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Guest
Anonymous Poster
gfrenzy2@prodigy.net
Mar 12, 2009, 1:33 PM
Post #1 of 5
(2555 views)
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Oil
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I have a 2002 Ford Windstar and though there is no sign of leaking oil, we are losing oil somewhere. We have had an oil change and yet when I checked the oil a bit ago the oil is below the minimum line. This has happened once before.. I don't see oil spurting out while driving (like I have seen happen to other cars)
Any ideas?
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way2old
Veteran
/ Moderator
Mar 12, 2009, 2:30 PM
Post #2 of 5
(2551 views)
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How much oil are you losing? Ford states that 1 quart in 1,000 miles is acceptable usage??????? I don't agree, but that is their stance.
Being way2old is why I need help from younger minds
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Mar 12, 2009, 5:17 PM
Post #3 of 5
(2548 views)
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Guest: May I suggest checking the oil yourself right away after getting an oil change so you know it's truly and properly filled. It's possible to be off (a tad low) from the get go. Just a thought and really glad to hear someone out there really checks their oil now and then!
T
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Guest
Anonymous Poster
gfrenzy2@prodigy.net
Mar 12, 2009, 6:03 PM
Post #4 of 5
(2541 views)
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Thanks for the advice. Yeah, when it happened the first time, we had just had $700 worth of stuff done and they did the fluids as well. Shortly after (like, 2 months) my oil light came on and I was really realy low when I checked it. We added 2 quarts and that was just about 1 month ago and when I checked it today (leaving on a trip from St.Louis to Florida in the morning) it was right at the minimum line. It just seems to be disappearing too quickly. Husband says it could be normal, but I have a sneaky suspicion It is not. All this after JUST spending $2,300 for the 3rd transmission in this darn FORD piece of junk... thanks for the suggestions
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Mar 12, 2009, 7:28 PM
Post #5 of 5
(2536 views)
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Just thoughts + comments:
My guess is this holds ~4.5 qts with new filter so down 2qts is too much. The question is how many miles did it take to use ONE quart? If it's using just one qt in 1,000 or so it will be declared "normal" and you probably could spend 5-6 thousand bucks to reduce it but that makes no sense.
The "check oil" amber warning lights that I know of seem to wait till a roughly 5qt vehicle is about 1.5 qt low till it stays lit. IMO that's still safe for most folks but needs attention real soon. I also suggest to all vehicle owners to really check your own oil and not depend on an oil level sensing device that if failed could ruin your whole engine! The red warnings of low oil pressure is the "way too late" warning and means shut engine down at once as people should be aware.
Also: Checking oil really does matter that vehicle is level and it does take time for all the oil to return to the pan and you'll see that if you check a vehicle after an overnite it will show a tad more than when just shut down even for several minutes sometimes.
The Windstar layout and many other vehicles really pack thing in tight underhood and things get hotter than I care for. That is just plain hard on oil products - including PS fluid and the trans fluid and I'm convinced causes some earlier failures or troubles.
You may want to consider changing the viscosity and type of oil you are using now. I have preferred synthetics for ions myself and despite a lot of rumor about things it's ok to switch back and forth or add any brand of approved oil as needed. It has been noted that changing brands might cause initial higher consumption and then stabilize to a normal routine.
It's a real good thing that you are paying attention to this and there might be no practical thing to do except keep periodic checks and add as needed,
T
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