I have a 2002 Nissan Maxima with a 3.5 liter engine and six speed transmission which I purchased used with 28K miles. I have all the service paper work from the previous owner and can see the dealer changed the oil every 5-6K miles with Pennzoil 5w30. My goal was to have the car running on Mobil 1 at the 30K OCI. For the next 2K miles I watched the oil level to make sure there wasn’t any oil consumption and didn’t notice any measurable change on the dip stick. At 30K I switched to Mobil 1 5w30 with OEM oil filter and installed a new PCV valve. After driving the car for 1300 miles the oil was down .25 of a quart. This trend continued for the next 10K miles. My thought was this engine just doesn’t like this particular oil or synthetic in general. I put Havoline Conventional 5w30 oil back in at 40K and have still noticed some oil consumption, ~ .5 quart in 3k miles. My question to the oil gurus is this, why does my engine continue to consume oil after going back to conventional oil?
Nissan oil consumption question
- Thread starter midnightscarecrow
- Start date
- Status
Thats a good question. My initial thought was that the synthetic was cleanning. I think for this engine your better off with a Xw-40 wt oil, however, I'd consider running a treatment of Auto Rx with what is in their now. Then move to a synthetic oil. *The issue of oil consumption is strange and their are still many cases that pop up on here every now and then that don't make sense to me.
Triple_Se7en
$50 Site Donor 2024
After driving the car for 1300 miles the oil was down .25 of a quart. This trend continued for the next 10K miles.
According to my now deceased math teacher, that computes to 1/2-qt at 2600 & one quart at 5200. Don't know where the 3000 & 6000 come into play here???
According to my now deceased math teacher, that computes to 1/2-qt at 2600 & one quart at 5200. Don't know where the 3000 & 6000 come into play here???
p51,
The Nissan V6 tends to like heavier 30 weight oils. The Mobil 1 5w30 is on the thin side of 30 when measured in centistokes (cST).
Amsoil xW-30 has shown well in used oil analysis. If you are looking for an over the counter oil, Castrol Syntec 0w30 (GC) is a good choice as a heavier 30 weight. I am currently running in my 2k Maxima and have not had any consumption.
As mentioned before the Mobil 1 0w-40 is an option, but it shears down to a 30 weight over time. The GC is almost a 40 weight and does not harm your fuel economy. The GC is also a good candidate for extended intervals of up to 1 year with proper oil analysis.
The Nissan V6 tends to like heavier 30 weight oils. The Mobil 1 5w30 is on the thin side of 30 when measured in centistokes (cST).
Amsoil xW-30 has shown well in used oil analysis. If you are looking for an over the counter oil, Castrol Syntec 0w30 (GC) is a good choice as a heavier 30 weight. I am currently running in my 2k Maxima and have not had any consumption.
As mentioned before the Mobil 1 0w-40 is an option, but it shears down to a 30 weight over time. The GC is almost a 40 weight and does not harm your fuel economy. The GC is also a good candidate for extended intervals of up to 1 year with proper oil analysis.
Try a 25% mix of 15W-50. That will put you up to a higher 30 wt.
Where did you purchase your PCV valve? I have heard stories of oil consumption caused by non-oem PCV valves.
I doubt your OEM PCV valve had a problem, what led you to change it out?
The VQ will use 1 qt of M1 every 4k or 5k miles or so and this is normal, especially for an enthusiast driven stick version
. I'd stay away from a 40 wt. Sounds like your VQ had a real nice long break-in on dino which is just what the doctor ordered. This engine was born to rev. The Max is not a truck. Keep using the "thinnish" M1 and bang on the redline every chance you get. Do not baby it.
P.S. - Put some Redline MT90 in the transaxle with 30k change-outs. Transmission problems are way more prevalent than engine problems in the Max. Keep the throttle body clean using a soft, soft clean cotton cloth with throttle body cleaner. Finally, use only NGK's.
[ March 20, 2005, 01:30 AM: Message edited by: ex_MGB ]
The VQ will use 1 qt of M1 every 4k or 5k miles or so and this is normal, especially for an enthusiast driven stick version
P.S. - Put some Redline MT90 in the transaxle with 30k change-outs. Transmission problems are way more prevalent than engine problems in the Max. Keep the throttle body clean using a soft, soft clean cotton cloth with throttle body cleaner. Finally, use only NGK's.
[ March 20, 2005, 01:30 AM: Message edited by: ex_MGB ]
My 2002 Alty (VQ) gobbles down a qt of Mobil 1 5w30 between oil changes too.
FWIW - My 2000 Max stays at the full mark during a 6000mi OCI using Mobil 1 5w30.
The PCV valve is OEM and I changed it out at 30K as preventive maintenance even though Nissan recommends 60K.
Back to my original question, why I am still consuming oil after switching back to dino? The current consumption of dino does seem to be slower then Mobil 1 5w30. At the next OCI I will try Amsoil ASL 5w30.
Back to my original question, why I am still consuming oil after switching back to dino? The current consumption of dino does seem to be slower then Mobil 1 5w30. At the next OCI I will try Amsoil ASL 5w30.
same thing happened to me, too.
oil consumption with conventional AFTER using syn.oil only once (with no prior Arx or similar).]
In my case I'm pretty sure the "false seals" being removed by the syn.oil., so of course conventional oil also started to "vanish".
It could well be the case with your car, too.
It took a while to get the consumption to almost stop; but it never returned to "zero" consumption...
(Currently using about 0.75 qts per 5-6k miles; but I know my valve covers "weep" a bit, too...so the actual consumption is less than 0.75 qts/5-6k miles)
oil consumption with conventional AFTER using syn.oil only once (with no prior Arx or similar).]
In my case I'm pretty sure the "false seals" being removed by the syn.oil., so of course conventional oil also started to "vanish".
It could well be the case with your car, too.
It took a while to get the consumption to almost stop; but it never returned to "zero" consumption...
(Currently using about 0.75 qts per 5-6k miles; but I know my valve covers "weep" a bit, too...so the actual consumption is less than 0.75 qts/5-6k miles)
p51,
I have used the Amsoil ASL 5w30 in the past and it did not burn off like the Mobil 1 that I used before it. I have not had a problem with Amsoil consumption in my Nissan vehicles.
The ASL is about 10% heavier than the comparable Mobil 1. It is a good oil for the $$$.
I have used the Amsoil ASL 5w30 in the past and it did not burn off like the Mobil 1 that I used before it. I have not had a problem with Amsoil consumption in my Nissan vehicles.
The ASL is about 10% heavier than the comparable Mobil 1. It is a good oil for the $$$.
I've had instances of oil consumption w/ 5w30 on a couple of vehicles, and when I switched over to 10w30 consumption was reduced to virtually nil. You may have to try various oils to get one that works well w/ your vehicle, for your climate zone. I've also used Mobil 1 5w30 w/ 1 qt consumption at 5k miles, and switched to conventional 10w30 and go back to minimal usage.
It's not normal. My original 2.5 did this exact same thing. I used a thicker oil to stop it. Mobil 1 SuperSyn 5w30 use to dissappear on road trips. My new enigne does not do this.quote:
Originally posted by Bamaro:
I have a Nissan with a 2.5 4cyl and on a highway trip with sustained speeds in the 60 - 70 range it will use a quart in 1400 miles. Nissan says that is normal
This may sound silly, but have you tried the Pennzoil again (the stuff it wasn't using before you switched)? Some oils are consumed by some engines and others aren't. However, it's more than just dino vs. synthetic; It's brand to brand of each type.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
- Locked