04 Nissan SpecV - M1 EP 5W30 4166mi 6months

[04SpecV]

Last analysis is on the left 4.5mo 3008miles using regular M1 5W30. Latest is on the right 6months, 4166miles.

Last UOA I used fuel power.
No fuel additives no oil additives on this change. OEM filter, same Air filtration.

New is Blackstone. Old was AVlube. No TBN.
Iron 14 11
Chromium 3 1
Lead 1 2
Copper 10 3
Tin 2 0
Aluminum 4 3
Silicon 14 15
Boron 174 172
Sodium 16 6
Potasium 2 2
Calcium 2545 2617
Phos 986 738
Zinc 1086 876
Moly 98 71 Insolubles .3 SUS Visc 60.4 Fuel

old thread

 

[Al]

Good report. The Air filter is hurting you a bit. Do you have the K&N Air Filter? Still good numbers though. For that duration you don't need the EP but if you like the extra comfort level..gofor it

 

[04SpecV]

The first UOA had the OEM box with a Purolator for about 1200miles, then the box was replaced with a POP charger with a K&N. The same K&N is still in use. Other UOAs I've seen from these cars seem to show rather high Si numbers without K&Ns

So whered my copper go? Is it from winter vs summer, the oil, lab variances..

 

[Al]

I don't know why Silicon is higher on these things.

Copper usually goes down as engines break in.

Do you post on b15Sentra.net?? I post as adc100 there.

 

[04SpecV]

Nah I never registered there.

I wonder if I could go a whole year.
Maybe I'll pull sample,change the filter at the 6month point. Of course thats a long ways off from now.

 

[Al]

quote:

---

Originally posted by 04SpecV:
Nah I never registered there.

I wonder if I could go a whole year.
Maybe I'll pull sample,change the filter at the 6month point. Of course thats a long ways off from now.

---

Acouple of years ago that's probably what I would have done. But from a practical standpoint..you would be better off just dumping it. Especially if you wind up replacing the filter at 6 months. Are you using the larger oil filter? Do you have a sample pump to grab a sample?? I live just southeast of Harrrisburg so when the time comes..I have a sample pump and I'll pull a sample if you want.

 

[04SpecV]

I use the OEM 9E000 filters. I bought several filters at once to avoid the dealer. I have a sample pump also.

 

[04SpecV]

 

[Gary Allan]

SIX MONTHS (for later easy search).

 

[04SpecV]

Heres another 6 months 3878miles I couldn't make up my mind, so I just changed the oil.
Newest on the right.

Iron 14 11 9
Chromium 3 1 2
Lead 1 2 1
Copper 10 3 3
Tin 2 0 0
Aluminum 4 3 3
Silicon 14 15 12
Boron 174 172 153
Sodium 16 6 5
Potasium 2 2 1
Calcium 2545 2617 2445
Phos 986 738 717
Zinc 1086 876 806
Moly 98 71 65


Sus @ 210 61.9
Flashpoint 395 Fuel < .5%
Insolubles .2 %
TBN 4.4

 

[Al]

Nice. Obviously you could go further.

 

[Dave H]

If the newest is on the right, looks like you are trending down. How many miles on the car? Could the higher previous numbers have been from break-in?

You probably could safely go farther with the OCI, but I'd change it at 6 months anyways. Reason being, if I'm going to change a filter and take a sample, I'll just change oil, too. Others will have a different take on this, but that's just me. This car also looks like it is driven under the national average of 1000/month. So basing your OCI on time may be wiser than on mileage.

Dave

 

[04SpecV]

The car had 31,756 miles at the time of the sample. I live about 8 miles from work now. The majority of the miles came from when I had a different job. Maybe 18K the first 6months. I cannot remember exactly off the top of my head.

I thought the wear might be higher since this was thru winter(not that we had much of 1). Also had some idling on lunch breaks. I rarely warmed it up other than long enough to clear the windows. It doesn't seem to have affected it tho.

 

[Dave H]

Winter can have an adverse affect as you were suspecting. But it doesn't appear to have had much of one on yours. Numbers look good. If I did my math right, the earliest UOA in your last post (with 14 iron and 10 copper), the oil would have been put in at about 19,000 miles. I guess it's possible that could still be from break-in. And as we all know, Nissans aren't fully broke in until about 100,000 miles

As a fellow Nissan owner ('97 Maxima with a VQ30 and wife's '88 pickup), the 15208-9E000 filters are held in high regard for Maxima owners. They have a nice anti-drainback valve design, and have shown good filtration (through UOA's) on maxima.org. I have noticed with mine that cold starts with certain aftermarket filters are much louder than with the 9E000. So I tend to stick with OEM when possible. And at $5 each, they're not terribly expensive. The Mobil 1-110 is the equivalent to the 15208-9E000 but costs about $12. Filtration is suspected to be a little better based on filtering media composition, but I don't know that as fact proven by UOA.
Also, nissan has come out with a newer filter that fits the VQ30 and VQ35. It's the 15208-6****. People have taken it apart and found it to have cardboard end caps like the Fram. The 9E000 doesn't have this shortfall.

Both of my Nissan vehicles like thicker oils. The Maxima was loud on Mobil 1 5w30, quieter on Castrol GTX, and smooth as silk on GC. Those are listed in order of thin to thick at operating temp. It is a very noticeable difference, and a common observation from Maxima owners who have tried different oils, especially GC. I don't know if the SpecV is the same in this regard, but it may be worth checking some forums on it.

Dave

 

[04SpecV]

I guess all the other spec v owners are hiding - this UOA has some of the lowest #'s of any spec v UOA I've ever seen.

The first sample was thru avlube/ Predictive Maintenance Services so maybe that has something to do with the differences.

The m1 ep is a bit thicker than the regular m1. But I do not really pay much attention to the sounds my engine makes

If I ever get extra money I'll probably be tearing into the engine for Balance shaft removal, and cams.

Next time I will probably try a diff oil, but I want somewhat of a trend first.

 

[Al]

Do you post on b15sentra.net? I have an 01 SE and I found a quart of RedLine improved my oil analysis. If you are strapped for cash, voiding your warranty for the b.s. mod might be a bad idea. This engine isn't the most solid Nissan has ever built to put it mildly.

I'm adc100 over on that board.

 

[LubeOiler]

As A 04 SER owner I say leave the engine stock. They have plenty of power and run great. I just returned from a trip and my SER is great on the road stock. As for the OCI how long have you been running synthetic oil now. I like you watch it very close and haven't went past 7500 miles on a OCI.The GC I have in there now will go 7500 and test so watch for it.Since I don't drive enough highway 5000 seems to be enough with the 6 mo. time frame. Most any of the good oils will give you good results like M1 Amsoil GC or Schaffer.But GC still is my Fav from the oil reports I have seen. I put a new NAPA Gold Air filter in at 26K and use the Pure One NAPA Gold or OEM oil filters.Once a month I run FP 60 in all my cars cause Terry says its good. So from one 2.5 owner to another have fun driving it even if its mostly gridlock.