I can pull the plugs at a later time. Ever since I took the cats off, there has been black soot buildup over time inside the exhaust pipes, as for smoke my friend noticed it once (grey smoke) when I floored it but that was with the tune. I haven’t noticed any smoke since then at all. And I’m in Florida so no emissions inspections, and the warranty is a basic power train warranty covers some engine internals (id have to look over it more). And as for the tune it is a Bama tune, I put it back to stock for now. My first oil change was done by me and my dad in my driveway when I noticed only half the oil came out (this was even before the tune and running it without cats). Other oil changes after that were done Valvoline.
Hi,
It’s not unusual after programming a tune that there’s a little period of the EEC acclimating to a new tune, and seeing a bit of soot, compounded when there’s no Cat’s. There’s more fuel added in a tune, washing a bit of oil off the cylinder walls. The rings must be seated well to cylinder walls prior to running synthetic oil types, as the wear factor is very low with those oil types. Your issue is likely with the oil control ring(s), and they cannot be measured with a conventional compression/leak down test. It’s likely that, the valve seals, or a PCV system malfunction.
It’s when you hit it and had noted a bit of white smoke that’s normally the concern, and when idling a tad of smoke noted. I’m sure it’s still burning it- even if it cannot be seen nor smelled. It’s generally best off prior to adding mods to rule out the amount of oil usage (as deemed by Ford, peek in your manual). As you read the articles below, the articles reek of something, and it’s not oil. They’re now seemingly blaming the issues on tunes & cool air intakes, exhaust mods, etc.
Granted, there’s a lot of parts working in harmony within the Coyote motors, but no reason they cannot be made to run reliably..it is, IMO, just another copout. I love Fords, but don’t like them placing $$ over Customers.
As I’d mentioned, the Coyotes have had some issues, when factoring in time between recommended changes, it’s going to use some, no doubt. I’d not wait so long between intervals to change it, but that’s your call. It’s a young motor, and many Mustangs are driven pretty hard, Ford will do anything to get out of TSB’s- more so- Recalls, as I spoke of. Some have issues, some do not. Below is one for the 2011-12 5.0’s, below is for the 2018’s.May give you a “heads up” on that Warranty.
I’d suggest giving a more well known oil a try, checking your basics as I’d mentioned. Keep an close eye on consumption, change at earlier intervals, and then see what occurs.
BTW, BAMA does free data logging and analyzing of the same, it’s free, why not try it?
Just so you’re aware, running Good Cat’s does not pull any power of significance away. Ok, without further A-due..Ford’s words.
Best of luck! Any questions, please feel free to post. I went on IATN & theres too many pages to post on these recalls. This should give you an idea, and I’d look for codes with a code reader, they may be be there without a CEL illumination. Any previous ones you’ve had to clear?
-John
Ford issues TSB to cancel warranties on modded 5.0's.
#1
07-01-2011 04:12 PM
Ford issued a TSB today for F-150 and Mustang vehicles with the 5.0 L V-8 telling dealers to watch for engine modifications.
The TSB includes pictures of pistons damaged by aftermarket tuners, very similar format to the Ecoboost TSB, along with a flow chart indicating when the dealer should cancel the warranty.
The flow chart does show that the failure must have been caused by the modification in order to cancel the warranty, so same as always- just be aware that Ford has provided the dealers with a very specific list (including detailed pictures) of what to look for to find tuned engines.
Here's the text of the TSB (#11-7-7) - note that there are pictures and diagrams in the actual TSB that aren't shown here.
ISSUE:
Some 2011 F-150 and 2011-2012 Mustang vehicles equipped with 5.0L engine may have unauthorized modifications to the powertrain hardware and/or calibration which may result in exceeding component design limits. Such modifications could cause damage to the powertrain and/or void the factory powertrain warranty.
ACTION:
Follow the Service Guidelines.
SERVICE GUIDELINES
Inform owners that the current 5.0L calibrations adjust fuel and spark settings for maximum performance with production hardware, while protecting the engine over a wide range of operating conditions. This includes a knock sensor calibration enabling optimized performance based on fuel grade usage see Owner's Guide for details. Aftermarket hardware and calibrations risk damage to the engine.
Unauthorized calibration modifications may or may not be detectable using standard tools Integrated Diagnostic System (IDS), Portable Diagnostic Software (PDS), NGS+ VCM. Changes can be made to the calibration and flashed to the powertrain control module (PCM) through the on-board diagnostics (OBD) port. Physical modifications to the hardware may or may not be present. If aftermarket power/torque-increasing modifications are suspected, care should be taken to record and store the following items: Permanent diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs), pending DTCs, freeze frame data, mode 6 and mode 9 data. The data should be printed and attached to the repair order for later reference.
The DTCs, freeze frame data, mode 6 and 9 data can be obtained by using the IDS, PDS or NGS+VCM under tool box selection. The powertrain tab will provide the OBD test modes tab and mode 6 and 9 data selection after the vehicle has been identified.
Attempting to increase the engine output via recalibrating the PCM may result in poor drivability, DTCs, or component failures. A partial list of calibration induced component failures is given below: Excessive Cylinder Pressure And Temperature
Piston damage
Spark over-advanced (knock-induced damage)
Insufficient enrichment
Catalyst damage
Increased RPM Limit/Overspeed
Piston damage
Connecting rod damage
Oil pump damage
Catalyst damage
Clutch damage
Knock Sensor Calibration Changes
Piston and/or ring damage due to improper knock control
Hardware Modifications:
The following list contains items that are frequently modified in an effort to increase the engines torque/power output. Modifying these items may, or may not improve the performance, but can lead to drivability issues, DTCs and possibly component failures:
Air induction system (air box, air filter, zip tube)
Super chargers
Nitrous oxide systems
Throttle bodies
Exhaust air path/system
Review Engine Damage:
Common failures associated with unauthorized modifications have included:
DTCs present indicating cylinder misfires (P0300 - P0308)
Cylinder/piston damage resulting in a misfire, low compression, noise
Unusual Clutch wear/damage
Piston damage - light knock (Figure 1)
Piston damage - heavy knock (Figure 2)
Evaluation Guidelines Chart (Figure 3)
Here’s a direct TSB specific to the 2018 5.0’s in the F-150’s....
