Excessive Oil Consumption '00 Windstar

Hey everyone,

I'm going to revive an old topic that I still haven't found a solution for. My windstar uses an excessive amount of oil. It has the 3.8l with around 160,000 miles. While I realize thats a lot of miles, the problem just sort of started happening quickly.

For the first few years I drove it, it burned very little, if any, oil. All of the sudden, I'd check it and it would be below the hash marks, or worse, just at the tip of the dipstick. I'd throw two quarts in there because I would only have like 1000 miles since my last oil change. It has been doing this for about a year now.

I've replaced the intake manifold gaskets/bolts that cause the 0171/0174 issues. I've replaced the PCV valve. My car was updated with the correct valve cover before I got it and yet I'm still losing oil. (BTW, it's not leaking or smoking excessively)

When it first started happening, the car started stumbling and I checked the spark plugs. Not surprisingly, 4 of the 6 spark plugs were almost completely bridged by carbon buildup. Put new ones in there and it ran fine. As a check on the oil problem, I pulled those out a few months later and two of the four were back to getting buildup on them (although not bridged yet).

I am thinking about replacing the valve stem seals to see if oil is leaking down that way. Does anyone have any thoughts on this being the problem? Any tips?

I've seen these "air hold" fittings that you screw into the head and use pressurized air to hold the valve up. Anyone ever used on on a Windstar? I'm betting the rear plugs would be murder using that tool. Alternatively, I've heard of people putting rope (or similar substance) into the cylinder hole to stop the valve from dropping all the in. While that certainly sounds plausible, it also sounds irritating.

I look forward to any input you guys may have on possible causes/solutions to this problem. (BTW, my brother has an '03 Windstar with EXACTLY the same problem, so my guess is it's a fairly common issue)

Mark

Just as a gauge, I'd say I'm losing about a quart for every 300-400 miles. I wish I were more accurate with that estimate, but recently my odometer was messed up. I've got it fixed now, so I'll start tracking it.

Hey everyone,

I'm going to revive an old topic that I still haven't found a solution for. My windstar uses an excessive amount of oil. It has the 3.8l with around 160,000 miles. While I realize thats a lot of miles, the problem just sort of started happening quickly.

For the first few years I drove it, it burned very little, if any, oil. All of the sudden, I'd check it and it would be below the hash marks, or worse, just at the tip of the dipstick. I'd throw two quarts in there because I would only have like 1000 miles since my last oil change. It has been doing this for about a year now.

I've replaced the intake manifold gaskets/bolts that cause the 0171/0174 issues. I've replaced the PCV valve. My car was updated with the correct valve cover before I got it and yet I'm still losing oil. (BTW, it's not leaking or smoking excessively)

When it first started happening, the car started stumbling and I checked the spark plugs. Not surprisingly, 4 of the 6 spark plugs were almost completely bridged by carbon buildup. Put new ones in there and it ran fine. As a check on the oil problem, I pulled those out a few months later and two of the four were back to getting buildup on them (although not bridged yet).

I am thinking about replacing the valve stem seals to see if oil is leaking down that way. Does anyone have any thoughts on this being the problem? Any tips?

I've seen these "air hold" fittings that you screw into the head and use pressurized air to hold the valve up. Anyone ever used on on a Windstar? I'm betting the rear plugs would be murder using that tool. Alternatively, I've heard of people putting rope (or similar substance) into the cylinder hole to stop the valve from dropping all the in. While that certainly sounds plausible, it also sounds irritating.

I look forward to any input you guys may have on possible causes/solutions to this problem. (BTW, my brother has an '03 Windstar with EXACTLY the same problem, so my guess is it's a fairly common issue)

Mark

Just as a gauge, I'd say I'm losing about a quart for every 300-400 miles. I wish I were more accurate with that estimate, but recently my odometer was messed up. I've got it fixed now, so I'll start tracking it.

I have to change the valve springs on my 2000 not very hard to do. Just buy a autozone valve spring remover it basically grabs the sides of the spring and forces down the upper cap the secures the valve stem locks. use the rope idea not very hard just cram some in the plug hole and rotate motor ((((( by hand ))))) and it will keep the valves up.

mine loses oil too but at 80K miles and has puddles of oil in the intake and 1 broken valve spring. Not sure if this is related or not.

Have you done a compression test on all cylinders? I would do a dry test and a wet test. ( wet test is squirting a little oil in the cylinder then see if the compression increases) This would tell if you have bad rings or rings lined up.

Have you done a compression test on all cylinders? I would do a dry test and a wet test. ( wet test is squirting a little oil in the cylinder then see if the compression increases) This would tell if you have bad rings or rings lined up.

Actually tried to do one a few months ago. I used to have a compression gauge, but had to sacrifice the hose in an emergency once (don't remember why), so I loaned one from Autozone. Got home and went to screw it into the spark plug hole and it was a HUGE P.O.S. The rubber tube actually rotates independently from the metal threaded part. As soon as the rubber O-ring would make contact, you could not thread it in any tighter because the hose would rotate and the fitting would stay stationary. TERRIBLE DESIGN. Almost everyone of these that I've ever used, the fitting is press fit onto the hose so that you can rotate the hose and screw it in. I never could get a decent fit using it. As soon as I'd crank the engine, it would start making these high pitched noises from the air escaping around the O-ring.

I took the tool back in disgust and told them that they should never even rent that garbage again. I'm sure Mr. $6/hour really relayed that message and they rented it to the next sucker. Honestly, I just haven't gotten back to checking on it since then.

I'll keep you posted.

Mark

Are you using a premium PCV filter?
If compression is bad, the exhaust smoke is blue.

If the valve stem seals are bad consider going with an external PCV valve + filter, so there's a little less oil being burned.

Just for reference, my '99 has never used any oil to any significant degree. I rebuilt the engine at 215k miles ... but it was using less than 1 qt per oil change. Of course, the rebuild put new seals and rings in place ... no rebore, no new pistons. Now at 303k miles, the oil consumption is near nil.

At 160k miles, I would suspect oil being drafted back through the PCV valve ...

Are you using a premium PCV filter?
If compression is bad, the exhaust smoke is blue.

If the valve stem seals are bad consider going with an external PCV valve + filter, so there's a little less oil being burned.

Just curious, but why not just replace the valve stem seals? I've seen the external PCV valve setups, but how would that prevent oil from going past the valve stem seals?

Mark

P.S. The PCV valve is only about 3 months old. I can grab another one and see what happens, I guess.

As a test, you could remove the PVC system ... valve and hoses. Plug the two inlets into the engine intake ... but leave both openings to the engine-proper free and open. This will be a through-back to pre-PVC engine design ... but I think it would run OK.

You would expect some smoke to be vented from the PVC hole ... just how much is the question.

What brand PCV valve are you using?

The ''In car Valve stem seal replacement'' , is alot time and work.
Plastic, rubber, and seals go bad with age + mileage.

I would hate todo all that work, and a Head gasket, or drain pan gasket go's bad!

Consider pulling the Engine, and do a reseal of gaskets, valve stem seals, and freeze plugs on the engine & transmission.

You can also use 3k used oil from the other Auto during oil change to put in van, if oil is getting expensive!
Still keep the regular oil changes in the meantime.

while this might not tell you why you're burning what I'd say is a fair amount of oil, sending a sample to Blackstone labs may shed some light on the health of your motor. It's a simple thing to do, costs very little and may just give you a bigger insight to your van. I did it a while ago and was pretty impressed with what they told me. They'll send you everything you need to do the sample.

What brand PCV valve are you using?

The ''In car Valve stem seal replacement'' , is alot time and work.
Plastic, rubber, and seals go bad with age + mileage.

I would hate todo all that work, and a Head gasket, or drain pan gasket go's bad!

Consider pulling the Engine, and do a reseal of gaskets, valve stem seals, and freeze plugs on the engine & transmission.

You can also use 3k used oil from the other Auto during oil change to put in van, if oil is getting expensive!
Still keep the regular oil changes in the meantime.


Daniel,

I'm lost now. I'm not sure we are talking about the same thing. The valve stem seals are accessible directly from the valve cover. You just have to remove the valve springs and replace the seals. They are rubber. Why are you talking about pulling the engine, freeze plugs, head gaskets, etc.?

The PCV valve is just the standard valve that you get at the auto parts store. I bought it at Autozone. While I may not be an automotive engineer, I'm not sure a "premium" PCV valve is any more effective than a standard model. Especially considering that mine is less than 3 months old.

Frankly, 12 oz.'s suggestion would certainly assist in troubleshooting the PCV valve. (although honestly for the cost, you could just buy a new one) But the fact remains that I've already purchased a new one and had absolutely no change in symptoms. While it's possible that I got a bad one, I am very skeptical that a new one is bad in exactly the same manner as my old one that was years old.

Mark

P.S. NorthernPiper, how much was the test and what exactly did they tell you? I'm just wondering what sort of info you could gain about the health of your engine from an oil test?

I know with a Lincoln Town car, if you don't use Motorcraft it will consume more oil during oil changes.

Pic a OHC V8 with 16 valves / 32 valve keepers, and working around the cam!
Forget about the magnet, and grease on a screw driver.
Use a light drinking straw packed full of grease to hold the keepers during the replacement.

I have done it befor, and 1year later the rear freeze plug went bad.

Using Blackstone is a good idea. I have had several samples analyzed over the last few years ... in fact, I now keep a pre-paid account there for faster turn-around.

As far as replacing valve seals ... it might be something I would do in some situations: But mostly, and especially for a "keeper" car ... I had just as soon remove the heads and get a complete valve job done. Often valve stems and guides are worn too much for good service. Plus the valves and seats are re-fitted ... as well as the cyl tops get cleaned.

well on 3 different tests from Blackstone, I've learned a lot. First off, I think they're about $25 a test. Check the blackstone site and it'll confirm. I just send the sample and my visa card and know it's in that neighborhood dollar-wise. Anyway, while I don't know if it'll offer a ton of info on your particular oil burning situation, it really is like running blood work on your car. (As I'm in the medical field, I'm "pro" test, as they tend to shed light on the various systems within a "body". Soo, take my bias for what its worth.) Anyway, in my particular 3 unique situations, I learned a) that coolant was seeping into my oil (used one of those gasket additives for the coolant and upon resample problem was gone and continues to be despite there were no symptoms on the vehicle), replaced tranny fluid (yes, they test tranny fluid as well as oil) as it was showing large signs of wear on the tranny evidenced by metals within the tranny fluid. Upon retest no signs so I'm considering that a "win"). Third sample said massive wear on piston rings on vehicle that a friend of mine was considering selling now or waiting till next year.. so he sold to dealer on trade in now..)

So, often as with medical tests, it's the comparative test that is helpful. Run a sample to Blackstone, get the results, do what they say, if anything, run another sample 3000 to 5000 km (sorry Canadian!) and see again. I honestly believe on the coolant sample their test saved me a head gasket job on a jeep that I sold just 2 months ago that had 0 problems. The sample that showed coolant was about a year ago.

I just figure that for my $25, anything that can help me avoid, or at least forecast, repairs, is a good thing. Now they will often try to have you run every oil change sample to them which I don't do, but I bet I send every 3 for evaluation.

I'd be interested to hear what others have found.

HTH

p

I know with a Lincoln Town car, if you don't use Motorcraft it will consume more oil during oil changes.

Pic a OHC V8 with 16 valves / 32 valve keepers, and working around the cam!
Forget about the magnet, and grease on a screw driver.
Use a light drinking straw packed full of grease to hold the keepers during the replacement.

I have done it befor, and 1year later the rear freeze plug went bad.

Daniel,

The 3.8L isn't an overhead cam. This engine would actually be very easy to replace the valve stem seals. I suspect that with the parts on hand and changing the valve seals one cylinder at a time, it would take me around 3-4 hours.

While I'm not doubting your freeze plugs went bad, I don't think it had anything to do with your valve seals. Freeze plugs actually very rarely "go bad". They usually do what they are intended to do which is pop out if the antifreeze freezes.

Don't get me wrong!

The idea ''In The car valve stem seal replacement'' is good, you don't need to buy head gaskets, and head bolts.

I like to profile the Age, mileage, condition, befor throwing too much money at.

There was one dude who spent $3.5k for a 50cent freeze plug on a jaguar.

I found a video, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouxbxE-BMNY

I would use a Motorcraft PCV valve.
Some aftermarket PCV valves permit too much flow, and the OEM will be more precise.
Even at full dealer retail, a PCV valve is not expensive.

HOWEVER, I do not think that a aftermarket PCV valve would cause this much consumption.
My '96 3.8L used very little oil at over 229K miles on it, with original valve seals, etc.
Only thing I had done that might impact oil consumption was the lower intake manifold gaskets due to a very slight coolant leak.

I have not seen a lot of posts about valve stem seals or piston rings giving problems in the 3.8L windstar, but it can happen.

I have seen a couple of posts about valve springs breaking, so that would be one thing that I would check.

Also, the cylinders that had the carboned up spark plugs could well point to where the problem is.
If the spark plug is carboned up, maybe those cylinders have a lot of carbon build up in them as well?
Or possible coil pack issue causing a very intermittent lack of spark?.....not enough to trigger the CEL?

I am guessing that you did not put the fancy multi-prong spark plugs in that they display at the auto part stores.
I would stick with the Double Platinum plugs that are OEM specified, under the Motorcraft or Autolite brand.

If you pull the valve covers, I would replace the valve cover gaskets using the Felpro rubber-type gaskets.
The Rock Auto website has quality parts at good prices.
For the rear valve cover use care to avoid "rolling" the valve cover gasket out of place when installing the valve cover.
Of course, the rear valve cover is BEST accessed with the windshield wiper cowl removed.

Well, in preparation for the upcoming freezing weather (and to take advantage of the nice weather we had today), I decided to tackle some of my valve stem seals. Due to time constraints, I decided to tackle the front bank first. Removing the valve cover gaskets was easy.

I decided on the manual method for bringing each cylinder to TDC. I inserted a ratchet extension into the spark plug hole and gently rotated the engine until it lightly made contact with the extension. That is plenty high enough for the valve not to drop into the cylinder. I then just used the rented valve spring compressor to release the tension on the springs and remove the keepers. (NOTE 1: To make the job MUCH easier, I used a very strong but small rare earth magnet that I pilfered from a damaged hard drive.) Pressing down on the spring compressor and placing the magnet near the top of the valve stem cause the valve to lift up and the lifters popped right off on most of the valve stems. Of the 6 on the front, I only had one valve that tried to be difficult. On that one, i just wiggled the valve compressor up front to back (vehicle wise) and the valve finally broke it's suction and released.

I worked one cylinder at a time and each cylinder took me about 45 minutes. Installing the new valve stem seals was easy on some, and a tight fit on others. You have to press them down onto the valve guides all the way. I usually just pressed hard with my hand, but on one of them, I couldn't push it down far enough. On that one, i took a 7/8 socket and hammer and lightly tapped the valve stem seal into place. Worked like a champ.

I'll give you a few of the tips I learned doing the front. On the valve spring compressor tool that I borrowed from AutoZone, the legs that grab the lower part of the spring are fairly thick. When removing the valve spring, I foung that I could only get a decent grab by going about 4 turns down the spring and compressing that. In order to remove the keepers, I had to utilize some downward pressure on the spring and the magnet. When I reinstalled, I reset my compressor and got as big of a grab as I could. This enabled me to compress nearly the entire spring. (I was about 1 1/2 turns off the bottom)

The front bank took me about 2.5 hours start to finish. That was getting the learning curve and all. Hopefully the rear one can wait until the weather warms up a bit. I'd like to at least see a reduction in oil consumption. I'll post pictures that I took later. For now, I'm going to finish my celebratory drink and go to sleep. :) (I do the work, I decide the reward)

Mark

Hey Wiswind,

Would the lower intake manifold gaskets leaking cause oil to be able to get into the engine coolant reservoir? I have been losing oil also
(just like Mark Gober described) in my 2000 Windstar. I did the ISO bolts replacement a year ago and put in a new Motorcraft PCV assembly, but I modified the valve cover baffle instead of replacing it. Should I have replaced it with the new updated valve cover too? I even put an inline separator in the PCV line to catch oil and it does catch some but I think some still gets by it to the intake. Can someone give me some advice on what I need to do to correct this problem?

Hey Wiswind,

....... but I think some (oil) still gets by it to the intake..... on what I need to do to correct this problem?

I'm not Wiswind, forgive my hi-jacking. But what is wrong with oil getting into the intake? .... that's the whole idea behind the PCV system ... piston blow-by and oil mist from the crankcase is directed into the engine intake and burned.

The enviromental guys were tired of engines blowing oil down on the highways and then it being carried off by rainwater into the soil. Thus the PCV systems. My '99 has over 300k miles on it ... sucking oil into the intake all along the way. Just like all my other cars. So what is "this problem"?

I bought the updated valve cover ... but not sure it has had much impact.

12 ounce,

I really don't care if the oil gets into the intake my concern I have is I am losing oil somewhere(about a quart every 1000 miles) and I have seen oil in my coolant reservoir. What do I need to do to remedy this problem? Is it the lower intake gaskets or what is causing the oil to get into the reservoir and my loss of oil?

I'm not Wiswind, forgive my hi-jacking. But what is wrong with oil getting into the intake? .... that's the whole idea behind the PCV system ... piston blow-by and oil mist from the crankcase is directed into the engine intake and burned.

The enviromental guys were tired of engines blowing oil down on the highways and then it being carried off by rainwater into the soil. Thus the PCV systems. My '99 has over 300k miles on it ... sucking oil into the intake all along the way. Just like all my other cars. So what is "this problem"?

I bought the updated valve cover ... but not sure it has had much impact.


The reason for PCV valves is not to suck in oil. It's to suck in unburned fuel that happened to find itself in the valve cover. Now, because oil exists in the valve cover, you will get a very small amount of oil that travels with the vapor. The oil is most likely in vapor form itself.

Our problem (or at least mine) is that I was burning an exorbitant amount of oil. I've replaced the front 6 valve stem seals. I still haven't gotten around to the rear six, but hopefully I will now that the weather has improved. I need to check my oil this weekend to check to see if the front 6 has made a difference.

Mark

....The reason for PCV valves is not to suck in oil. It's to suck in unburned fuel .....

Mark

Well, I maintain that both blow-by gasses and oil was the concern:

"From 1928 until the early 1960s, car and truck petrol engines vented combustion gases directly to the atmosphere through a simple vent tube. Frequently, this consisted of a pipe (the road draft tube) that extended out from the crankcase down to the bottom of the engine compartment. The bottom of the pipe was open to the atmosphere, and was placed such that when the car was in motion a slight vacuum was obtained, helping to extract combustion gases as they collected in the crankcase. The vacuum was satisfied by a vent, typically in the valve or valley cover, creating a constant flow of clean air through the engine's air volume. The oil mist would also be discharged, resulting in an oily film being deposited in the middle of each travel lane on heavily-used roads. The system was not positive though, as gases could travel both ways, or not move at all, depending on conditions. (Most modern diesel engines still use this type of system to dispose of crankcase fumes.)"

Per Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crankcase_ventilation_system

I'm not necessary concerned about the oil being pulled over by the PCV into the intake because I know it is going to do that. My issue like Mark's is I am losing a quart of oil every 1000-1500 miles between oil changes. Also, it looks like I have a brown oily tint in my coolant reservoir that looks like oil. Normally, one would see that when transmission fluid leaks over into the coolant through the radiator but it doesn't look like or smell like transmission fluid it looks and smells like fuel vapor and oil. I'm just trying to find out what I need to do to fix these problems not stop the PCV from pulling out oil from the valve cover.

I'm not necessary concerned about the oil being pulled over by the PCV into the intake because I know it is going to do that. My issue like Mark's is I am losing a quart of oil every 1000-1500 miles between oil changes. Also, it looks like I have a brown oily tint in my coolant reservoir that looks like oil. Normally, one would see that when transmission fluid leaks over into the coolant through the radiator but it doesn't look like or smell like transmission fluid it looks and smells like fuel vapor and oil. I'm just trying to find out what I need to do to fix these problems not stop the PCV from pulling out oil from the valve cover.

I'd replace your antifreeze with nice fresh green stuff and see if it gets brown again. I've seen several Ford's that get that brown tint in the reservoir that don't have blown head gaskets. In about two more weeks, I'm going to change out the other 6 of my valve stem seals. I'm going to check my oil level this weekend and see if the front six slowed the oil leak down at all. I'll post my results.

Mark

On the 3.8, the front cover gasket, the lower intake gasket as well as the head gasket are "opportunities" for cross-talk between coolant and engine oil. I had trouble with a leaky lower intake gasket on the rebuild that I did. So I replaced the gasket again, never seeing the actual leak on the leaky gasket ... it looked sound all over.

To lessen the chances of coolant getting into the oil, I leave the reservoir cap a turn or so loose. Takes a bit of watch to keep up with the coolant ... but it keeps high pressure coolant from moving into the oil ... if there is a leak.

Oil into the coolant, while it can happen, is not so common.
There are a limited number of opportunities for this to happen, as oil at that point would need to be at a higher pressure than the coolant.
I guess that could be when the motor is cool.
Another "oil" type product that could get into the coolant would be ATF, but....again, the ATF flowing through the cooler that is inside the radiator side tank (below the fill cap) is not under any real pressure.....so I would expect coolant into the ATF before the other way around.

PCV, valve stem seals or upper intake manifold gaskets don't seem to offer opportunity for oil INTO the coolant.
I have advised the use of Genuine Motorcraft PCV valves due to the fact that excessive oil being drawn into the intake is a KNOWN issue for the 1999 and newer Windstar.
The "improved" valve cover had an improvement made to the baffel that is over the PCV valve hole to REDUCE the amound of oil that gets drawn into the intake.....
There will STILL be some......and pretty much MUST be in order to have the minimum required flow of contaminated air out of the crankcase.
They need to get the combustion by products out......mosture.....and unburned fuel......that DO (hopefully in small amounts) end up in the crankcase.
There will be a certain amount of VAPORIZED oil in that air that will condense out before it makes it all the way into the cylinders to be burned off.
TOO much oil not only makes a mess.....it causes excessive carbon buildup inside the cyinders.....which has the effect of increasing compression.
Higher compression requires higher octane fuel or retarded ignition timing to avoid pre-ignition......"pinging".
While PCV systems may have reduced polution, they have also increased the life of motor oil and reduced sludge buildup inside the crankcase.

As to the problem of oil in the overflow tank.......of course the first questions I ask of someone who reports the brown sludge in the overflow tank is if they have used a stop-leak product or a product like Redline "water wetter" as these can cause this very symptom.
In the case of the water wetter, it has a anticorrrosion additive....since it is designed to be used in water only systems, and this additive can separate in cold coolant.
Once the coolant warms back up.....it re-mixes, however......it can leave a scum inside the overflow tank.

If one suspects oil in the coolant.....I would be MORE concerned about the possibility of coolant in the oil, which will cause serious ($$$$) damage to the bearings inside the motor.
For this reason, a oil sample should be tested to determine if coolant is present in the oil.
Blackstone Labs will send you a kit for taking a oil sample and mailing it in for testing.
Of course.....if you are using a quart of oil........INTO the cooling system.....you will have more than a deposit in the overflow bottle......you will see a MAJOR increase in the overall level in the cooling system.

Good news on the oil consumption front. I checked my oil level over the weekend and the oil level was still well within the hashed marks. It is still slightly losing oil, but not nearly at the rate it was. (Again, I've only changed the valve stem seals on the front 3 cylinders...I will do the back three soon). I appears that the valve stem seals are, in fact, whats causing my oil consumption woes. I just thought I'd pass it along. I know there have several people who are experiencing similar problems.

Mark

:iceslolan Good news! I found out where the oil crossover is coming from. Took off the lower intake and there it was. The back gasket towards the fire wall towards the passenger side of van was leaking causing the issue. 12 ounce and Wiswind thanks for the advice and help on finding the culprit. Now, I just have to clean up the engine and repair it. Also, going to change the bypass tube on top of lower intake, thermostat and the sparkplugs.

Have one question: Replacing the plugs with Motorcraft plugs the dealer says the engine calls for which are SP486 or AGSF42FM. According to Advance Auto's web site these are single platinum plugs, but I have read on the forum where everyone says use double platinum plugs. What is the part number for the Motorcraft double platinum plugs for Windstar vans or are the SP486 plugs double platinum?

Lastly, what is the best way to get the oil residue out of the coolant system? What type antifreeze should I use?

Thanks

mark_gober,

I have been reviewing your original Jan 2011 question, and the follow-on posts. My 2001 Windstar has similar symptoms to yours. I have purchased the valve seals, and am preparing to replace the old seals this weekend. The forward cylinder bank looks straightforward access-wise, but I was wondering if you ever completed the rear bank, and have any tips for that.

I have removed the windshield cowling before, and plan to do so again. Any insight or tips you can provide would be appreciated.

Thank you

mark_gober,

I have been reviewing your original Jan 2011 question, and the follow-on posts. My 2001 Windstar has similar symptoms to yours. I have purchased the valve seals, and am preparing to replace the old seals this weekend. The forward cylinder bank looks straightforward access-wise, but I was wondering if you ever completed the rear bank, and have any tips for that.

I have removed the windshield cowling before, and plan to do so again. Any insight or tips you can provide would be appreciated.

Thank you

Sorry to have just seen this. My final resolution was to replace the rear head gasket. I probably wouldn't have except for it finally completely blew out on the driver side piston on the rear of the motor. The cylinder had so much antifreeze in it, the engine wouldn't crank. After replacing it, I no longer burn oil... And I'm at 210,000 miles.

Good luck.

Mark

I finally nailed the oil consumption problem.....LOWER INTAKE GASKETS....removed lower intake and rear bank gasket was leaking....as I removed the bolts they had oil and coolant around them...and I think it had an open vacuum in the gasket , sucking oil from the cam/push rod area.....replaced the gasket and NO oil usage and oil stays cleaner longer...suspect maybe crossover was getting combustion /carbon in oil....am happy to fix this problem....