[Weggy]

I drive a 2014 F150 FX4 with the 3.5 eco, almost 90k miles. Catch Cans, CAC hole drilled.

I checked my oil which was all over the dipstick. It looked pretty low as best as I could tell so I added about a quart which brought it about halfway up the hash marks as best as I could tell. Even if it sits for a few days the oil seems to be all over the side of the dipstick no matter how many times I wipe and recheck, so I did my best estimation when adding the oil.

After I added some oil, I took it for a ride and somehow, my crankcase must have pressurized because I had my dipstick shoot out of the tube and oil sprayed all around the engine bay. I also noticed a ton of blue/white smoke coming out of the tailpipe and enveloping the truck. It smelled kind of like burning oil, but also like something else with it.

I took it to my dealership and they charged me $300 for an oil change, degrease, and to identify that the vacuum pump and timing cover both have slight oil leaks. They say that they tested it and that it is still making good power with no boost leaks or anything.

So I drove the truck over the weekend and noticed that I am still smoking excessively out of my tail pipe and starting to run rough at idle. It’s hard to get it to replicate, but I notice it at idle after it has warmed up and also when I am under load or accelerating up an incline. My girlfriend drove behind me and said she could smell the same putrid burning smell when I take off.

I took it back to the dealer again to actually investigate the issue and just got the truck back yesterday.

Now the dealer is saying that the right side turbo is making some internal noise when it starts to smoke, recommending a turbo replacement due to turbo seals.

They also said that oil is getting past the CAC, and recommended a new intercooler.

I knew about the CAC because I had the misfire issue pretty bad, and is the reason that I added the catch cans and drilled the hole - both worked very well. (There is some oil dripping from the CAC because oil got in somehow when it pressurized, in my opinion)

I’m stumped by this. It seems like it could be a PCV system issue? I put on the Mishimoto catch cans when I bought the truck in November. They have a check valve so it should have prevented the crankcase from pressurizing. They also seem to be doing a great job and the hoses all look clear. (Cans were filling up every 1500 miles or so)

I lost faith in this dealer after I was told that a slight external leak on the vacuum pump was causing this much smoke out of the exhaust. Now they are just trying to throw parts at it instead of identifying the issue.

Oil level seems to be stable since the oil change was completed after the dipstick blew out. I’m still getting blue smoke from the tailpipe.

This is my first post, but I’ve been lurking the forums for a while and haven’t seen a similar issue. Anyone have thoughts on what it could be?

 

[Weggy]

Could it stem from potentially overfilling with oil? Would high oil pressure cause the dipstick to blow out and oil to end up in the air system?

 

[Mitchf150]

I have a 13 with about 92k miles on it and I have never had to add oil between changes... Never... I check my oil to make sure it's not overfilling, which seems to be the case over the time I've owned this rig, which was since it had 56 miles on it...

I now only put about 5.5 qts in on oil changes.. This puts it in the middle of the hash marks. As I check it over the course of time, it creeps up to the upper range. By then, I change the oil (around 4-5k miles on it)

I don't have a can or a pee hole. All stock as far as engine with the OEM PCV setup.

I notice some black smoke if I get on it while towing... But, have never seen or smelt burning oil..

Just a WAG, but when you said you put an extra qt in when you thought it was low, maybe it overfilled it?? I'd rather be 1/2 qt low than a 1/2-1 qt overfilled....

Anyway, no answer for you I know... Just what I do.

Good luck! Mitch

 

[Arkansas Eco]

I also think you overfilled the oil and it will keep smoking until all the oil gets out of places it shouldn't be. I would continue to drive and monitor the dipstick. If it's truly losing oil at the turbo or anywhere else, the dipstick will show it. Park somewhere level and check the oil before 1st start of the day.

 

[SrpRacing]

Remove the catch can and put the stock pcv lines back on.

Your cans are filling up because of the increased crankcase pressure from the cans.

I would also purchase a new pcv valve as well.

 

[Weggy]

Remove the catch can and put the stock pcv lines back on.

Your cans are filling up because of the increased crankcase pressure from the cans.

I would also purchase a new pcv valve as well.

I removed the cans and put stock hoses back on. hopefully the stock hoses will let it burn off any oil that got into the intake.

I’m going to replace the pcv valve too. I noticed that the current pcv valve is whining and whizzing a little bit. I took it out and noticed that there is some gunk on the engine side of the valve, but it still rattles when I shake it. It’s only a $10 part so might as well get a new one and see if it helps or at least quiets down.

 

[Weggy]

By check valve do you mean the pcv valve? I guess it operates like a check valve. I just ordered a new Ford valve for it. Looks like they have had 2 or 3 revisions, so I just got the newest one. I think it is brown.

The catch can is an air/water separator that helps take moisture out of the pcv system. The water has an oily sheen because it is from blow by from the engine

 

[Weggy]

If it was the head gasket or cylinder head, wouldn’t I be losing coolant and oil continuously?

I’m not loosing coolant. I haven’t seen any oil loss since i had the oil changed. Smoke is only intermittent at idle and present when under load

I’m really starting to think that the pcv valve failed or I overfilled it with oil (or both) and now it is just burning residual oil from the intake.

 

[SrpRacing]

Any check valve in front of the pcv valve changes it’s functionality. I recommend checking out some of the threads regarding catch cans to help clear some confusion.

Oil stick pushing out and oil leaks are signs of excess crankcase pressure.

I would just replace the pcv valve and drive the truck.

Catch cans CAN impede crankcase flow.

 

[Arkansas Eco]

Yes the brown pcv valve is the new correct one.

 

[Weggy]

Just wanted to update the post: I ordered a pcv valve and they got the parts mixed up so I ended up with the black one, I’m also ordering a brown one online.

I replaced the old valve and drove it pretty hard. It seems to have fixed the issues of oil smoking from the tailpipe. It is also remarkably easier to read the dipstick level, I can’t even describe how much it has helped.

I still smell hot/burnt oil on the passenger side under the hood and coming in from the ac vents from time to time. No sign of oil drippage other than what the dealer initially told me. Oil level seems to be stable on the stick.

Could this just be residual oil still burning up from the intake? Or maybe because of the outdated black valve? The dealer also put in Regular oil when I’ve been running Synthetic oil since I got it, could this be why?

Also, is it safe to hook my cans back up and see how they perform with the new valve? I’ll keep the black one in my truck as a spare in case she starts spewing oil again.

Sorry for all the questions. It’s pretty clear that my dealer is awful so I’m trying to figure this out on my own. Next step is to bring it to an independent mechanic, but I want someone who knows these trucks inside and out.

 

[SrpRacing]

The black pcv actually does a better job at controlling oil consumption and is specifically designed for the 11-14. You CAN run the updated pcv if you wanted but even the Ford ECat calls for the black pcv.

It definitely seems like your pcv valve failed and caused boost to pressurize the crankcase and/or the cans were causing insufficient crankcase ventilation.

If I were you I would just leave the cans off for a bit.