Mobil 1 5W-30, wired oil loss after 4 months

[JoshV5]

Hi, everyone, I switched to Mobil 1 5W-30 on my car (06 Nissan Altima 2.5S) 4 months ago. It was the first time the car used full syn oil. Everything was ok until last Monday, the car won’t be able to start, it dose crank, the battery was ok, but the engine was shaking really bad during and won’t be able to start. After a few hour of messing around, I found there is not enough oil in the engine. So I put in about 1.5qt cheap Supertech(WPP) oil, and everything work again.

But the weirdest part is, after my mechanic checked the car, there is no leak, everything was fine!!!

So, my question is, did the switch cause it? Should I keep using Mobil 1 5W-30 or SuperTech(WPP) Full syn? Or should I switch back to conventional?
I read that SuperTech(WPP) conventional is pretty good can I use that year round in Nebraska?

PS. The car had 150,000+ miles on it
Here is Nebraska, winter is crazy cold and summer is crazy hot...
Now running less then 500 miles every month

Thank you guys very much!

 

[uart]

Hi Josh. You really need to check your dipstick more often. Even if you're only doing 500 miles per month, I'd check it every month anyway.

So you used at least 1.5qt in about 2000 miles. Seems pretty high, but some people do experience higher than normal consumption when they first switch to synthetic. Roughly what rate was it consuming oil previously?

Whatever oil you decide to use, make sure you check the stick more often. After running low on oil just once your engine could be "worse for wear" and oil consumption may have permanently increased.

 

[oilmutt]

i will bet you dollars to donuts you never put the mobil 1 in the car.Shame on you for going 4 months with out the proper oil level.

 

[uart]

One question. Did the 1.5 qts get you back to full on the dip stick. Or was it literally "just" enough to start the car.

It would seem strange that only 1.5 qts below full would be enough to prevent the engine from starting. For most cars 1.5 qts is not much more than the range from "Add" to "F" on the stick. So while 1.5 qts low is not a good thing, it should have still had enough oil left in there to pump around.

So where abouts was the oil showing on the dipstick after the 1.5 qts was added. Was it all the way up to "F" or was it something else.

 

[Clevy]

K. First off I guarantee you didn't properly fill it in the first place. Secondly it's very common to consume some oil when going from conventional to synthetic. In fact even switching brands of synthetic may cause consumption.
However it will curb off. It's due to the syn cleaning off all the old oils anti-wear layer and applying its own,as well as cleaning up the rings and valve seats.
I'm not a Mobil 1 fan however it is good oil.
I suggest changing the oil and filter,put M1 back in it and PAY ATTENTION TO THE DIPSTICK. Like come on man. You need to monitor your vehicles fluids. There is no excuse for this kind of stuff.

 

[JoshV5]

Thx 4 replying.
When I switched to Mobil 1 I did a full oil and filter change, I empty the old oil and put the new Mobil 1 in, it's about 4.5+ qt. After I add the supertech 1.5+ qt, the oil level is just below the upper mark on the dipstick.

 

[uart]

Ok, so that means when it wouldn't start that it still had approximately 3 qts of oil in it. It's good that you caught it before it got any lower, but honestly I wouldn't expect that to prevent it from starting.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: uart
Ok, so that means when it wouldn't start that it still had approximately 3 qts of oil in it. It's good that you caught it before it got any lower, but honestly I wouldn't expect that to prevent it from starting.

I agree. I know my small motors have what's called oil alert and they won't run when low on oil however I didn't know cars were equipped with that feature.
3 quarts is still enough for the engine to run however if you got the rpm up it may drain the sump.
Anyways change the oil,just to be safe and continue with the M1. It's gotten this far,let it finish cleaning your engine and doing its thing. Be sure to monitor it closely.
You can't judge an oil on a single oil change interval. There are too many variables in play,so I suggest running a couple intervals,then decide if you want to try something else.
Jmo.

 

[Pablo]

Originally Posted By: JoshV5
After a few hour of messing around...

What EXACTLY were you doing that took that much time???

I guess it doesn't really matter, but it made me laugh. I have no doubt the M1 is doing some level of cleaning around the rings and lands, and as this occurs oil is naturally consumed. Keep the oil topped up to full and check it more often.