01 MGM oil loss

[pipes1]

For a few years now, when i change my oil, less comes out each time, to the point where i change the oil every 5000 KM, throw in an extra quart at the halfway point, and still when i empty the old oil, only about 3 quarts comes out in total. In terms of oil burning, i dont see any blue smoke, although with the engine at high RPM, Black smoke plumes out (i do although have a side dump exhaust, with no muffler or resonator), but only at very high rpm. I cant see any leaks and there is no oil in my coolant. (235,000 KM, burnouts happen on a monthly basis. )

just wondering if this is normal, as it doesn't bother me too much, but if anyone has any suggestions how to stop the burning, they would be greatlyappretiated.
Thanks

[DerekTheGreat]

I am not a mod motor guy..

With that said, is your check engine light on? Black smoke is indicative of an engine that's running rich.

What oil do you run? IIRC members on here have had good luck with Motorcraft synblend 5W-20 in these.

Another possible cause for oil burning is old, dry valve seals. I've heard Ford fixed the problem the earlier ones had but I can't imagine any valve seal would last forever..

[sly]

Usually wide open throttle is tuned a little rich anyways... so if you're getting black smoke out at higher RPM, I would expect air restriction (dirty air filter?) or leaky injectors causing the cats to load up with soot and then get blown out. It may not be throwing a code, but it's probably worth checking to see if the bulb is burned out and you do have codes.

[pipes1]

my engine light just came on... for an oxygen sensor, but the problem was there before the engine light.

[pipes1]

i've been running whatever oil is on sale.

[DerekTheGreat]

There's rich and excessively rich- black smoke says you're running too rich. Not sure if Mod motors use the O2 sensors at WOT.. Like sly said, the air filter is a good route to investigate as well as a dirty MAF sensor.

You should invest in better quality oil and consistently use that oil along with a wix/motorcraft oil filter for your rig.. It's cheaper in the long run anyhow. What viscosity though? Give that Motorcraft 5W-20 synblend + a Motorcraft oil filter a shot and see what happens.

[FordMan77]

^This^. I've used Motorcraft 5w-20 and a motorcraft filter since I got my 03 and have no issues with burning/loosing oil. These mod motors don't like heavier weight oils either so stick with the 5W-20. Might want to check the PCV system as well. Could be time to change the valve. Change that oxygen sensor too.

At 146K miles what other things have you done maint. wise? If the plugs are factory then it's time to replace those too.

[pipes1]

Just threw some of the Motorcraft oil & filter in now, see how it goes. on another note, i do get a terrible stench of oil when shut my car off, and then turn it back on soon after (between 5-30 mins). And my coolant is somewhat oily, not visibly, but if you touch it & rub it around it smells & feels like old oil. Any correlation you think?

[FordMan77]

If you smell oil I'd be looking for a leak. Could be a valve cover gasket.

Does the coolant look like a milkshake, or just dirty brown? If just brown then I'd do a complete flush/fill of the cooling system as it's likely not been changed. Use only distilled water (NOT TAP WATER!) to refill and use either Motorcraft Gold or Zerex G-05 for the coolant part. The mod motor will thank you.

[DerekTheGreat]

...on another note, i do get a terrible stench of oil when shut my car off, and then turn it back on soon after (between 5-30 mins)...

Sounds like shot valve seals to me. Fireturd did that before I threw heads at it.

[knucklehead0202]

As the others mentioned, Motorcraft syn-blend is the cat's ass for the mod motors. I ran 5-30 but 5-20 works too. Before that with the thicker conventional oils I had consumption problems too. Also, I did have a valve cover leak. If you discover one I have some advice on valve cover seals on these bastards as I had a real adventure with my '98.

[DerekTheGreat]

Your stories are hilarious, you must share now if this also has comedic value.

[knucklehead0202]

Kinda funny I suppose. So driving my '98 in the rare occasions it got cold or rainy here, i'd get a burning oil smell with the heater on. After some investigation, I found the passenger side valve cover was leaking a small amount of oil onto the exhaust manifold, which is also close to the HVAC plenum, hence the stink I was getting in the car. So, being the handy idiot I am, I acquired the proper gaskets and grommet thingies for the weirdass 4.6 valve covers. Enlisted my mechanic buddy to give me a hand and we swapped them out. Driver's side was a mild whore, requiring that we loosen the whole brake booster a bit and swing it out for clearance, but went in reasonably well.

The passenger side is where shit got interesting. Thing came off just fine, but for whatever reason getting it back on was a shitfest. After fucking about with it for a bit and majorly screwing up the insulation around the HVAC box, we got the bastard back on. After driving it for a week or two, I noticed the smell came back. Then it got worse, and occasionally i'd get a wisp of smoke out that side of the hood. For a car that already looked ghetto, this was just too much for me. Luckily fate intervened and the car also decided to shit the balancer. Acquired a summit underdrive set with balancer(awesome deal by the way) I took it to a local shop for install and told them to also change the passenger side valve cover. No biggie right?

So a couple weeks later, smell returns. Frustrated with this shop because they had meanwhile screwed up my brother's car too so I just said fuck it. Bought a set of valve covers on ebay and some new gaskets, thinking maybe my valve cover has a little crack or something. Changed out the driver's side one again because it had started seeping a little bit, then back to passenger side. I yank the bastard off to find the culprit; every time the thing was wrestled back on there, it rolled the gasket on the back end and left a gap. So this time goddamnit i'm going to get it right. I take my new valve cover, put a bead of black oil-resistant RTV in the groove, stick the gasket in there and set it flat on the kitchen floor. Stack a shitload of books and junk on top to make sure it stays and let it cure for a full day. Put it on the next day and voila! No more stinky leak. Mind you this whole mess went on for like a year, lol.

Of course a few months after I finally fixed it, I got box fever, bought my '90, and sold the vomit comet. Oh well, such is life. So yeah, that passenger-side valve cover, don't roll the gasket, multiple times...

[DerekTheGreat]

That's like my '85 LTD when I got it and our old F150. You'd smell oil at lights. My '85 just leaked oil all over the manifolds as it was running, all I could do was laugh as I sent it to the shop.

Glad I don't have a mod motor... Sounds like me too, when I go to fix shit myself and people wonder why I'm hesitant to do so haha. Nothing is ever simple with me.

Figures, I support box fever though. I pretty much support anything push rod & pre '99 though.