4.6L info needed?

[rusty ol ranger]

Ive looked online but cant really find a good year range of which 4.6's were prone to oil burning? I think it was 91-94ish but does anyone know? Or are they all prone to it?

 

[Kim]

IIRC, the early non-PI ones were prone to valve seal failure, mostly due to mileage and heat. The later and PI (Performance Improved) ones fared better, but those engines are getting older now too. Install new valve seals and should be good to go for many miles again but reminder that job won't be quite as easy as other engines, especially if it's still in the vehicle.

 

[Twizzler09]

Ive looked online but cant really find a good year range of which 4.6's were prone to oil burning? I think it was 91-94ish but does anyone know? Or are they all prone to it?

Are you referring to the 4.6l V8 modular motors? If I recall correctly, those didn't exist until somewhere around '97.

 

[Snoranger]

Are you referring to the 4.6l V8 modular motors? If I recall correctly, those didn't exist until somewhere around '97.

You mean ‘91.

 

[Twizzler09]

You mean ‘91.

I never saw them in anything older than '97 back when I still worked in a shop.

Huh. Neat.

Edit: 97 was the year they were introduced to the trucks, that's where I got that. Didn't realize they'd been used in a couple car models prior to that. The more you know.

 

[Curious Hound]

My 97 seems to be ok on oil consumption. But I wouldn't call it high mileage yet.

 

[corerftech]

1998 f150, 4.6, 185k.
Oil consumption is virtually nil (max half quart per 5k mile oil change
owned since 71k, proper oil changes, commuter driven.
slick 50 or similar run every 3rd oil change since 100k.

Biggest problem was coke buildup in egr circuits. Complete obstruction. Engine still quiet mechanically, I expect 300k from the engine w/o an issue. Similarly a 2002 5.4 burns 1-1.25 qt per same interval, owned similarly in mileage and at 135k.

2001 Explorer 5.0, 241k, unknown maintenance schedule prior to 237k.
Burns a quart to 1.5 per 5k interval even with Lucas, etc.

My experience with various engines, a direct answer for the OP and a couple of comparisons. My experience with hard driven commercial truck Modular’s since 1997 has been a quart or less per 5-7.5k interval with the 5.4 “always” topping the chart for consumption and the 4.6 “always” being half the consumption of the 5.4.

 

[superj]

my parents had a nice towncar with the 4.6, back in 93/94. it was probably a 92 model and my mom had it all the way till, at least, 99 or 2k and it never used any extra oil. those back air shocks though, they had to go.

 

[Kira]

Friend's '97 F-150 w <70K uses 2 quarts per annum doing nothing but short trips.
His 4.6 has the valve cover mounted ignition coils. I've heard some are coil-on-plug.
Also, he never had a spark plug blow out.

Ha-ha, anybody ever install a Ford cabin air filter kit for that vehicle? You perform surgery on the glove box floor.

 

[wildbill23c]

Ive looked online but cant really find a good year range of which 4.6's were prone to oil burning? I think it was 91-94ish but does anyone know? Or are they all prone to it?

Every engine ever built is prone to oil burning when the owners abuse and neglect them.

My 08 4.6L Explorer don't use any oil, and I change the oil/filter every 3,000 miles...don't skip maintenance and don't follow the 5k+ service intervals and they won't have issues.

 

[nickname23]

Ive looked online but cant really find a good year range of which 4.6's were prone to oil burning? I think it was 91-94ish but does anyone know? Or are they all prone to it?

2010 Ford F150

It's puff the magic dragon design, it burns when it's too hot outside and running for multiple weeks then stops.
Thought I blew a head last summer unrelated, no it was just so hot that the water evaporated out of the old coolant.

Seriously work on the Ranger every week, the 4.6 just collected so much dirt and dust because you really just stare at it

If your not tearing it down to do ring job use the V6 bottle engine restore your next oil change.
Don't use the appropriate sized can you want more high mileage oil than additive, if the problem is minor eventually you can just stop using it and go back to oil.

I've let the oil go to 8k but been using high mileage full synthetic and extended filter.
Doesn't matter what oil though once you get closer to time it eventually starts to eat the oil.

So if your 4.6 is burning only a little it is a minor intermittent issue, up your quality of oil full synthetic can withstand more abuse, if that didn't help try a few changes with the additive no sense in cracking open the engine if it's minor.
Wife's truck so it has a weak lifter also, it's common on 4.6 so ALWAYS let the truck idle from cold for a minute. Big engine.. Changed battery today after 4 years and since I rarely pop the hood I forgot how big it was it's not the type of engine you want to run less oil in ever even the old pushrods you didn't want to they tend to blow very quick if you neglect even a quart.

 

[nickname23]

Friend's '97 F-150 w <70K uses 2 quarts per annum doing nothing but short trips.
His 4.6 has the valve cover mounted ignition coils. I've heard some are coil-on-plug.
Also, he never had a spark plug blow out.

Ha-ha, anybody ever install a Ford cabin air filter kit? You perform surgery on the glove box floor.

Wait your friends truck has a cabin air filter?
That's fancy feast
Most trucks especially in Texas got rid of them I've done that job once in a compact car, it was
What the hell he needs good air for I'm just kidding but they really don't make them easy to service.

 

[Kira]

The '97 F-150 DIDN'T come with a CAF. Ford made a conversion kit whereby you access the airflow by cutting through the glovebox floor.
And, as always, a CAF isn't about passengers' air quality. They're about protecting the AC evaporator.

ps My pal never went for it and now is cleaning the '97 up for sale.