the upper cylinders are getting a little lubrication. ( old-school thinking, but I earned that at 65)

 

Many people can't stand change. A lot are still listening to Doo Wop on their radios. Many still believe in a 3000 mile oil change schedule. All are grossly outdated. You'd have to go back to the early 1990 to find the oils that sludged engines. Obviously, Pennzoil got the brunt of the issue but all of the oils of the day were guilty. The issue was with the viscosity spread. GM in particular was specing a 10w40 oil in a lot of their engines. The oil companies were using polymers to make the viscosity spread rather than using a base oil with a higher Viscosity Index, which makes the spread naturally...or most of it anyway. Most drivers didn't have any issues but those that made short trips watched the engine fill with sludge. Those days are long gone as there are many different and cheaper ways to make a higher VI oil and the few polymers that are used today don't condense out of formulation like the old ones. So the next time one of these many people tell you Pennzoil is a sludge maker, know he clueless as it's one of the top shelf oils on the market today.

Why this recommend over something else? Well, you'd have to understand the makeup of the bases used in the yellow bottle and the additives used. It has more solvency than the oil he's using without any of the synthetic issues like oil getting past a marginal ring pack. Some of the new engines will have stuck ring packs coming out of the factory because of the low tension. Normally these will loosen up with usage and everything is fine but some are more stubborn than others. This may or may not be his issue but it's a cheap place to start investigating. The Pennzoil may cure the issue but if it doesn't a full analysis will probably indicate where to look.

 

Thank you for that explanation Labnerd, that helps out quite a bit as I was (and still am a Pennzoil fan). Another question for you, should one change oil based on time or mileage ? As I am retired and don't drive as much as I used to, I may have 6 or 7 months, but only about 3000 or 4000 miles or so on the oil. Should I change based on time or mileage factor?? TIA..

 

I'm an old dude who saw engines sludged up from Penzoil back in the day.. It might be good now but I wont touch it.. Kinda like champion plugs maybe there ok maybe not.. I wont touch them though. Theres plenty of product to choose. If penzoil works great.

 

Huh, well, - if one wanted to know, what's normal according to the manufacturer. ~ Oil use is normally greater during the first 16,100 km (10,000
miles) of service. As mileage increases, oil use generally decreases. Vehicles in normal service should get at least 1,450 km per liter (900 miles per quart) after 16,000 km (10,000 miles)
of service.

High speed driving, towing, high ambient temperature and other factors may result in greater oil use.

 

I know you didn't ask me. - Even though, and even though you don't drive as much, -go by mileage as it will take about forever to break down from age. Very long shelf life.

 

Thanks for clearing that up jbrew...just didn't really know anymore. Back in the day it was 3000 mi or 3 months whichever came first (aging myself again) today's oils and motors are so much different from even a few years ago.

 

Yepper, go by mileage, not time. Many years back we had an open crankcase. There was a breather on the valve cover and an open pipe that ran down the back of the engine. The pipe caused a vacuum as the car moved forward causing it to draw fresh air into the crankcase via the breather. Around 1964 we went to a closed cranckcase system with the use of a PCV. Because we no longer have an open system, we don't have free oxygen available to oxidize the oil. Mileage and driving habits will effect the oil more than time.

 

Never owned a vechicle that used a quart of oil every 2500 miles. My 2011 f-150 is 2 quarts low after 5000 miles. Who ever said this is acceptable is full of it. I owned Chevy Trucks for years and never had this problem. Damn right I will trade it off. Good luck with your oil consumption.