Expedition has consumed oil - First time ever....

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Gokhan
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: Gokhan
Chances are that the valve-stem oil seals have just given out. The only thing that will reduce the oil consumption is to switch to a higher kinematic viscosity, such as xW-40. NOACK volatility etc. won't make much difference.

My 4A-LC virtually completely stopped consuming oil, save for a minor leak at the oil pan, after I replaced the valve-stem oil seals. I run 0W-20 now. Before I replaced the valve-stem oil seals, I had to run 15w40 in order to control the oil consumption. From 0W-20 to 15w40, there is about a factor of 4 in oil consumption, which seems to be inversely proportional to the square of the kinematic viscosity:

Oil consumption ~ 1/(kinematic viscosity)^2
(empirical formula from my own experience)

I highly doubt it. It doesn't smoke, EVER. It used 1.5 quarts of oil in 8,000 miles. This is hardly excessive consumption, simply more than what it has used in the past.

With bad valve-stem oil seals, you would only see smoke when you drive off from a red light after having idled for more than a minute with a hot engine. You don't see smoke when idling or during cruising with bad valve-stem oil selas.

It's possible that some of the valve-stem oil seals have given out and the others will give out in the next few years. If you have four bad seals now, when all 32 give out, the oil consumption will get 8 times as bad; so, you would have to add 12 quarts of makeup oil in 8,000 miles. Valve-stem oil seals are made of synthetic rubber and they eventually give out, usually after 15 - 20 years. Therefore, it's quite likely that your oil consumption will gradually get worse as your valve-stem oil seals age more. You may eventually need to have them replaced or use xW-40 to control the consumption, but right now the 0.2 quarts per 1,000 mile consumption with xW-30 is still fairly small. If you used xW-20, the consumption would be about the double.


I'm well acquainted with the symptoms of bad valve stem seals. I do not have the symptoms with this truck. The known consumption point is the PCV hose (there is a TSB and revised hose available) but having not experienced the symptoms of this, I have never installed the revised part.

 

[virginoil]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: Gokhan
Chances are that the valve-stem oil seals have just given out. The only thing that will reduce the oil consumption is to switch to a higher kinematic viscosity, such as xW-40. NOACK volatility etc. won't make much difference.

My 4A-LC virtually completely stopped consuming oil, save for a minor leak at the oil pan, after I replaced the valve-stem oil seals. I run 0W-20 now. Before I replaced the valve-stem oil seals, I had to run 15w40 in order to control the oil consumption. From 0W-20 to 15w40, there is about a factor of 4 in oil consumption, which seems to be inversely proportional to the square of the kinematic viscosity:

Oil consumption ~ 1/(kinematic viscosity)^2
(empirical formula from my own experience)


I highly doubt it. It doesn't smoke, EVER. It used 1.5 quarts of oil in 8,000 miles. This is hardly excessive consumption, simply more than what it has used in the past.


1.5L in 8000 miles (or 12800kms) thats not oil use, this means the engine has just completed its run in process.

Only thing I can think of if having change oil brands the oil filter clogged up and the oil filter went into open bypass mode.

Common suggestion on the Amsoil sites when switching oil brands is to change the oil filter more often for the first couple of OCIs.

 

[D189379]

0L TO 1.5L of consumption change in a very short time period is definitely a change in oil use. I don't know so many are brushing this off as normal.

He's already mentioned 0L is normal for the past 200,000 and some odd miles. To suddenly go up to 1.5L indicates something has drastically changed.

If the same thing happened to any of us we'd all be concerned as well, and I'd be pretty PO'd if I got some of the same responses on here as he's getting.

 

[virginoil]

You didn't read what I wrote.

This is the 1st oci there has been an increase in oil use so why jump the gun until a baseline is establish over a couple of oci's.

If 1.5L in 12800kms becomes the new norm so what.

Speculation at best here until he reverts back to the brand that didn't use oil and changes oil filter more frequent to ensure it is not suffering from brand change.

Do not take changing oil brands lightly one of the most common reasons for sudden excess consumption.

 

[bigjl]

My Volvo with a 2.0 turbo diesel lump (136bhp) uses very little oil when driven on my daily duties of school run and running about, the school run includes a few miles of Motorway at 70/75mph but only for 5/10 mins traffic dependant.

When I drive to Scotland with bikes on the roof and boot filled to the top and family in the car it will use half a litre after the high speed run up and back to London.

Not saying this is what is happening with the OP but sometimes usage does have an effect.

If I had recently changed oil manufacturer then I would suspect that as the cause personally.

I had a similar thing happen when using Mobil 1 in a BMW Diesel engined Omega, had high miles at the time and not sure what Vauxhall had been using, but I suspect a 5w40 or 10w40, it went through a litre in a month(5000miles) with the Mobil 1 0w40 so I switched to Comma SynerD which was 5w40 and consumption went back to negligable, no need for top ups over 5/6k OCI.

Was this due to it being Mobil 1 or just because the oil was too thin when cold? I will never know but I put 100k more on it in 18 months with no more oil consumption issues.

 

[OVERKILL]

Well, I'll be ordering the next OCI of AZO this week. I have a filter for it in stock still and of course will be posting pics of the cut open EaO that is on it currently once the change has been performed.