Oil Leak from Head Gasket

[SkunkedAgain]

I've got oil leaking from my head gasket, like a lot of F150 trucks with the 5.4L. I'm losing about 1 quart every 3,000 miles. I'm not excited about paying someone to fix it yet. I'm rarely keen on using additives, but thought I'd ask if anyone has had any luck using things like an oil stabilizer/high mileage oil/synthetic/thicker viscosity to slow down the flow. The smell of leaked oil burning is getting noxious at times.

[Scott K]

I have been using 5w30 in my truck for a couple years, and I rarely have to add oil, unlike when I was using the 5w20 that is recommended.

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks Scott. I used to use 20w50 in my old Mustang as a teenager when the piston rings were shot. It would use 18 quarts of oil roundtrip to Milwaukee. I figured that might be overkill for this situation! Good to hear that the 5w30 might do the trick.

[Jaspernuts]

I also use 5w30 in the summer. I believe the 5.4 was originally designed to run on 5w30 and they switched to 5w20 to meet fuel mileage requirements.