99 E450 v10 28.3 Eagle I'm mystified

[CharlieD]

I bought it back in Dec. 2015. It had 32,000 miles on it. It had some startup noise in the engine, not leaking plugs or exhaust, A cold cast piston or timing chain rattle that went away after a few seconds, it also had a timing knock at part throttle. Using mid grade or premium stopped most of the timing rattle. I switched to 10w30 and a Mobile 1 oil filter to help the start up knock, did I mention it used around a quart of oil every 1000 miles. OK 11,000 miles later after I switched back to a ford brand oil filter and 5w20 oil, no more startup noise. It also quit burning any oil and doesn't rattle on regular. Could the timing rattle be caused by the 10w30 oil getting past the low tension rings used in these V-10's. It's all I can think of that could cause it.

[che57vy]

These newer engines with tighter tolerance do not like heavier engine oil than recommended.Can do more harm than good. Start up knock could of been filter check valve either leaking or not having one oil drains back in pan when sitting. I remember years ago I had a very old worn out car thought I would start putting bulk oil in engine because it was burning oil it started burning more went to better oil and it slowed burning oil. Just my two cents.

[TWP723]

5W20 Synthetic Blend is the recommended oil for that vehicle. Could be chain slap from low compression. It's a dual chain setup and the noise you heard may be the chains slapping against the guides and tensioners which can dissipate as the engine heats up. Here's Ford's explanation on oil consumption. (especially when towing).


Operation under varying conditions can frequently be misleading. A vehicle that has been run for several thousand miles on short trips or in below-freezing ambient temperatures may have consumed a "normal" amount of oil. However, when checking the engine oil level, it may measure up to the FULL or MAX on the oil level dipstick due to dilution (condensation and fuel) in the engine crankcase. The vehicle might then be driven at high speeds on the highway where the condensation and fuel boil off. The next time the engine oil is checked, it may appear that a liter (quart) of oil was used in about 160 km (100 miles). This perceived 160 km (100 miles) per liter (quart) oil consumption rate causes customer concern even though the actual overall oil consumption rate is about 2,400 km (1,500 miles) per liter (quart).