This is my second oil change with this truck. First time it was a quart low. Filled it with mobil 1 synthetic and after 5000 miles I changed it again and it was half a quart low. Is this normal, or should I have it looked at since its still got 3000 miles on the warranty?

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1998 F150 Nascar Edition
RC, 4.6L, 3.73
Current Mods ... Superchip

 

I would first take a look under the hood, and see if you see any signs of oil by the valve covers, and then take a look under the truck, by the bell housing/tranny to see if there are any signs of oil there. If you don't find anything, then I would definitely take it to a dealership and have them take a look at it....can't hurt if it is still under warranty. Just my two cents....a vehicle is going to burn some oil no matter how new it is, as that is normal according to all mechanics that I have talked to, but the amount that you are going thru seems a little on the extreme side!!!

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1999 F-150 4x4 Offroad, SuperCab, Prairie Harvest Gold, 5.4L Triton w/ K&N Air Filter, Lund Interceptor Bug Guard, Lund Headlight Covers, Lund Screenfront Grill Insert, Vent Visors, Smittybilt Outland Sport Bumper Gaurd w/ Hella 500 & 550 Driving lights, Access Roll-up Cover, Bedliner, Ford Reciever Hitch Cover, Taillight Covers, Bridgestone Dueler AT's

Future Mods:
Gibson Cat-Back Exhaust, Nerf bars, 4" Suspension Lift, 3" Body Lift, 35" Tires

 

check for leaks, leaks are not to common as they are sealed pretty good but the front cover and the pass side cyl head are the most common areas of oil leaks, the pass cyl head will drip on the exhuast manifold causing a burning smell ( generally only on late 98 early 99's )also check if the hoses to the remote mounted filter ( if equipped )

 

All internal combustion engines use some oil. The dealer will not do anything unless you are using huge amounts of oil. I think that most dealerships won't even look at your truck unless it is using a quart every 800 miles or less. 1 quart every 5000 miles is almost nothing. And definately is nothing to worry about

Do take the time to park on clean cement, let the truck sit overnight, and look for oil spots on the ground the next day. Also look the engine over for wet spots. I doubt you'll find anything leaking. The Triton family of engines seem to be sealed very tightly!

My truck, at nearly 200,000 miles, uses a quart every 2000 miles. That started at roughly 100,000 miles. I've never seen a Triton powered truck emit visible oil smoke. Though I've seen it fairly often on Crown Vics. On those cars the smoke is caused by bad valve seals. Only time will tell if we will have the same valve seal problems.

Do keep in mind that oil costs only $1-$5 per quart, and even a $100 repair will cost more than the small amont of oil it takes to top the crankcase off over the life of the truck.

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97 XLT S/C Long Bed 2wd, 4.6 Romeo, 4R70W Trans., 3.55 LS, 195,000 miles

 

I had a '97 sc 4x4 orp 4.6 that did the same thing for the first 10,000 miles or so. It eventually got down to burning less than 1/2 quart every 3000 miles. Keep a close eye on the level and it should get better. I had it in after the first couple of oil changes (a quart low at each) and they told me that a quart every 800 is "normal and acceptable" for that engine. If it had kept doing it I would suspect something was wrong, but it got better. Probably rings seating in the piston walls.
-Joe-


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98 Explorer (Lemon Law Case in Progress)
Deposit on '00 F-150, X-cab, 4x4, Lariat, Off-road, Trailer Tow, Sunroof, currently missing the fuel filler door, but they're working on that..

 

DEFINITELY bring it to the dealer's attention! I have a 98 4.6L that was blowing out a beautiful blue-gray cloud of smoke every morning and anytime it was parked for 30 minutes or more. No leaks. I took it to the dealer, they started an "oil consumption" test and it finally got to the point where I was burning 2 quarts about every 400 miles. As I type this, my truck is at the Ford dealer getting a new engine installed.