Cause for Concern?

Fla02LS

Fla02LS

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I just changed my oil. I usually buy a 5 qt jug and two quart jugs for the change. Since it only takes 6.5 quarts i usually take the extra 1/2 quart and pour it thru the fill tube once its all drained out to help clean out any "debris" sitting in the bottom of the pan.

Well after a complete drain i emptied my oil change thing into the now empty 5 quart jug. It barely filled it 3/4 full. Is that of any concern that i only drained about 4-4 1/2 quarts out of a 6.5 quart capacity? I know there is never a full 6.5 quarts that gets drained, but having that little get drained out kinda concerns me. Where did the oil go? I let it sit for a good 20 min to drain so i'm sure i got every last drop. No sign of an oil leak. I think the last oil change was done at the dealer and perhaps they didnt put a full 6.5 quarts in?

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced a big difference in the amount drained compared to full capacity?
 
How many miles are on the car?

The oil is going somewhere, if it isn't leaking out then the engine is burning it.
 
You may want to take a peek in the spark plug wells where the coil packs sit. you could have some hiding up there, and maybe you are burning a little. Do you change it every 3,000 or 5,000. Was it on a level surface? Could some still have been in the engine? There are a lot of unanswered questions here fella!!
 
Yes, it's cause for concern.
I always just put seven quarts in, and I get pretty close to that back 5K miles later.
I'd start checking the dipstick at least weekly till you figure this out.
In the best case, they screwed up at the last oil change. I rarely have someone else change the oil, but when I do (even if it is the dealer) I always check the oil level when I get home.
 
To answer some questions... The car has 162k miles. I change it on a regular basis, 3-5k miles, use only motorcraft filter and oil. It was on ramps, so it was on a slight incline but since the drian plug is on the back of the pan i would think this would help in the draining. No burning smell, no smoke in exhaust. VCG replaced not too long ago. Last coil replacement there was no oil in well.

I have noticed that around the fill tube there is some oil residue, i have looked this up and apparently it can leak and its not something that can be easily repaired (ie. gasket). I say residue,so its minimal, i cant see 2 quarts worth leaking from where the tube meets the valve cover. Thinking that area would only leak during high rpms?

I'm gonna check it daily to see if the level changes. Which is more accurate? Checking first thing before starting or after driving and letting it cool for a bit?

One other thing, is there not a idiot light or something that will go off when oil level is low, or is that just the oil pressure?
 
I usually get about a gallon and a half out of mine when I change it. I drain with ramps on an incline like you do. With the mileage you might just be burning it. You can take off your intake tube and if there is any oily residue inside the throttle body I would say blow by. That would of course be something that happens gradually. I once had a leak at the filter after an oil change. Make sure it is not leaking out somewhere.
 
Fla02LS said:
...
I have noticed that around the fill tube there is some oil residue, ... Which is more accurate? Checking first thing before starting or after driving and letting it cool for a bit?

One other thing, is there not a idiot light or something that will go off when oil level is low, or is that just the oil pressure?
Click to expand...

It is normal for there to be a little weeping around the oil fill. Still, you might want to check for excess blow-by. With the engine idling, take the oil fill cap off and put your hand over it. You should feel a slight suction. If you feel pulses of air instead, your rings are shot.

I think that checking either way that you describe should work about the same.

No, that light is for low ("no" really) oil pressure. It might as well say "change engine now."
 
joegr said:
No, that light is for low ("no" really) oil pressure. It might as well say "change engine now."
Click to expand...

LOL! That's why on some cars it is just a picture of the engine. That way you know what part needs replacing :)
 
How recently has the PCV valve been changed?

I'm not too well versed on the lincon yet but with my camaro you can get oil through a worn PCV valve, the systems seem somewhat similar between the two cars.

For the record my camaro has been using a quart to two quarts of oil per change for going on 3 years and 40k miles now. Your car isn't losing that much oil it is probably just worn rings, at some point you are going to need a new engine but it could take years for the ring seal to get to the point where the car runs poorly.
 
Cronic_Moronic said:
How recently has the PCV valve been changed?

I'm not too well versed on the lincon yet but with my camaro you can get oil through a worn PCV valve, the systems seem somewhat similar between the two cars.

For the record my camaro has been using a quart to two quarts of oil per change for going on 3 years and 40k miles now. Your car isn't losing that much oil it is probably just worn rings, at some point you are going to need a new engine but it could take years for the ring seal to get to the point where the car runs poorly.
Click to expand...

There is no PCV valve on the V8.
 
The AJ-V8 is something of an unusual beast. Very complicated cooling setup for both generations, hydraulic radiator fan for gen 1, no PCV, troublesome chain tensioners, air-assisted injectors (gen 1 only, IIRC), non-standard alternator (6G small case, but not the normal Ford mount), wacky coil problems, etc etc.

The v6 is a normal Ford part, but inherited some of the wacky cooling and coil problems.
 
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