New Problem after Switching Oils...

[RayCJ]

NETWizz... First things first... As you are well aware from (presumably) working the computer/networking field, seeing a single glitch just means you need to keep your eye on it. At about 75,000 miles the engine is just now broken in. I always purchase new vehicles and have had many in the past 40 years. I've done 100% of the oil changes on all of them during this time and I've seen how their characteristics change slowly over time. Some seem to never lose oil but we know, that's not possible -what really happens is that fuel dilution makes-up for the oil that is burned. I have seen many, many times when an engine "occasionally" needed a top-off of oil between change intervals. Why some times but not others? I can think of many reasons. But, as many others here have said, this is not a serious issue -especially since it's a one-time observation. If so inclined, get a vacuum pump (or just wait till your next change) drive the car for about 45 minutes, collect a sample and send it for analysis. If there is something seriously wrong, it will show up. Don't freak-out, don't lose faith in your car and don't take any corrective actions until something is warranted... Remember, encountering normal changes is normal in life -how you react to them is what really matters... Ray

 

[Dallas69]

If I read this essay correct,you put in 5 qts and drained out 4.5. 1/2 qt is in your filter. Like others said it is not odd for a little loss after changing brands. Keep an eye on it but it will settle down. With your over thinking things you will fit right in here.

 

[HowAboutThis]

My 2017 Corolla uses about 1/2 qt in 10k miles. My old Civic Si used about a quart every 5-7k. My 2005 Forester uses about 200qts in 7k (slight hyperbole but I swear it feels like I'm always looking for a quart to top up...). A Crosstrek I owned a few years ago used about 1qt in its 7500. Seems fairly typical. If it's a brand new thing just check it weekly on a level surface after sitting overnight. At the next oil change you could switch back or try a heavier weight, like some are saying.

 

[alarmguy]

Go back to Mobil 1 and see if the same thing happens, I doubt it will, you will then have your answer. Will be interesting.

 

[Mainia]

Yea, and my Hyundai Kona AWD 1.6 turbo that I put my foot into makes oil. I am at over 5% dilution (Polaris Labs) @2,000 miles, and gained a 1/2 qt during that time......I wish I had your problem.

 

[Ducked]

Originally Posted by RayCJ

If so inclined, get a vacuum pump (or just wait till your next change) drive the car for about 45 minutes, collect a sample and send it for analysis. If there is something seriously wrong, it will show up.

Well...there are many seriously wrong things that don't show up on an oil analysis...and hardly any of the things that might show up on an oil analysis result in slightly elevated oil consumption. Only thing I can think of is if the OP had fuel dilution before, and he hasn't got any now. OP, I'd take this advice as an invitation to the UOA fan club. Its friendly, but it has hardly anything to do with your non-problem.

 

[edwardh1]

my Toyota dealer always overfills 1/2 quart or more ALWAYS

 

[Oro_O]

My oil usage doubles between Mobil 1 and Pennzoil Plat. Your experience does not sound unusual at all to me. I have switched back to M1.

 

[irv]

Originally Posted by NETWizz

Originally Posted by StevieC

Nice custom ramps. The oil consumption is well within the limits that are considered acceptable. I understand it's alarming and it's really hard to tell what it could be but I would continue running the oil and maybe check your PCV valve and clean it with some non-chlorinated brake cleaner and see if that makes a difference. If not you can try changing back to M1 but they are both really high quality oils and I doubt the oil is the cause for the change. (Just coincidental) Be sure to let us know if you get it figured out. thumbsup.

Thanks. I can post some plans for the ramp extensions. Basically, I boxed in Rhino ramps, so they cannot move, and I used the longest screws possible (without going through) for added strength. Also used construction adhesive. Wood itself is tremendously strong when compressed; hence, the reason I built it this way... it's fairly safe. The oil burn is only alarming because it is different and new to burn any in this car (that I know of); I don't like changes when everything is running prefect. If it starts getting worse in a few more oil changes, I am in big trouble! At any rate, I will see how it fairs this oil change. If it doesn't settle in, I will be going back to Mobil 1. Also, great point on the PCV. I did some checking, and this car has two PCV valves. I can buy both new ones and a set of gaskets OEM for around $45. If I am going to spend the effort to mess with them, I am just going to replace with new, and look up the torque spec etc. before doing the job. I will give it a chance to settle down or try going back to M1 first though. It is also possible this may be normal. The dealer may be over-filling putting in 5 and 1/2 quarts for all I know, so maybe this isn't even new. Also if it doesn't get any worse, I can live with a 1/2 quart loss between oil changes, and I DO check the stick about every 1000 miles. In fact, I set the "other" maintenance reminder for 1,000 miles. It is my reminder to check the dip stick and other fluid levels, vacuum, wash the car, and top up the tires. At any rate, thanks for the heads-up to check the PCV. I did some Internet research and a lot of folks have indicated a bad PCV burns oil.

Originally Posted by MONKEYMAN

I appreciate your attention to detail. Your dealership experience is one reason I change my own oil. Did you actually observe them using the oil you provided? My lack of trust can just imagine the dealer using bulk oil for your car based on their lack of attention to detail you observed. I currently use Pennzoil Platinum and Ultra Platinum with no consumption. I did notice my previous car had more oil consumption with Pennzoil Platinum compared to other oils, so it can happen.

There is no visibility back there to see what they are doing, but I can tell you that the do NOT follow proper torque procedures when they are damaging cars by over-tightening lug nuts - it's insane... makes me wonder how they could ever be trusted to do way more complicated stuff like replace an engine head assembly for example. They actually used to have a window for viewing into the garage, and they covered it with a rack of new tires blocking the view. Then soon there was a mechanic's tool box covering it, and recently they remodeled deleting said window all together as if it was never there... I suspect they don't want customers seeing what they are doing (or not doing). That said, I honestly cannot say they aren't putting in what I provide. Personally, if I were working in a garage, I would put in exactly what the customer provides provided it met the spects in the manual/on the cap. If the customer provided something the wrong SAE viscosity or without the proper API, DEXOS, or whatever... I would immediately page the service advisor to call the customer up and tell them we cannot use their oil and why. Then I would ask if they want to proceed with bulk, buy one of our other offerings, run down and get something else, or cancel the service.

Originally Posted by ammolab

Check your oil 15 min AFTER your 3 min run when you do your change. Pumping oil into the filter may have put you almost 1/2 quart low at the START of your OCI.

I always wait 10 minutes after shutdown before checking even though the book says 15 minutes... At any rate I just checked it at right now (at midnight) because we are BITOG. the car has been sitting level for at least 6 hours turned off.. I pulled the dip stick and wiped it. Re-inserted fully, and withdrew... Here is where it is right now a mere two weeks and a couple hundred miles since the last oil change: Okay, so it's too clean to see the oil, but it's there. Held up to the light, you can see the surface-tension fills the little drilled hole for the "full" mark on the dip stick. It's actually about 3/8" beyond the top drilled hole in the dipstick.

I also really like your ramps! I made a couple wood pieces to lay on the ramp/angle part in order to get my wife's car up a bit higher so her air dam doesn't scrape the Rhino's while driving up. It works but I also have to lay a couple rags under the wood pieces on the ramp so they don't kick out. Are your Rhino ramps permanently attached to those wooden pieces or do they come in and out by just angling the slope part under the wooden part? It looks like you can remove them, which, if you can, I may just build something identical to yours? Storage room/space are my concerns but if the ramps are removable from the wooden pieces you built, then I can work with that. If you could provide details on them, that would be great. As far as your oil consumption goes, I don't have much to add other than to tell you I use PP or PUP in all 3 of our vehicles and oil consumption is a non issue. In my old 87 Chevy Wrangle P/U, I ran Amsoil as my buddy was a dealer/seller and I tried to help/support him but that 305 would burn/use almost a quart in a 1,000 miles. Long story short, and after doing 2 OC's, I switched back to a regular type sny and my oil consumption issues stopped. Imo, I would measure where your oil level is after an oil change and a drive to get it warm/hot, park on level ground and let it sit for a few hours or more (my wife's car takes 3 hours to get an accurate reading where the oil isn't streaky on the dipstick) then check/note the level then repeat exactly that same process a week or 2 later. Good luck.

 

[PimTac]

Wait until the next oil change before confirming that you car is using oil. One interval is not enough to determine this. The shop may have overfilled or the change in brands may have triggered it.

 

[NormanBuntz]

As a fellow Infiniti owner who has a similar VQ engine, I think your concerns are unwarranted. A half quart of consumption is minor, especially following a change in oil brands. Stick with one formula that works for you. Except for two oil changes, I've always used a synthetic blend. The one time I went with QS full synthetic, I also overreacted to a half quart of consumption. Went back to a blend, and almost no consumption. I use a 4,500 mile OCI.

 

[MONKEYMAN]

NETWizz, I am with you. I do not like to see any oil variations or consumption. My last car required 4.5 quarts top off for a 3,750 interval. My first oil change of my 2017 Elantra dealership overfilled by 1/2 quart. Probably not a big deal, but was upsetting. I want that oil level to stay where it is supposed to be. As detailed and caring as you are I have confidence this will be resolved in short order. Take care!

 

[Hall]

I'll bet the dealer was overfilling it slightly so that it never got "too low" during the oil-change interval. The VQ-series engines had some variants that were notorious for burning/leaking oil but staring in '07 with the VQ35<span style="font-weight: bold">HR</span>, they seem to have resolved this. The G37 has a slightly larger version, 3.7L vs 3.5 (so a VQ37HR) and should not burn any oil. I have an '08 G35 (VQ35HR) and at 116k miles, it doesn't appear to burn or leak any oil at all. I run Castrol Edge 0W-40 and am at 5k miles on this interval. I check it every so often, my official reading is only when done in the morning after it's sat overnight, and it's ~1/16" below the 'full' dot. A couple other details: It calls for 5-1/8" quarts but I only put in 5 quarts. I also use a slightly larger filter than spec'd - the Fram filter is 6607 but I use a 7317.

 

[GZRider]

Fellow G37 owner here and as others have stated with a new filter installed, the capacity is 5-1/8th qt's on the VQ37. While you could change the PCV valve as preventative maintenance, 1/2 a qt over a 4k OCI is hardly concerning with these engines, especially if you take the car for some "spirited drives".

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted by Oro_O

My oil usage doubles between Mobil 1 and Pennzoil Plat. Your experience does not sound unusual at all to me. I have switched back to M1.

doubles..... like an extra quart of oil needed every 5,000 instead of 10,000? or you lost 40z instead of 2oz from 5,000 to 10,000? I've lost about 4oz in 10,000 miles in my 4.6 liter F150 running Pennz

 

[Garak]

In addition to the other very useful comments already posted about having patience and the oil filter holding oil, do note that oil jugs aren't filled as "exactly" as we'd like to believe. I've had different levels show up on the dipstick on my G37 immediately after changing the oil, despite adding "exactly" the same amount, at least if I trusted the containers. Clearly, my sump didn't change size from change to change. Keep it between the add and the full, and if it stays there over the oil change interval, you're doing just fine. You may not actually be losing anything measurable at all.

 

[bbhero]

Originally Posted by Garak

In addition to the other very useful comments already posted about having patience and the oil filter holding oil, do note that oil jugs aren't filled as "exactly" as we'd like to believe. I've had different levels show up on the dipstick on my G37 immediately after changing the oil, despite adding "exactly" the same amount, at least if I trusted the containers. Clearly, my sump didn't change size from change to change. Keep it between the add and the full, and if it stays there over the oil change interval, you're doing just fine. You may not actually be losing anything measurable at all.

^^^^^^^^ Very true. I noticed that has after getting my Mobil Super oil score ( I got 8 of them for $18.80) from AAP. There was about a 6-8 ozs difference in one container to another..

 

[Garak]

I had the issue with the Pennzoil 5 quart jugs here and the Delvac 1 as well. I haven't gone through enough of the Shell yet to see what's going on in that regard, but I've also basically stopped worrying about it.

 

[NETWizz]

Thanks folks. I will need to post a thread on my ramp extensions. That said, they are like slippers in that the ramps come out. What I did was measure the width of the ramp and cut a 2x4 (1.5 x 3.5) the same length as the width as a stop for the ramp. Next I took some 3/4" plywood and put a bevel on it (not that any car would have a problem with 3/4"). The width of the plywood is 3" wider than the ramp, and is to keep the ramp from sliding. It basically boxes it in with 1.5" by 1.5" scraps, which are almost half a 2x4. It would probably be enough to use a 1.5" as the stop, but I used a 2x4 because it is anchored better and in no way will it ever rotate! Then I took some 2 x 10" or maybe they are 2" x 12" (I need to check). I got one of them that was only 8' long and cut it in half at 90 degree sections making two 4' sections.. Then I added a roughly 45 bevel to each one, but I recommend you eyeball the ramp and match the blade to that locking it in the same place for each cut . Finally I cut off roughly a third of each one roughly 16" back (just keep everything equal). Then the top pieces were finished and the bottom 2x10 sections are finished on one side. I Then trimmed the remaining sides. I kept the blade beveled such that the car will drive up it easily and it will interface with the ramp well. This leaves the bottom pieces roughly 32" long, which is plenty to lift the car the first 1.5". At any rate, I inserted the ramp and then glued the long piece in flipping it over and putting in screws from the back to hold the long 2x10 in place. 3/4 + 1.5 = 2.25 thickness, so I used 1.75" or 2" screws and construction adhesive making the screws 1/4 to 1/2" from the top. Then I dropped the final 16" piece into place pressing it against the ramp. I anchored it top down with 3" screws because each 2x10 is really 1.5" thick. When done right, the Ramps are fully removable. You line it up in front of the vehicle and eyeball it. Once perfectly placed, I ease the car forward holding the wood down with the wheels on the 32" 2x10" section.. Then I get out of the car, and drop the ramps into place... These are great. They hold my Colorado, Malibu, G37, or a friend's Suburban no problem at all! The cars literally just creeps up them in Drive, and you can feel all three levels, so you know when you are at the top. At that point I press the brakes grabbing the rotors and let it inch forward until it touches the wheel stops on the ramp and stop. Add parking brake, wheel chalks, and still throw some jack stands under though they don't touch anything.

 

[Vstrom]

Originally Posted by madeej11

Why did you stick with that dealership ? I know you were getting free oil changes but that didn't matter because you were supplying the oil. Overtightened oil drain bolts and 300 ft lbs on the lug nuts ! Yikes...

Exactly why we quit using a local Toyota dealership with their 2 yrs free service- went in twice and they screwed something up both times.