Losing oil

[99strokedr/t]

Hey guys,

I just wanted to try to get an idea from you guys on what may be causing my problem. Back in October, I changed the oil (Mobil 1 15W-50) in the truck and didn't check it for a few months (probably put about 1500 miles on it). About four weeks ago I check it and notice that it is about a quart and a half low (I wasn't too worried about it since it had been a few months) then about two weeks later, I go to check it again and it is about a quart and a half low so I top it off before driving for about 3 hours on the highway (round trip). When I get home a few days later, I notice that it is about a half quart low. The times that it was really low, it is about a half inch from the end of the dipstick in the add section.

There are no oil spots in the garage, no oil in the radiator and the oil on the dipstick looks fine. The only time that I notice any smoke coming out of the exhaust is at start up if I haven't been driving it for over a week or so, but I never notice any smoke while I'm driving it or when I park it in the garage I never smell burning oil.

Can someone please point me in the right direction as to what this may be?

All help would be greatly appreciated.

Adam

[mtlcafan79]

Not a stock intake manifold still is it?

[99strokedr/t]

To the best of my knowledge, it has an M-1 2BBL EGR Complete-with the extrude hone added from KRC.

[2slowRT]

it's the mobile one, I had the same problem. I switched to motorcraft 10w30 and I've been doing ok since. Mobile 1 was burning up in my work vehicles as well and I switched them over.

[geo2slow4u]

My truck was burning oil with mobil 1 in it. I switched. I don't think it has used any since. I think I'm going to start going with Amsoil.

[99strokedr/t]

It's always ran Mobil 1 since I had it (about 1.5 years) and I've never noticed it nearly this bad. I guess that I can change the oil out (needs to be done anyway) and see if that helps at all. Do you think that it is the Mobil 1 oil or maybe the weight of the oil that I'm using (20W-50)?

I honestly thought that I would be seeing it burning the oil if that was the case, but then again I have no idea where else it could be going (possibly just the really cold weather that we have had this winter). I was thinking maybe a leaky internal seal (valve stem seals or something like that).

Thanks for the help guys and I welcome any more suggestions.

Adam

[BTLFED R/T]

Adam

You don't need to be running 20w50 at all! Especially in the winter. I can't see the type/weight of oil being the case though. Next oil change, use 10w30 Mobil 1.

[99strokedr/t]

I guess that I just assumed that using a thicker oil versus 10W-30 would be a bit more beneficial, but if that is not the case then I will try something else.

I will certainly try using a different weight/type of oil and see if that helps out at all, but I still don't see that as the cause of the oil loss.

[BTLFED R/T]

I guess that I just assumed that using a thicker oil versus 10W-30 would be a bit more beneficial, but if that is not the case then I will try something else.

I will certainly try using a different weight/type of oil and see if that helps out at all, but I still don't see that as the cause of the oil loss.

Yeah, I don't either, but I guess stranger things have happened. 20w50 I would say is for extreme heat situations. Weather or racing ALOT. It certainly won't hurt anything as far as I know, but you just don't need it.

[Siciliano15]

Hey guys,

I just wanted to try to get an idea from you guys on what may be causing my problem. Back in October, I changed the oil (Mobil 1 15W-50) in the truck and didn't check it for a few months (probably put about 1500 miles on it). About four weeks ago I check it and notice that it is about a quart and a half low (I wasn't too worried about it since it had been a few months) then about two weeks later, I go to check it again and it is about a quart and a half low so I top it off before driving for about 3 hours on the highway (round trip). When I get home a few days later, I notice that it is about a half quart low. The times that it was really low, it is about a half inch from the end of the dipstick in the add section.

There are no oil spots in the garage, no oil in the radiator and the oil on the dipstick looks fine. The only time that I notice any smoke coming out of the exhaust is at start up if I haven't been driving it for over a week or so, but I never notice any smoke while I'm driving it or when I park it in the garage I never smell burning oil.

Can someone please point me in the right direction as to what this may be?

All help would be greatly appreciated.

Adam

Feel the back of your engine behind your valve covers and see if any oil is coming out back there. Also, get under your truck and look by the back of the engine where the heads meet the engine and see if there is any oil in the lower corner there. If there is oil in either of those places then tighten the valve covers or else you need new head gaskets. I currently am burning oil and when I felt behind my valve cover it was a little oily and there was oil in the lower corner where the head meets the block. So i Tightened the valve cover but I think I also may have leaking head gaskets. I also run mobil 1 and before I changed my valve covers and heads from stockers to the mopar performance covers and eddy heads, I never had a problem.

[grapejuice1998]

Owning an oil eating 408 myself, I would suspect either the intake gasket, or the PCV system. I believe all of mine goes through the PCV, but I haven't gone to a breather system to verify that yet.

[Siciliano15]

just wanted to update everyone on this post. i asked around a bit more to see if a blown head gasket could cause an oil leak and everyone said no. well, i took the heads off to get them ported, i cleaned the deck real nice put the heads back on, torqued them to 100 ft-lbs this time and wa-laaaa no more oil burning at all. In fact the oil level hasnt moved an inch in 1000 miles. so this proves that a blown head gasket can cause oil loss.

[mtlcafan79]

Did you have new valve seals installed? That could have been it. My TKO truck started using oil as soon as I went to Eddy heads.

[Intense RT]

Did you have new valve seals installed? That could have been it. My TKO truck started using oil as soon as I went to Eddy heads.
Before I even scrolled down, I thought the same thing.

Siciliano15, Most off the shelf aftermarket heads run the guides loose so they don't get complained at about stuck valves, And they guide seals could have been too low of tension or even the wrong size for the stem diameter of the valves used. It doesn't take much, as far a wrong size possibility, even a couple thousandths off on the seal diameter will let plenty of oil by.

I just don't see it happening with our head gasket design. If it was burning oil from the lifter valley, that gasket is blown way the hell out. :D