2007 Nissan Quest - High Lead Content in UOA

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Greetings Everyone:

My Blackstone report came back on the wife's van and lead is high. They are saying the bearings are wearing......they commented about it in the report and that can't be good. Is this something I should be alarmed about? What can I do to change it for the better? Is the engine going downhill? I have run Amsoil SS 5W-30 the last two fills along with an Ea oil filter; one year OCI both times. This fill I put Liqui Moly 5W-30, an Ultra filter and a can of the LM Friction Reducer - MoS2.

I am a bit put off by the high lead. My Sentra has 70,xxx and has no issues like the van with lead according to the last UOA. The VQ engine in the van is supposed to be a solid engine - or so I thought.

I also noticed a big difference in TBN from the last sample to this one. This sample had 459 less miles but it looks to be a lot more of the additive pack left.

Please provide any feedback and analysis you might have.

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Silicon is high along with lead, so could be a source of dirt getting into the block directly, rather than through the intake. If it went through the intake, iron, chromium, and aluminum would likely be higher. That's just a theory so check all sources of dirt ingestion.
 
I will have to look. I used to run a K&N a couple of years ago and the silicone was high. The silicone in the UOA was blamed on that, so I switched to a paper air filter. No real change in silicone.

I'll look around the engine bay this weekend and see where dirt could be coming in.
 
maybe stop using additives and see what the uoa's look like?

Or was this the first time of using additive?
 
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Originally Posted By: Rand
maybe stop using additives and see what the uoa's look like?

Or was this the first time of using additive?


No additives have ever been run in the engine until this last fill which is not what the UOA was done on. The UOA is on Amsoil SS 5W-30 with an Ea filter.

Any ideas on why the lead would be up?
 
Originally Posted By: Rand
maybe stop using additives and see what the uoa's look like?

Or was this the first time of using additive?





What does using mos2 have to do with increased lead?

I'd love to hear the cause and effect theory in that one.


Oh. The answer is nothing. One has nothing to do with the other.


OP

A single used oil analysis isn't in any way an accurate way to determine or measure wear.
You have to do a series of them and establish wear treads,then if there is an anomaly when comparing the trends only then can one determine a potential problem.
It could be that this is normal for this particular engine. Without more data it's impossible to say for sure and only speculation.

Need more data.
 
Lead was high on your last UOA as well, and silicon is up. I am willing to bet this has something to do with the lead. Do a UOA after 5K and see where it stands.
 
Clevy - the lead reading back in October of 2013 was 17. This time around it is 31....almost double. Are the bearings wearing prematurely? At what level do I become concerned?

The first sample - where it was 17 - was taken from Amsoil SS that had been in the vehicle almost a year. This latest sample came from a sample the same brand of oil with 317 days. Both OCIs were ~8K. Blackstone is recommending a 5K OCI this time around. My OCIs are getting shorter, not longer.
 
Lead is up but copper is not. It was 7 this time as well as last time. The layers of a bearing go from inside out as a lead / tin mix, then nickel, then a copper / lead mix and finally steel. If the bearings were wearing wouldn't copper and tin be up? Copper was the same in both samples. The tin went down in this sample from 2 to 1.

I don't use any fuel system cleaners or run any octane boosters.
 
Originally Posted By: Clevy
Originally Posted By: Rand
maybe stop using additives and see what the uoa's look like?

Or was this the first time of using additive?

What does using mos2 have to do with increased lead?
I'd love to hear the cause and effect theory in that one.

J. A. Mc Geehan and P. R. Ryason «Million Mile Bearings: Lessons From Diesel Engine Bearing Failure Analysis»
In couple of words:
Significant amount of Mo in API CD/SF oils caused excessive wearing and/or destroying of bronze parts. So new set of tests were added to API CG-4/CH-4 certification procedure.

You can find details yourself. I can't copy/paste the article since read it in another language.
 
VQ's are pretty solid engines, except for some with timing chain issues, catalytic convertors go bad quiet a bit, but the engines are usually pretty solid. That vehicle that your engine is in is a different story though. Everything likes to fall apart on them from engine/trans mounts, control arms, etc.
 
Originally Posted By: Johnny248
VQ's are pretty solid engines, except for some with timing chain issues, catalytic convertors go bad quiet a bit, but the engines are usually pretty solid.

You are right. I had Maxima 2005 with this engine (VQ35DE).
Nissan is strongly recommended to use mineral oil for this engine, and this is written in plain English in user's manual. I made a significant mistake and ignored this recommendation. As a result I had 1.2 quart of oil consumption for each 1000 miles and it kept growing.
BTW, VQs are different as day and night: VQ30 on my another Maxima 2000 have never had any oil related issues.
 
Originally Posted By: LexAtlanta
Please provide any feedback and analysis you might have.


Mobil 1 0w-40 is really an excellent choice for this engine, and you'll be rewarded with smoother/quieter operation and decreased wear.

No additives.
 
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Mobil 1 0w-40 is really an excellent choice for this engine, and you'll be rewarded with smoother/quieter operation and decreased wear.

At least I did not notice anything from your list on my Maxima 2005. Noisy operation, significant consumption.
Just curious: what are your recommendation based on?
 
Originally Posted By: timeau
Nissan is strongly recommended to use mineral oil for this engine, and this is written in plain English in user's manual.


The word "strongly" has never been in any manual I've ever seen. Manufacturers are required to "recommend" whatever fluids are used for EPA certification. That this "recommendation" is interpreted as forbidding synthetic use is wildly irresponsible.

I'm currently servicing my 9th and 10th Nissans and have used synthetic in most of them for hundreds of thousands of miles with no ill effect.
 
Originally Posted By: timeau
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Mobil 1 0w-40 is really an excellent choice for this engine, and you'll be rewarded with smoother/quieter operation and decreased wear.

At least I did not notice anything from your list on my Maxima 2005. Noisy operation, significant consumption.
Just curious: what are your recommendation based on?


Here's something local & recent: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3447381/1

58 pages of relevant discussion & results: http://my350z.com/forum/engine-and-drivetrain/258663-vq-oil-analysis-and-info.html
 
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