Mobil1 burning slightly in 4.6l Mustang

[MaDMaXX]

So this is really just a shot in the dark, but has anyone ever come across M1 synth burning off in their engine?

The car is a 2001 (90k miles) 4.6l V8 Mustang, you can smell it after coming to a stop and turning the engine off.

 

[901Memphis]

I burn a pretty good amount of oil off in my Taurus with the M1 5w30. (126k on engine) I think i add at least a quart per 5k, which is more than i saw using maxlife. We wouldn't be the only people experiencing this with the synthetic oils either.

 

[MaDMaXX]

Do we think this is a synth thing or an M1 thing?

 

[OVERKILL]

If you can smell it coming to a stop, it is probably leaking. I'd go hunting for the leak. May be a valve cover.

 

[easytim]

I use 1 quart of Mobil 1 for every 2000 miles, I'm going to try Pennzoil PLATINUIM and see if it changes any

 

[easytim]

I think it's a M1 thing, time will tell

 

[Y_K]

Originally Posted By: MaDMaXX
Do we think this is a synth thing or an M1 thing?
It is more like a car thing. Some oils may mask it better, depends on many variables.

 

[Boomer]

I have used Mobil 1 5w30 for over 20 years in a variety of vehicles and never had an issue with any of them needing oil in 4-5000 miles. I'd say you have a leak that is putting oil onto an exhaust manifold or some other very hpt engine part.

 

[lyle]

My opinion is that it's a modular trait. You didn't say how much it's using , but all the mod motors seem to use some oil, some quite a bit more than others. My 5.4L uses about a quart every 5k miles, mostly using Amsoil SSO or HDD. I can't say I really smell anything, but I would really gauge consumption based on usage rather than smell.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
If you can smell it coming to a stop, it is probably leaking. I'd go hunting for the leak. May be a valve cover.


Exactly what I was thinking. You might have the start of an oil leak that you are not aware of. My Aerostar uses some oil, and I've been adding TCW3 to it and I don't smell oil coming from the exhaust. You either have a leak or are burning a LOT of oil. OTOH some cars use a little oil, and a simple change of brands can resolve the issue.

 

[daman]

Originally Posted By: easytim
I use 1 quart of Mobil 1 for every 2000 miles, I'm going to try Pennzoil PLATINUIM and see if it changes any

Originally Posted By: Boomer
I have used Mobil 1 5w30 for over 20 years in a variety of vehicles and never had an issue with any of them needing oil in 4-5000 miles. I'd say you have a leak that is putting oil onto an exhaust manifold or some other very hpt engine part.

I agree same here never have to add that much M1, i'd scrap the car if it used that much!!!

 

[Nickdfresh]

Some people might be using the wrong Mobil 1 formulations here...

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Mobil_1_High_Mileage_5w30.aspx

 

[tig1]

If the M1 you are using is 5-30, it is one of the few oils(PP also does) that meets the Honda HTO-6 spec which is for low deposits in the turbo area. Also M1 5-30 has the Corvette 4718M spec which is for high temps.

As Overk1ll said, if you can smell oil fumes outside your car, then most likely you have an oil leak someplace.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Originally Posted By: lyle
My opinion is that it's a modular trait.


I have never heard that being a trait with the modular...I have several [had some over 200K miles] and even have friends with high mileage decommissioned Police Interceptors and they all have zero oil burning issues.

I definitely go along on what tig1 and OVERK1LL said.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
If you can smell it coming to a stop, it is probably leaking. I'd go hunting for the leak. May be a valve cover.


+1.

That's what I was thinking.

For all the problems my Modular powered Mustang had, oil consumption was not one of them.

 

[MaDMaXX]

Yeah, i'm really not sure it's the engine, however, despite owning a few cars that have used a little oil over time between changes, i've never really smelled it outside the car before.

The car gets parked in the same place all the time and i'm not noticing any oil dropping, i've not seen any oil round the top of the motor, but then it's not an easy engine to see tbh.

Oddly i was going to switch to Penzoil Plat or Syntec.

I'm using M1 5w20.


I only started smelling it after an o/r H pipe was fitted (decat) - i'm also smelling over fuelling, but that's because i have a failed injector (awaiting the new ones to be delivered)

If it's sitting there idling, i can't smell oil, i need to do some more testing, but it seems to be after coming to a stop and getting out the car.

Oil burning on something is a good point though, as it would be blowing away whilst driving and maybe not hot enough when idling at startup. Then when driving off it's blowing up to the inlets and you can smell it through the vents.


The exhaust blew at the joint on the downpipe the day after the exhaust fitting, this is when i could smell oil, it came strongly through the vents.
This was fixed the day afterwards and the smell doesn't really come through them anymore.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: lyle
My opinion is that it's a modular trait. You didn't say how much it's using , but all the mod motors seem to use some oil, some quite a bit more than others. My 5.4L uses about a quart every 5k miles, mostly using Amsoil SSO or HDD. I can't say I really smell anything, but I would really gauge consumption based on usage rather than smell.


Interesting. Both our 5.4L's (2000 and 2002) and our 4.6L (2003) don't use any discernible oil.

M1 5w20 in the 4.6L, PC 0w40 in the 2000 5.4L and M1 0w30 in the 2002 currently.

 

[oldmaninsc]

Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE
Originally Posted By: lyle
My opinion is that it's a modular trait.


I have never heard that being a trait with the modular...I have several [had some over 200K miles] and even have friends with high mileage decommissioned Police Interceptors and they all have zero oil burning issues.

I definitely go along on what tig1 and OVERK1LL said.

Dido. My Grand Marquis doesn't use much oil at all. At the most maybe 1/3 quart in 5K - 6K miles.
Some of the older 4.6 with the bad valve seals can burn a fair amount of oil. But those were from the mid 90's IIRC.

 

[cchase]

It seems simple to me. If you can smell burning oil when you walk past the car, oil is dripping onto something hot. I've never seen a vehicle that burns oil through the exhaust that allows you to smell it when the car is turned off.

 

[MaDMaXX]

Well it's possibly just the wind direction.


What do you guys think about something on the PCV causing this?