i just bought my 2000 se 5 spd. 1 1/2 months ago. So far I love it. Since I travel so much I took it in to Jiffy Lube (please don't laugh) for it's first oil change. the guy told me i'd burned a quart and a half of oil and that i should switch to a full synthetic. He asked me about the car history and I told him it was a corporate fleet lease that i'd bought off of a dealer. This is when he started laughing and told me that people beat the hell out of those cars and that i may have to change the rings pretty soon and that i should stay with a full synthetic for the life of the car. The car has only 44k miles on it, i'm having a tough time believing it's burning oil so soon. Has anyone else ran into this problem and if so, is there a cost-effective solution?? Thanks guys!

 

1 1/2 qt down and the dipstick would have been dry. It is within spec to use 1 qt in 3000 miles. There doesnt seem to be a direct correlation between abuse and the ones that use oil. Some do, some dont.

If you're doing 3K changes and arent under harsh conditions, there isnt enough difference between syn and dino for this to be an issue.

In fact, if this car was abused and the oil was not changed regularly, then switching to syn could be dangerous. If there is any sludge, you run a high risk of the syn loosening the sludge from the dino oil and you could clog the filter/oil pump.

If you love your car and your worried about the condition of the engine and rings then get the free kit sent to you from here
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/
spend the $18 and you'll know everything you need to.

 

I think most of us here lose a half to a full quart between oil changes. Doesn't make sense to me but I guess it's normal. My acura never lost oil. I would recommend switching to synthetic though.

 

My 99 was a lease return from a "corporate fleet" but I think it was some college kid driving it back and forth between school and home due to some paperwork and other clues left in the car. Dad leased a car for his kid to drive through his company, I think.... Car has been perfect, though.


Anyhow, I go through about a half to three-quarters of a quart every 3000 miles or so. I attribute most of this to my driving style with the 5spd, though. On the way home around the DC beltway with tons of fools I usually just leave it in 4th at 3000-4000rpm so that I always have smack-down power when needed to close the door on these idiots when they try to fit their cars in spaces that don't exist. When you're off the throttle that can create a lot of negative pressure which will tend to suck oil up into the cylinder. I also use engine braking a lot, which has the same effect. Before I started this commute (local driving, and highway w/o traffic in 5th) I used very little oil. So if you drive like me, that may be part of the "problem" which isn't really a problem. My old 90 Camry 5spd burned about a quart of oil every 3000 miles as well and that thing went 207,000 miles without a problem before we finally sold it. And it's probably still running strong today.


My 2001 Accord V6 never burned a drop, and our 2002 Highlander doesn't burn a drop, either. But those were both automatics, always in the highest gear possible, and no engine braking.


Just keep track of it, and like Tim mentioned, you can learn everything you need to know by getting your oil analyzed.

 

I burn very little oil between 5k mile intervals. The Jiffy Lube guy is on crack, don't listen to him. Did you look at the oil level when you bought it? How did you know it was not low from the get go?

By the way, the only way to accurately check the oil is first thing in the morning before it has been started. Pull your dipstick right after it has been ran and you will see what I mean.

 

great advice all around. thanks. i do drive my max at pretty high rev's (it is a 5spd) on the highway, which may contribute to the problem. is it even possible for a max this new to burn excessive amounts of oil??
Neil

 

Pretty much.

Neil1101: That amount of consumption is well within the noral range. Some VQ engines burn that right out of the box, just listen to the Altima guys b1tch! There's nothing to be concerned about just based on the Jiffy Lube guys comments. If he really knew what he was talking about, he wouldn't be working for $8/hr at Jiffy Lube in the first place.

 

I use a very negligible amount of oil between oil changes. I change my oil around every 4k miles or so using Mobil1 Synthetic.... I currently have just over 46k miles.

 

To make that kind of statement you have to check it yourself under the SAME conditions. I see here two possible inaccuracies: you didn't know how much oil it had in the first place, Jiffy Lube guy didn't let all the oil to come down. Everything is possible but statistically Maxes are not known to burn oil even at much higher mileage. I check oil stick every time I change oil and it is approx at the same level. I haven't bothered to measure how much oil actually comes out.

 

Switch to synthetic, its alot better than conventional. Thing is, if there is a small leak that conventional oil cant get thru, synthetic might. I use Mobil-1 5W-30 full synthetic, try that out......