Oil eater?

[CKyle494]

My 7.3 '00 is really eating oil at the rate of "WOW" just about 6 quarts in 1200 miles :cat. It DOES NOT leak when setting even overnight there is one drop where the intercooler tubes connect up front and that is it. It doesn't smoke, except when I get on it and I am thinking that is from the diesel, I had work done in Boston less than a month ago and now I am thinking that "What the HECK has happened." It has never burned oil. Does any one have a suggestion. They replaced the valve cover gasket and the injector harness along with the IDM, THAT was a porking I took while out of town.....
Thanks to this site for all the help.

 

[gunman41mag]

HI CKYLE, I would check the TURBO, I was at another web-site, and someone else was missing oil, and it was his turbo.

 

[viper5035]

the other possibility is injector orings (at least that is what was wrong with mine when it burned that much oil in a short time

 

[CHPMustang]

Kyle I highly recommend running an oil sample by Blackstone Laboratories for they've saved my engine from possible death back in late 2006 shortly after the ULSD fuel was introduced.

When is your next oil change due up?

 

[CKyle494]

I just had my oil changed again because after 1200 miles it ran like crap and after checking the oil found it at least 5 quarts low. I took it to another Ford dealership and had them change it because I didn't know if the other oil was the right kind or even enough. I will have my mechanic go over it when I get back home from work. Thanks for the tips everyone. Just today I removed the battery tray and the IC boot was very oily on the bottom and just below that on the frame and such it was so oil filled and dirt build up that it was almost a 1/4" thick. This may have something to do with it? I will have the injectors and then the turbo checked. The turbo seems to spool up and work like it should, but then again with 198500 miles who knows.

Thanks everyone

 

[viper5035]

at 198K i would be leaning towards to injector o-rings but its cheaper to have the turbo checked first unless you can do the injectors yourself

 

[Tail_Gunner]

....Just today I removed the battery tray and the IC boot was very oily on the bottom and just below that on the frame and such it was so oil filled and dirt build up that it was almost a 1/4" thick. This may have something to do with it....

A certain amount of oil seepage from the intercooler tubes is normal. It comes from the CCV vent that goes from the top of the driver side valve cover to the underside of the plastic fitting that is in the air intake between the air filter and the turbo. Many of us have done what is refered to as the CCV mod that eliminates that oily residue from getting into the intercooler tubes. When the tubes get all slimey & slick, they like to pop outta the blue connector boots.
Details of the CCV mod can be found easily enough around here with a search.

But it sounds to me like the amount of oil you are describing is excessive for normal CCV discharge. The only other place it could be coming from would be from the turbo. If you have turbo shaft seals and/or bearings going bad, that could easily introduce oil into the intercooler tube and leak from exactly where you described.

I had a similar situation last fall, but my ride was smoking like a biatch from the tailpipe. On closer inspection, I even had raw motor oil dripping from the 5" tip. I pulled the turbo and it was puking oil from the center section out the exhaust side and in-turn, the exhaust system.

If your turbo is indeed leaking that much oil into the intercooler tube and in-turn the intercooler, you may want to see about either cleaning out the inside of the intercooler with some degreaser. Even better yet, just replace it with a intercooler from a 6.0. It's bigger and cools your EGT's more than the OEM intercooler. I upgraded mine and it cost me only about $300 and something. I'm sure a used 6.0 intercooler can be found easy enough for less than half the cost of new.