2010 Fusion oil consumption increasing

[SilverFusion2010]

Hello all,

2010 Ford Fusion 3.0L duratec V6, 160k miles. Owners manual spec is 5w20


So I've put 130k of the 160k miles on this vehicle and it has had changes at factory interval of 7,500 mi. Oil consumption started increasing around 100k miles so for cost reasons I switched from various types of M1 to motorcraft 5w-20, and then 5w-30 max life semisynthetic. Fast forward to last year and I was running very short on cash and not driving much so I stretched the oci to 15k+. I'm not certain of the exact oci but I kept the oil topped off and added about 4 qt of various Dino 5w30 over the interval.
When I finally changed the oil it actually looked pretty good. It wasn't tar black as I expected, but a reasonable dark brown so I think I managed to avoid any major damage. I wanted to UOA but didn't have the funds. Such is life. Anyway I put in 6qt of Supertech 5w30 Dino and a new motorcraft FL500S filter and went on my way.

3000mi later it has burned a quart, which isn't bad, but it was doing a quart every 6000mi on the maxlife.

Opinions please. Should I try going to 5w20 maxlife, 5w30 maxlife, or some other grade. FL summer is coming so I was considering 10w30. Maybe the M1 HM stuff.

Oh and I use motorcraft filters always

 

[901Memphis]

Maxlife 10w40 if you want to add less

 

[KingCake]

A qt every 3000? that's not even abnormal oil consumption. Please. Doesn't warrant dumping molasses in your engine. How about quit being lazy and checking your oil every week. Or fix your engine and quit crying. Pulling a head is easy on that car.

 

[SilverFusion2010]

Originally Posted By: KingCake
A qt every 3000? that's not even abnormal oil consumption. Please. Doesn't warrant dumping molasses in your engine. How about quit being lazy and checking your oil every week. Or fix your engine and quit crying. Pulling a head is easy on that car.


You having a bad night or something?

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: SilverFusion2010
Owners manual spec is 5w20


That's all I had to read to know what the problem was.

 

[PimTac]

Stick with the Maxlife. Have you checked for any leaks? It's possible it could be something simple like a valve cover gasket. Have you changed your pcv valve lately?

As mentioned previously, a quart every 3000 miles is not the end of the world at your mileage. Just make sure to keep checking it and discount any chance it's a cheap fixable leak.

 

[bbhero]

Remember that Ford Fusion has the large XG-2 oil filter that absorbs a fair amount of oil as well. It is a rather large filter. I had a Fusion and I had to add 3/4 of a quart every 5500 miles because of the filter absorbing so much. I would just stay with a 5w20. If it's leaking oil from somewhere then that can be repaired. If it's burning oil then get that fixed. Heavier oil will not correct burning of oil. And the high mileage oil will only correct a minor seal leak if indeed that is your problem.

 

[SilverFusion2010]

Originally Posted By: PimTac
Stick with the Maxlife. Have you checked for any leaks? It's possible it could be something simple like a valve cover gasket. Have you changed your pcv valve lately?

As mentioned previously, a quart every 3000 miles is not the end of the world at your mileage. Just make sure to keep checking it and discount any chance it's a cheap fixable leak.


No leaks as far as I can tell. Engine is still very clean, no drops under the car. I'll check on the pcv, the one for this engine is annoying. Once pulled it Must be replaced because pulling it damages the mount according to Haynes manual

 

[Timo325]

That's kinda harsh King.. he's posting here looking for constructive advice.

OP, my .02.. stick with the Maxlife 5-30, or a 5-20. Change those cheap filters every 7.5K, less if you think you have sludge. If you know you don't, and have the driving conditions for it go 10K on them, but I think for your application keep it at 7.5 or under..

One qt. In 3k miles is nothing serious..

Best of luck to you

 

[SilverFusion2010]

Originally Posted By: bbhero
Remember that Ford Fusion has the large XG-2 oil filter that absorbs a fair amount of oil as well. It is a rather large filter. I had a Fusion and I had to add 3/4 of a quart every 5500 miles because of the filter absorbing so much. I would just stay with a 5w20. If it's leaking oil from somewhere then that can be repaired. If it's burning oil then get that fixed. Heavier oil will not correct burning of oil. And the high mileage oil will only correct a minor seal leak if indeed that is your problem.


Specd filter is motorcraft FL500S

 

[rubberchicken]

Originally Posted By: SilverFusion2010
Originally Posted By: bbhero
Remember that Ford Fusion has the large XG-2 oil filter that absorbs a fair amount of oil as well. It is a rather large filter. I had a Fusion and I had to add 3/4 of a quart every 5500 miles because of the filter absorbing so much. I would just stay with a 5w20. If it's leaking oil from somewhere then that can be repaired. If it's burning oil then get that fixed. Heavier oil will not correct burning of oil. And the high mileage oil will only correct a minor seal leak if indeed that is your problem.


Specd filter is motorcraft FL500S


" Because of the filter absorbing so much ". Are you changing the filter every 5500 miles ? If not this makes no sense.

 

[SirTanon]

Originally Posted By: bbhero
oil filter that absorbs a fair amount of oil


Oil filters don't "absorb" oil; They fill with it... and once they're full, they're not going to take on any additional oil. They're not sponges, they're containers with a 'relatively' small amount of filter media, which itself is not that absorptive. Besides, even if it WAS absorbing oil, the oil would have to be going somewhere before any more could be absorbed, which isn't going to happen in the sealed case that is the filter.

OP - Have you started to notice any signs of oil leakage around the valve cover or oil pan? If you don't see any signs of leaks, then the likely answer is that it is starting to burn some oil. While one quart in 3,000 miles is not anything catastrophic by any measure, if it were my car, I'd start looking into where the oil is going. If it's not leaking out of the engine, then my guess is past the rings or a valve seal.

As far as what oil to use - Stick with the MaxLife 5w-30. Also, keep in mind that during the summertime, whether the oil is 5w-30 or 10w-30 doesn't really matter much - In the FL summer heat, either of the two is effectively going to be 30 weight.

 

[Bailes1992]

My Father had two Ford Mondeo ST220's with the 3.0 Duratec V6. Neither ever burned oil with the second one doing well over 100k.

What I find strange is Ford only ever specify a 5w30 oil for that motor in the UK with 12,500mile/12 month OCI.

What do Jaguar specify for that engine in their cars in the US?

 

[rshaw125]

Ford 3.0 Duratec. A Porsche, Cosworth, Ford design/development. Eventually used as the Aston Martin V12.
I have had two Tauruses with this engine. Shoe horned into the engine bay. Head removal very tight and time consuming.
I ran both 5W20 and 5W30 in mine. 6 quarts right? Mostly PP at around 8000 mile intervals. No noticeable consumption. As already mentioned check the PCV valve and hose.

 

[SilverFusion2010]

Originally Posted By: rshaw125
Ford 3.0 Duratec. A Porsche, Cosworth, Ford design/development. Eventually used as the Aston Martin V12.
I have had two Tauruses with this engine. Shoe horned into the engine bay. Head removal very tight and time consuming.
I ran both 5W20 and 5W30 in mine. 6 quarts right? Mostly PP at around 8000 mile intervals. No noticeable consumption. As already mentioned check the PCV valve and hose.


Yep 6qt sump. I'm going under the hood today and gonna take a very close look at gaskets. I've got my fingers crossed that it's the pcv since it's the OEM valve with 160k worth of blow-by through it. $40 part. Electrically heated.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: Bailes1992
My Father had two Ford Mondeo ST220's with the 3.0 Duratec V6. Neither ever burned oil with the second one doing well over 100k.

What I find strange is Ford only ever specify a 5w30 oil for that motor in the UK with 12,500mile/12 month OCI.

What do Jaguar specify for that engine in their cars in the US?
I consider this whenever I hear about a "factory" oil recommendation. AS far as I can tell the climate in the UK is about the same as southern New England.

 

[rshaw125]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: Bailes1992
My Father had two Ford Mondeo ST220's with the 3.0 Duratec V6. Neither ever burned oil with the second one doing well over 100k.

What I find strange is Ford only ever specify a 5w30 oil for that motor in the UK with 12,500mile/12 month OCI.

What do Jaguar specify for that engine in their cars in the US?
I consider this whenever I hear about a "factory" oil recommendation. AS far as I can tell the climate in the UK is about the same as southern New England.


Southern New England?? No. It does not get any where near as cold in the UK.

 

[SF0059]

Yeah, defininately check the PCV. That being said, I think 1 quart per 3k miles is really not bad enough to be concerned about given the miles on the engine.

If it really bothers you, throw in some QS Defy 5w30. It is the best working HM oil I have used. Took my old Subaru from a quart every 800-1000 miles to a quart every 3k. In that application it worked faster and more effectively than both MaxLife and M1 HM.

 

[bullwinkle]

Originally Posted By: bbhero
Remember that Ford Fusion has the large XG-2 oil filter that absorbs a fair amount of oil as well. It is a rather large filter. I had a Fusion and I had to add 3/4 of a quart every 5500 miles because of the filter absorbing so much. I would just stay with a 5w20. If it's leaking oil from somewhere then that can be repaired. If it's burning oil then get that fixed. Heavier oil will not correct burning of oil. And the high mileage oil will only correct a minor seal leak if indeed that is your problem.
Filter absorbing oil? What?? The filter fills after the oil change, it doesn't absorb any more later. You're losing or burning it somehow. To the OP, with 160K, one quart every 3K isn't bad, and Maxlife in either 5W30 or 5W20 is the best for slowing the consumption down.

 

[steve20]

Originally Posted By: KingCake
A qt every 3000? that's not even abnormal oil consumption. Please. Doesn't warrant dumping molasses in your engine. How about quit being lazy and checking your oil every week. Or fix your engine and quit crying. Pulling a head is easy on that car.



TOTALLY UNWARRANTED RESPONSE--and uncalled for as well
I think you need a vacation Sir

Steve