I am very very sad.....my F150 4X4 super sharp step side 4.6l is blowing smoke on cold starts. And guess what guys,,,ford engineers say it is normal.....what do you say? would love to hear your most professional opinions......Should a brand new less than 15000 miles smoke? Do you have the same problem, we want to hear from you...

 

Did you notice smoke on warm mornings?
Does it continue to smoke after you've been driving it a while?
Have you recently changed the oil?
Does it need a oil change?
Have you checked the oil level on the dipstick?
What color is the smoke?
Is the tail pipe black/sooty?
If you're really worried about it, try finding a place to do an oil annalisis. This will tell you if something,s wrong with the engine.

 

It only smokes on a cold start, after the vehicle has sat over night. I doesnt necesarily have to be hot or cold weather. It stops smoking after it has ran for about three minutes. The smoke is BLUE (oil burning sign). We change the oil after every three thousand miles. Why should I pay for an analysis when this vehicle is under waranty with only 14,000 miles? My question is anyone out there haveing a similar problem, because the ford engineers are saying this is normal.. An all f150 are suppose to smoke blue like this...I know my engines and I dont think the engineer knows dittly....

 

IT sounds like something that happens to an older engine that has higher miles. It sounds like Valve Seal's(umbrella). I haven't ever heard of that happening so soon. Thats really bogus that Ford charges you to look at your truck, it's on warrentee. I think you should maybe check another dealership out. See what they think.

 

Thank you pastmaster for your reply. But I think my last reply to Tina made it sound like I was paying for the repairs..I am not going to pay..My REAL dilema is that Ford Co. says it is normal to do this, and is refusing to fix it...So now what? I have even showed the Car dealership proof on video tape that it smokes blue on the first startup. I love the looks of my F150 and special ordered it. But to have this problem is very worriesome...What could really be bad about this vehicle when the engine does get a little older???get my drift???

 

Try 5-50 castrol syntec, I have discovered this stuff has the magic ability to stop oil consumption!!!! I know it really is not a true syn but it works better for oil use than anything I have ever seen

Chris

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98 SC 4.6L stepside, Gibson headers, Gibson single exhaust, superchip, Intake mods, Piaa's, high end audio stuff.

 

I agree you shouldn't have problems so soon. Ask to speak with the General Manager of your dealership but if he tells you this is acceptable, change dealerships. You should be able to find someone who is more sympathetic. Does your dealer do your maintenance, ie. oil changes etc.

 

Smore, I was looking through oil topics since mine is/was burning oil badly so I thought I'd write you my experiences with this. My 97 4.6 starting smoking like crazy at around 35k on cold starts. Same exact symptoms you described. I went to ford. They monitored the oil consumption for an oil change period of 3k and told me that I was only burning a bit over a quart in that time period. Apparently, in order to qualify for a new engine or an engine rebuild, you have to burn more than a quart in 1000 miles! That's absolutely ludicrous in my opinion. I don't know of anyone with 351 clevelands that even burned that much oil. Anyway...I was running Mobil 1 synthetic since I owned it. Since we decided that we would trade it in at 60k when the warranty is up, I figured, why waste the money, instead, just put plain old bulk oil in. Don't ask me why, but ever since I went back to bulk, i've had absolutely no smoke. Before I used to have clouds. Now that I have just about 50k on the truck I am burning between a 1 1/2 and 2 quarts in 3k miles. I have no clue where it's going....compression tests out ok, oil pressure seems to be fine, and truck is running great. I hardly think an engine this new and this extremely well taken care of should be doing this. Believe me, I've went rounds with ford on this one. You may have an advantage since you only have 15k and you are still in your "new vehicle warranty." Argue that now since the burning will more than likely increase as mine has done. If you can get them to realize that by the time the truck is out of this warranty the oil buring will be a lot worse, you might have a chance. Ford is such a pain in the A$$ when it comes warranty work. At least my dealer is, my new superduty will definitely come from somewhere else. Good luck with it and let me know if you get anywhere...I'm curious.

Mike
TALJAV96@aol.com

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97 Bright Red, S/C, Off Road XLT, 4.6, 5speed, 3.55 LS.
Lighted Sunvisor, Bug shield, Nerf Bars, Mud Flaps,
Leer Signature Series Cap (for winter), Flowmaster 40 series,
Airbox mods, K&N, Bosch +4's, Complete Eclipse Stereo System.

 

Ford has always stated that unless you are buning more than a quart every 1000 miles or less it is not a problem. I have a friend that had a Ford that burned a quart every 800 - 1000 miles from the day it was new. After 160k it still did. Nothing wrong at all, just used oil. Ford proclaimed it was normal, and would not affect engine life. Guess they were right.

Monitor your oil usage, and see what you get. Maybe you are not burning as much as you think.

-jeff b.


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2000 F150 4x4 SC/SB 5.4 ORP Lariet Oxford White with Harvest Gold 2 tone.

 

DU302:

Can you tell me what the additive package is on the bulk oil that you've been using (eg: SA or SD or SJ, etc)?

I had a GMC 6.2L diesel that used a quart in 800 miles towing (full-throttle, heh heh), and over the years I've noticed that many (I used to be a grease-monkey and did a LOT of oil changes -- although it was many years ago) engines seem to let the oil go all of a sudden just before oil-change time (like 3k miles).

The term "bulk oil" can have two meanings -- and I'm just interested in seeing if your bulk oil is bulk as in "cheap stuff with no additives" or bulk as in "we just put a lot of it in the big cans".

Have you also tried any of the miracle additives? If so, what was your opinion?

If you start with the oil at the "add" mark, instead of the "full" mark -- do you notice any less oil burning?

Lastly: is there any spark-knock apparent? I've noticed that engines with pre-ignition burn oil. It's a head-scratcher, but was explained to me once as a condition wherein the lubricating oil is literally 'burned' off of the inner lining of the cylinder -- causing more oil to be deposited (and subsequently burned) with each successive piston stroke.

Merry Christmas,

Jim

 

i was reading in car and driver that the 4.6 and the 5.4 will loose/burn roughly 1 quart of oil between regular oil changes.