levander

'99 Maxima with 190K miles on it. Haven't been having many problems with it.

Last two times I brought it into Wal-mart to get the oil changed, I definitely waited too long. I usually get it changed every 3,000 miles. This time it was maybe 4,000 miles on it. And the low oil light came on both times before .i brought it in. The light wouldn't stay on. It would like blink on then off, then I'd drive a couple of miles, and it'd blink on and off one or two more times, etc..

At 4,000 miles, it probably wouldn't be long enough for the low oil light to come on. But as is usual with cars this old, it does have a small oil leak.

Well I'm absolutely kicking myself now because I've got a P1320 code and my mechanic has told me it might be expensive because he might have to replace all six coils..

But, was the damage due to letting the oil run low? And is that all the damage that was done?

Is there any at least somewhat definitive test I can ask my mechanic to perform to determine how much damage I did to my engine letting the oil run low?

93SCMax

iTrader: (3)

A P1320 code is due to plugs and coils, either faulty or not OEM. Should have nothing to do with your oil change. Most likely you don't need 6 coils unless you just want to replace them all for safety safe, not worrying about cost.

For the oil change, I'd recommend keeping an extra quart in the trunk and checking the oil level each time you fill up. You shouldn't be so low to trigger the light unless you have a pretty bad leak. If that's the case, correct the leak or keep adding oil as needed.

To summarize, you have two separate issues.

JvG

So you drive an old car and don't look at the dipstick from time to time?

Did you really drive 3000 miles or more without checking the oil?

You should add oil when it is down one quart.

JoshG

Biggest issue is that ur getting ur oil changed at WALMART.. are you crazy. There has been times where Walmart employees put transmission fluid as oil in the engine.. causing it to seize. Also forgetting to refill the oil or put little amounts of oil. These Walmart employees don't know jack sht about cars. Stay away from them and go to a actual oil change company who hire certified technicians that have required training and tests to be in the field...sure it may be a little more bucks but better than having your engine go bye bye and have a $1500-2000 repair if you want to replace the engine or rebuild it.

JvG

If I took my car to an oil change place of any kind, I would check the oil level as soon as possible.
Just to confirm that they put in the right amount.

Keep in mind too that running more than a quart low will put the kind of load intended for 4or 5 quarts on a quart or two of oil. This makes the oil break down faster. That is not good for your engine.

pjgreek

My understanding of the oil light is that it checks oil pressure, not oil level. While low oil level may cause low oil pressure, there may be other reasons that would cause the light to come on.

levander

Okay, thanks guys. Sounds like most of you aren't as alarmed as I was feeling. Although yes, I need to check the oil myself more often. Part of the reason I keep driving my old car is my lifestyle right now, I like having a car I don't care that much about. As soon as this one dies, I'm probably going to spend $30K to get a new one, but this scare is passing and I'm realizing I really don't want to bother with getting a new car right now. Holding on for another year would be much better. And I may hold on longer, we'll see.

@JoshG - they don't just have regular like people who stock the sporting goods shelves work in the oil change place at Wal-mart. They have certificates. I've talked to the guys who work in the Wal-mart local to me, most of them are retired mechanics who still need a little bit of income coming in.

Rit

iTrader: (3)

+ 1

Very few cars have oil level lights, and most all cars have oil pressure lights.

It would be nice if all came with both, but there are a lot of things that would be nice on all cars - such as 700 HP, but it's not gonna happen !

levander

So for various reasons we've been slow walking getting this thing fixed. It's been sitting in my mechanics lot for the last four or five days and I just called him and talked to him about it.

He said he had to change the oil to try to figure out which coil went bad (or something like that, I didn't press for details), And he said the oil is really dirty. Said he can't imagine why it's that dirty if it's only been driven one or two hundred miles since the oil change.. He's gonna drive it around some the rest of this week to see if he can figure out just how dirty the oil is getting.

Also, one thing I didn't mention in the OP. The Walmart oil change guys said they found metal shavings in the oil when they went to change the oil. My mechanic doesn't seem terribly worried about that. But I'm curious if you guys have any opinions.... I've done a couple of searches on this forum, but haven't found anything seemingly definitive yet. Gonna go do a couple more searches now.

JoshG

Ummm... to tell which coil is bad doesn't require an oil change... also Walmart employees are telling you there are metal shavings in the oil..when yet they're Walmart employees that just work at Walmart... they don't know much about cars so I wouldn't listen to them...

I would just say to find a different mechanic and ditch the Walmart Service.. cause I see nothing but leading to no good. But u do what u wanna do.

Br0nz

By the time the oil light comes on it is too late. I'm not saying the car is shot but if the oil pressure is that low that the light comes on, assuming the oil pressure sending unit is good (which it seems to be if it only does it after 3-4k miles) that IS reason for alarm. It means shut the engine right away and add multiple qts. of oil because you must be down at least 2-3.

I had an old geo prism (toyota corolla) and it would burn oil and leak a bit too. I found if i waited for the oil to be down 1qt (which is the low line on the stick) it would consume 2qts between oil changes. If I topped it off 1/4 at a time it would only consume 1 by the time i changed it.

Like JvG said, the lower it goes the more stress is put on the remaining oil.

You have to check it every gas fill up at least until you get a sense of how much it is leaking/burning and how often to change it.

I would check it as soon as they give it back to you at Walmart. No harm in double checking and if they did leave it too low you know its them and it didn't loose 1qt in 500 miles when you remember to check it.

Br0nz

If the coils are related to the oil leak the car should be noticeably down on power, the mechanic should realize that. You would also see blue smoke at startup and under load.

Wait just a minute I glazed right over the injectors leaking!

ok, yes everything is probably related. The fuel leaking diluted the oil and caused more wear to your piston rings. It basically turned your oil into 1-w1 so it did not protect your engine at all.

Did you tell this mechanic about the injector issue? Who changed the injectors did they change the oil too?

You need to have the mechanic do a compression test. UNLESS that is the same mechanic that did the injectors WITHOUT changing the oil and is now BAFFLED at the color of the oil. If that is the case FIND A NEW MECHANIC!

Rit

iTrader: (3)

Agree 100% with the comments, get a new mechanic...and quick, before he trashes your car.

JoshG

There has been plenty of times where Walmart employees don't put enough oil/forget to put oil in/put too much. Sure there has been times where they put the correct amount of oil. But u better be darn lucky to get the right person. It makes zero sense to me why someone would take it there, you are just asking for your engine to be gone.

Br0nz

I just reread all posts and i can't find a mention of the leaky injectors, I'm not sure if someone edited or I misread something? lol

OP did you have a problem with injectors?

Also, coil packs in our maximas don't need to be replaced together. I had a buddy with a Jetta and he replaced 1 coil pack, and ended up needing to replace all of them. The mechanic told him it puts more stress on the one since the resistance is different but that is German engineering and ours are Japanese, different design philosophy.

Rit

iTrader: (3)

The Jetta story sounds like a mechanic who wants to up-sell, but that is just my guess.

Br0nz

No, the coil pack was under warranty from autozone (I think he paid for 1 and changed all 6 actually?) And the mechanic was a friend that owned a shop.

JvG

I'm reviewing some of this thread.

It was mentioned that the basicly,

The guys at Walmart mentoned metal flakes in the oil.

Also that you ran the car so low on oil that the oil PRESSURE light came on.

An oil pump can only pressurize the oil that it can reach in the oil pan. If the oil level is too low, the oil pressure will drop to little or nothing. This causes Bearing Damage. they are the cause if the flakes in the oil. I don't think this was the first time that light came on.

I'm talking connecting rod and main engine bearings. Which could cause throwing a rod for example.

You mentioned that you have a leak. So over time the oil level in the pan goes down. Which is why it is a good idea to check the oil first thing in the morning before starting the car. Our dipstick is not very accurate if the engine has run recently.
It could show a higher oil level than it really has.

I'm concerned that your mechanic is not concerned about the flakes.

My advice to you..... please learn about what the warning lights really mean, and what happens to car parts if those lights are ignored.