Oil cunsumption?

[Anezangl]

Hey Guys 😕 Its a beautiful day here today low 80's, lite breeze and the little lady asked me to remove her hard top for the first time. All went well though she strained a bit helping me lift it into the roll around rack. I started the engine (per the manual for lifting the rag top) for our first time and we were excited to see it come to life, so I was standing in the driver door opening facing the rear as I turn the key w/ the left hand and 😱 as the engine started I saw a huge cloud of blue smoke roll up between the back of the car and the hardtop setting in the rack at the rear of the car! Please tell me something good! This car only has 21,000 miles!😕 I shut it off, went inside to calm down a bit and in about 30 minutes I rasied the hood and checked the oil.............barely showing on the stick! It was just changed at the dealer only 1000 miles ago! 🙁 I am very nervous about this, what can you folks tell me?

 

[Pudgey Roy]

I think that the arses that changed your oil forgot to put the new oil in after draining the old stuff! Me own bird never uses a drop of oil.
I have decided to write a song about thunderbirds, it is entitled 'The Thunderbird Song'

Pudgey x

 

[dchamb]

Roy has suggested a possibility. Another would be the plug in the bottom or the oil pan not being tightened properly, or cross threaded and leaking. But it is a safe bet that whoever did the oil change is to blame. You didn't damage the engine I hope. Did no low oil pressure warning lights iluminate? Do you have oil drips where you park?

 

[George]

Call the dealer and have them look at it - It may be strange, but every time I have the oil changed in the cars, I check the level when I get home.

Once I did this on an older car and found it low. The dealer said the tech probably forgot the quart for the filter, and added it - Yeah!!

 

[George]

Here's some addition discussion from guys in NY and OH:
"Anyone experience a large puff of blue smoke on starts? Our 2002 'bird does this once every couple of months. In my younger days, I would have diagnosed this as a leaking/sticking valve seal. My dealer thinks a PCM reprogram will fix it.

I had the same issue with my '03. Your dealer is right. He'll download a new program into the computer which will reduce occasional smoking on starts and will also make the engine run less rich. Took a lot of complaining on my part till the dealer found a technical bulletin which addressed the blue smoking on my car.

Thanks. Do you know the Technical Service Bulletin number? It should be on your service invoice. My dealer indicates TSB 17061 is the one.

Mine is an '03 and has a different engine than yours. Service bulletin is 03-07-03. Also reprogrammed power control module to the latest calibrations."

Just thought I'd pass that along.

 

[Anezangl]

Thanks for the responses guys! 🙂 Yes I too always check oil levels after a service, the car was full per the stick. Didn't actually lay my hand on the drain plug though because the car is so low to the ground etc. But, I have watched the driveway for oil spots and there are none. George thanks for the TSB info, per a suggestion on another thread I will take the car to the local Lincoln Mercury dealer and avoid at all cost the Ford dealer from last months fiasco!😀

 

[dchamb]

I left a couple of weeks ago for Arizona, about 2000 miles away. I only had about 1000 miles on the last oil change, so I just kept an eye on it as I went. It reached 1 quart low at about 3500 miles from the recent service. I wasn't pleased with this as I havent had a car to use ANY oil in years. I will say this about your situation, if your engine pushed 3-4 quarts through in 1000 miles nobody would have ridden your bumper because of the smoke. If you haevn't already done so, I suggest havent a compression test on all cylinders. I'm shocked you didn't get a warning light come on.

 

[George]

Dave:
Don't you service every 3000 miles? I have found that to be the best for me on all of my cars regardless what the manual says.

This past year my Seville was down, low, at each oil change. The dealer told me that 1 quart for every 3000 miles was normal. BUT, he never did anything else.
I went to another dealer and had the oil changed and told them. They said next time "service soon" message came on to call them.
It did, I did, and I went back. They found it was down 2.3 quarts. They submitted forms to GM and the engine was done over with new pistons and rings. All within a 3 week period.
It's all about the right dealer.

 

[dchamb]

Ordinarily I service the earliest convenient time after passing 3000 miles, which would be 3100-3200 miles. I got it done in less than 4000 in this case. I no longer use a dealer for service. The shop I use is very modern with all the data discs for all models, and actually told me things the dealer didn't know about my car, and printed the info from ford bulletins for me to show the dealer shop foreman, who replied "well, this is the first I ever heard of this"'. The same discs are available for ford shops but they don't bother to check until they cause a problem (like my power steering pump). This shop I use now is full and overflowing all day every day because of the incompetence of the dealership shops in this area. When he replaces a part or adds a fluid, he uses what the manufacturer reccommends for that vehicle, hence no warranty problems. The local GM dealership shop foreman calls him to ask questions about solving problems. The ball joints in my pickup were growling when I turned the wheel. The dealership reccommended a $700 replacement of the ball joints, which I declined. The shop I now use said he could fix it during routine service. He took a needle injector for grease made to puncture the rubber seal, injected the grease, used a silicone product to seal the hole back, and I haven't heard the noise since. I asked if he thought the dealership knew of this method and he said probably.

 

[George]

Wow, quite a story - Thanks

 

[dokako]

Oil additives

Because many of these T-birds are not driven every day would it be a good idea to use an additive like Slick 50 to reduce wear and tear on the engine when starting after the car has sat for a while?



Dokako

 

[Anezangl]

Bird is home from Lincoln dealer, said they find nothing wrong. 😕 I still see blue smoke at start up. I went down a similar road years ago w/ ford. Had brand new bronco that used a quart every 600 miles, ( per their test) and they told me it was not considered excessive per the factory standard. Told me to keep it for full break in of 10,000 miles........I got rid of it a week later, new owner had to have engine replaced to solve problem 🙁

Dokako, I don't know how much Slick 50 really does to protect engines. Only experience I ever had was many, many years ago when it first was coming to market a traveling salesman came into the business where I worked. He set up a small Briggs & straton engine that had custom made clear engine site glasses so we could watch the crank and rods etc.. as they turned while it was running. It also allowed us to see that there was no oil in the engine! He started the engine and then left it running while he took our boss to lunch. They returned about 2 hours later and the little engine was still running! 😱 I often wondered if it really worked or had that engine been built w/ special bearings etc? 😉