Oil consumption '99 Taurus

[road_rascal]

My '99 Taurus 24v is now starting to use oil at around a quart every 3000 miles (car has 57,000 miles). I change oil at six month intervals and the mileage is usually at 6000 using Mobil 1 5w/30. During that timeframe I may only have to add 6oz for top-up. I don't see any leaks or smell any oil burning. I have done all the regular maintenace, except the PCV valve which is a real pain to get at. Any clues?

 

[Ramblin Fever]

1 qt every 3k really is not as bad as you think.

But, come summer you could try putting a thicker oil in, i.e. 5w-40. I've heard that the 10w-30 Mobil 1 is actually thinner then the 5w30, so that may not work.

 

[brianl703]

The PCV valve in that car is probably covered under the 80K, 8-year emissions warranty so the dealership will replace it for free at 60K. Check your owner's manual for details..my Contour had the same deal.

 

[road_rascal]

I know that a quart every 3k isn't a big deal, but having it happen suddenly makes me think there may be a problem. I know on my old '96 Windstar I had the PCV valve replaced by the dealer for free at 60k, but the manuals for my '99 Taurus (and my '01 Windstar) don't directly spell it out. Plus I'd rather spend the few bucks for the part and do it myself.

 

[michaelc80]

The first thing to do would be to see if replacing the PCV valve reduces the consumption.

Another thing to try might be AutoRX. There are a lot here (myself included) that have had stellar results with AutoRX.

Any chance you just misread the dipstick? I know on a couple of my cars if I check it warm vs. cold there can appear to be difference so I always check it cold (that seems to show the highest level).

 

[road_rascal]

I thought about doing AutoRX, but I've been using Mobil 1 since 21,000 miles (when I bought it) every 6 months and also using Lube Control, so I really don't think AutoRX would help. I may try it as a last resort. I'm going to buy an OEM PCV valve tomorrow and replace it this weekend. I always check the dipstick when the engine is cold with the car in my garage (level floor). I only posted this question as it was a sudden oil consumption and I didn't find any answers from the Taurus Car Club message boards.

 

[Drew]

My 97 Taurus loved to sip Mobil 1 oil. It also burned 1 quart every 3k mils. I solved the problem by switcing to GC 0w-30. I later got cheap and decided to just use good old Rotella T 5w-40. My fuel economy remained the same.

 

[road_rascal]

Was your '97 the Vulcan or Duratec? I could give a rip about fuel economy (have none using 10% ethanol).

 

[oilboy123]

Like the guys say change the PCV first. Auto-rx it whether you think it needs it or not.
At the very least it will clean out the carbon and free up the rings.

Just because you have run syn oil does not mean you can't have sludge etc. I have a 98 Taurus vulcan that I switched to syn oil at 26,000 miles and it helped a valve fix a valve tick at high rpm and helped the pinging a lot.

 

[road_rascal]

I got the new valve ($8 from dealer) and time will tell if the consumption stops. If it doesn't, and stays around 1qt every 3-4k, I'm still not going to loose sleep over it. Thanks for the replies

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