Started burning oil... Normal?

Hello All,

I've read the "oil burning" threads, but I did not get the answers I'm looking for.... My truck is an '05 with approx. 172K. I've meticulously changed the oil every 3-5K miles with 5w30 synthetic oil and have done all of the services one would do to take care of her. I've noticed about 10K miles ago that she has started burning oil (about 1qt every 5k miles) during startup and when I have to accelerate on the highway and sometimes at low to moderate speeds. I'm assuming its the valve seats, but am hoping its not the piston rings and/or valve seats both. I'm assuming this is "normal" for a V6 with this many miles, but my question is, should I be concerned that I will need to rebuild the heads soon or do a complete rebuild from the block up? Would a compression test tell me more information? I've noticed I've lost some power as well. Thank you all for your input in advance.

 

Use some lucas additive in your next change. It will make your oil slightly more viscous, but keeps it from burning.

 

Thanks for the advice fellas. I will try both of your suggestions.