the head gasket would not be causing the the problem. if you had compression loss it would ether be the valves or it would be the rings on the pistons. if the rings on the pistons are wore out that could cause your engine to burn oil.

 

Tooltime, Best fix is to replace the plug as it is probably to old and hard to seal itself. Next best is to pull the plug clean it up and use a little RTV when you replace it. Those plugs are cheap and available in most help sections.

HellOnWheels, The head gasket is not likely the problem. I agree with moparborn that a compression check is in order to gather enough info to make an intelligent decision. A compression tester is cheap. If you don't know how to use one you need to make friends with some mechanically inclined people like us. LOL
If you have good compression on all cylinders the valve stem seals are probably the problem. My money is on the valve stem seals. If you get a low reading I would do the test again and the second time squirt some oil in the cylinder before the test (1-2 tablespoons will do). This will tend to seal the rings. If the pressure does not rise the valves are suspect. If it does rise the rings are likely the problem. If you use the oil you should expect smoking on the next start up and possibly a fouled plug so once it burns off I would check the plugs and clean if necessary.

 

Thanks for the ideas. I bought the truck because it had low mileage on it. 135000 original kilometers (or 83889 miles). Doesn't that make it unlikely the rings or motor parts would be worn out???

Also, the reason it has low mileage is because the lady I bought it from said she only drove it once a year to take stuff to the dump. So I'm thinking if it sat for very lengthy periods without being driven maybe the seals all dried out. Would that make more sense??? Or is it still possible the engine parts are worn out?

 

it makes sense that when sitting all the oil drips out down off the cylinder walls and it was firing dry when she ran it from time to time. Low mileage is nice, but age is a big factor, especially in Canada with salt/snow, where i am

 

Mileage is generally a factor, but not always....

A 200,000 mile motor could be in better shape than a 40,000 mile motor if it was maintained properly.

Sounds to me like your engine was neglected or abused, or both. Pull the sparkplugs and look at them...it any are full of gunk or goo, that cylinder is bad.

If nothing else, warm the engine up and pull off the oil filler cap...should not be any smoke coming out...if there is, it is from blowby past the rings and you probably need an overhaul.

With all of that crud on top of the valve covers, it might be a good idea to use some engine degreaser so you can see what you have.

My 87 Ram has 146,000 miles, was maintained well, always garaged, and the engine bay is pretty clean just from being taken care of...I would drive it anywhere...no smoke, no blowby, no oil usage...