How much oil should an 03' 4.6 Burn???

[MDDisco]

I have an 03 with the 4.6 and 2,000 miles since my last oil change I have only about 1/2" of oil left on the bottom of the dipstick? Is this a big issue or normal? I do know that nothing is leaking.
I also noticed while on vacation when I started my truck up and let it run for about 5 mins I came out to find exhaust dripping with some black soot in it. Let me know what you think!!!!

It was checked on a cold start.

Still under warranty.....

[Frank84]

That seems a little excessive. However, if you didn't check the level 2000 miles ago after it was changed you don't know if they completely filled it. I'd keep an eye on it and mention it to them next time you bring it in.

[tikicar]

X2 on you need to know exactly where it was on the stick when you started. Keep an eye on it. After the next change check it before you leave the shop to make sure it is full. As for black stuff running out the pipe. You will have carbon sut in the pipe from running. The fluid is condesation from combustion. For every gallon of fuel you burn an engine will create a gallon of water. Most comes out of the tailpipe. If you had real oil running out of your tailpipe you wouldn't still be driving your rover it would have blown up by now. Scott 97XD

[MDDisco]

Was told by LR HUnt Valley and Annapolis burning 1qt per 1000 miles is considered normal. Thats what they are telling me. So far Ive been through 1.5 qts in 2000 miles.

[Frank84]

1 qt per 1000 miles seems like an industry standard for warranting repair, but is way more than a new car should burn. since yours doesn't leak and it is low mileage i would think any more than 1 qt per 3000 miles would be a little excessive. I just changed the oil on my dad's DII last night and checked the level before doing so - it burned (and leaked) about 1 qt over the last 3k miles - this engine has 237k miles.

how much longer is your warranty?

[MDDisco]

I ll hit time first so june of 09, it has 55K on it right now. I was told by jeff that it burned through 1.5 qts because I was on a trip at a constant RPM(70-75mph). Doesnt seem right to me. If I burn through another quart in this next 1000 miles Im going to be pissed and raise hell.

I dont care that 1qt per 1000K is normal. It should not burn that much oil. I shouldnt have to add oil inbetween a 3000 mile oil change???

[tikicar]

What weight is the oil. If it is 10-30 you might want to go to a 10-40 or a 15-50. This will help. Also a quart of Lucas engine oil stabalizer will drastically reduce consumption. My last 91 RR that is still on the road with about 180K on it would maybe use a half a quart per 3,000 miles and figure some of that is leaking. I run lucas in all my cars. It works.

[Frank84]

If the warranty is good through jun of 09 at least you have some time to sort this out. A constant 70-75mph should not matter - it still shouldn't burn off that much. You're right - you shouldn't need to add oil in between changes (@ 3k mile intervals) with that car. It will drop a little on the dip stick, but by the time you need to add a quart it should be time to change it.

The lucas oil stabilizer is good (I especially like it in the transfer case) but I wouldn't put that in while you're under warranty just in case.

I just reread your first post and it said "It was checked on a cold start". What do you mean? It doesn't matter if the oil is hot/cold, but it does matter that the engine is off and that it has been off for at least a minute or two for all the oil to drain back into the oil pan to get an accurate reading. Also, pull the dip stick, wipe it, then insert it all the way, pull again, get your reading.

[MDDisco]

Cold start as in sat all night and came out and checked the oil level on level ground.

If the dealer is telling me thats normal, how do I go around them to find out the problem? There is no reason I should have to add oil to my engine inbetween a 3000 mile oil change period.

What cause burning oil? Rings/ valves???

[Frank84]

I'm not exactly sure how you would determine the root of the problem. Maybe doing a compression test could determine if the rings and/or valve stem seals are bad? Someone else might know more about some tests to do. But yes, poor rings and valve stem seals would cause oil to be burned off.

Do you know if they are using synthetic oil? My Chevy Tracker hated synthetic oil when I tried it at 30k. It burned it off twice as fast as the traditional dyno stuff. After I stopped using the synthetic stuff it took about 15-20k miles on dyno stuff for the oil consumption to return to normal - but it did return. In my dad's DII I put in regular castrol 5/30 in the winter and 10/40 in the spring/summer/fall - I don't think brand is that important though.

[MDDisco]

Pretty sure its Dino but Im going to check on that. Thanks for all the info!

[MDDisco]

They used a synthetic blend.

[Frank84]

I guess I'd try using a regular 10/40 oil for a few changes and see if you start to see some improvement. It won't happen over night though and remember that some oil loss is completely normal and should be expected - perhaps a quart per 3k.