Well it seems that my turn has come. I bought the 5.0 in Sept. of 2011 at which time it sat for the next month. I put about 300 miles on it in October. The first 4500 miles went good, absolutely no issues. I changed the oil around 3700 and used Amsoil. I check my oil weekly. At 4500 miles i noticed it was getting low and since i had full quarts it made it easier to monitor the amount of oil it was using. Over the next 1500 miles i added another 2 quarts of oil. About 2 weeks ago i started noticing oil smoke at startup. It went from just being at startup to being anytime the engine would rev. Accelerating onto the highway, you could look in the mirror and see the smoke. So i took it to the dealer and of course they ran their diagnostics. Fords procedure is to first do an oil consumption test. They change the oil and ask you to drive a preset amount of miles, in my case 500 miles. I did the oil consumption test and then i was given this letter,




This is how much oil the catch can catches in the pcv system from a 52 mile round trip,



and here is a video of the car sfter a 20 mile round trip to the mall,




After all of this i get told by a Ford Engineer this is NORMAL until 10000 miles. Im sorry this is not normal and needs to be fixed.

 

Wonder what the inside of your cats look like.

 

My '11 5.0L GT needed 1 quart of oil added by the time I got to 2K miles for its first oil change. Now I've put in 2 quarts between then (at 2K miles) and its current 8K miles and I'm probably another 2K miles away from an oil change and will likely need to add another quart to get there, bringing the total up to 3 quarts added between oil changes. I drive my car at WOT a lot, so I'm not surprised, but it's still much more oil consumption than I've ever experienced in any of my cars over the years.

 

Brian i dont drive at wot alot, most of my time is spent in traffic and under 40 mph. The only time i can stretch its legs out is on the weekend.

 

I love how you think you know more than the Ford engineer...

 

So you think that's normal? Let me put it this way, i see diesels everyday that don't smoke that much.

 

There are several threads on this forum with the same complaint as you. And they all cleared up around 10k miles.

 

I've read most of those threads. In my case the service advisor, ford tech, and ford customer care rep all agreed that this isn't normal for a new engine. The only one who disagreed was the engineer. The rep even told me they'd like to fix it but can't because ford won't cover it under warranty until I hit 10k miles. I'm just sharing my experience.

 

Well if yours is an oddball case drive it till you hit 10k. If its still there then its warranty. Then you will get a brand new engine at 10k

 

Doesn't 10,000 miles seem excessive as a "break in" period? I am afraid I missed that number in my owners manual. Even "back in the day", it was never that long. Usually break in was the first 500 miles.

At almost 19,000 miles my 5.0 has never needed a top up nor has it burned any oil. I check it the morning after I fill up and 99% of my driving is Interstate at 75 mph. I do use Mobil 1 in lieu of the Motorcraft, and have since the first oil change at 2832 miles.

I do agree to drive it until it breaks, or clears up. Not much else the OP can do based on Fords response. Just make sure you adhere to the warranty requirements for oil changes, and keep a record. I would have the dealer do all the changes until the 10,000 miles, just to be safe.

I would also keep a written record of every time you check the oil, and if you had to add oil, the amount added. Overly conservative, yep, I know. But in the long run if you have a problem, the documentation will be invaluable.

 

500 miles would break in the bearings but usually the rings take longer to seat. Expecially the moly rings... there are some engines I have built where the owner wanted moly rings and they never fully seated.. burned oil all their life. The moly rings are the toughest and longest lasting rings. And if I remember right the 5.0 has them it it. The harder you drive moly rings the quicker they seat.

 

I believe initial break-ins last about 1K miles, but the engine isn't "fully" broken-in for about 10K miles. That's why many cars are more powerful & quicker a year or so after new (check long term tests in car magazines where they show performance metrics at the start and end of the tests). For example, my '00 Mustang GT was the only Mustang I never modified. I took it to the dragstrip when brand new and it ran consistent 14.10's and 14.20's in the 1/4 mile. A year later, same track, same weather, and no mods/changes it ran consistent 13.80's and 13.90's.

I don't like adding oil like I've been doing with my '11, but I'm going to wait out the initial 10K miles before I have our service department look into it. I've already made them aware of the issue and I've assured them that I'm checking the oil often so that it doesn't run low. We'll see soon how this plays out.

 

I understand where you are coming from, jewc75. If you do not agree with Ford’s or your dealer’s assessment of your vehicle, you can always get a second opinion from a different Ford dealer and go from there, especially if it’s gotten worse since the last visit. If you need me again, just PM me.

Deysha

 

Thank you Deysha.

I will have an update soon, i hope.

 

You're welcome, jewc75.

Deysha

 

Well again today i was told Ford will not do anything until 10k miles. This is normal and until the engine is broken in, it will smoke and use oil. Awesome. Thanks Ford.

 

My car has 1100 miles on it. Oil level new was halfway between the the lines. Now it's about 1/4 above the lower line. I added 1 QT of oil today and brought it to top of the line. $5 for Motorcraft 5W20. Better safe than sorry.

 

Well if your not happy with Ford there are several other brands

 

There you go .

P.s. if you drive your car more "spirited" the engine will break in quicker than 10k

 

I know sir, i know. My choice just comes down to never owning anything with a coyote in it again.