I double-checked my dipstick today, and oddly - i made a mistake: I've only burned 1.5qts in 4400 miles.
Why is this relevant?
Well - for the moment, my consumption has slowed just slightly - but then I remembered that at last OCI I accidentally used Mobil1 HIGH MILEAGE 10w-30.
Hmmmm....interesting.
I bought more today. Maybe it's just a fluke - but this is the first time my consumption hasn't increased, and has actually decreasedbetween OCI's.

Oh - and I pulled the spark plugs today: front bank was fine. #5 in the rear bank was covered, and so was the spark-plug boot from the coil down to the plug.
The dealer's going to get an ear-full about that one tomorrow.

gr

 

There you go you had fixed yourself your oil consumption

 

Well - i doubt THAT...but I can ALMOST live with 1.5qts every 5k miles. It's sad, but I'm to the point of either selling the car or driving into oblivion....where's my crystal ball when I need it?!

I'll keep you guys posted.....

 

I'm under 60K and burn about 2 quarts every 5,000 miles, but I'm reluctant to let Nissan touch my car, warranty or not, especially since the valve covers and PCV are easy enough to do myself. I even have an extended warranty to 100k, which is going to waste, because I've had zero issues (except for the Bose) until this. I've switched to Castrol GTX and will await the next oil change to see how that changes consumption.

 

1.5qts every 5k miles? thats not bad at all...I dont see what the big deal is with that rate and why you would want to sell the car

every car consumes a bit of oil and 1.5 in 5k miles should definitely be acceptable

 

Last two OCI's, I've been VERy tempted to switch to Syntec Blend...it's marginally cheaper than the M1 - but since I've noticed a slow-down with the high-mileage version, I'll keep going with it for now.
Keep us posted PMaster.....
gr

 

I will... I'm actually off to Fedex now to send my most recently drained M1 syn to Blackstone... I know many of you will want to know the outcome of that. I foresee lots of chromium .

 

B/c in the past year my consumption has been as high as 2.5 qts. in 5k miles -- and I don't Really see it getting lower, since it's ONLY increased since I bought the car!
I'm more worried about the cats, the maf, the coils, the o2 sensors, and everything ELSE that all this Blow-By will mess-up.
--let alone the damn engine grenading b4 I hit 100k miles!--

My car sucks-down oil twice as fast when i drive on the highway for ext. intervals - but I don't drive on the hwy that often.

 

F@$K the Stealership, take it to a regular mechanic for a diagnosis.

 

yeah, cause someone else will know what to do

and way to follow the rules
* Do not post profanity. We have word filters in place for the most vulgar terms. Circumventing the word filters will result in punitive action.

 

Interesting trip to the stealer....
I have to say - THIS dealer is at LEAST working with me.
They're scheduling a meeting with me, them, and the new Regional Svc. Mgr. to see what comes next.
I told them I want a compression test, and bag this subjective b.s. Oil Consumption crap that isn't proving ANYTHING except that I am still losing oil.

Mech checked #5 Plug, and noted the oil saturation - recommended replacing the valve cover....now we'll just SEE if Nissan will agree to it under PT warranty.
At the VERY LEAST I am going to get an extended warranty out of them, but I'm still shooting for a new motor.
I don't CARE if the new one burns oil too....at least I'll be able to SELL the car knowing that it has a fighting chance at a making it to 100k!

Also - the Mech made a point of bringing me back to the svc. bay to show me that Oil was seeping past the PCV and into the manifold. I couldn't figure-out why he made a note of this, and WITH the svc. mgr present?
In fact, he didn't even know that the PCV WAS where it was, or that it was able to be replaced without removing the entire valve cover.
i thought this was weird - but didn't make a big deal out of it.
What THIS told me, is that my PCV IS WORKING PROPERLY...so nothing lost there.

No luck on diagnosing bad motor mounts, but I don't think THIS mech knew anything about how to do it. I let it go - not part of my bigger agenda.

Again - I'll keep you all posted on my meeting with Nissan Svc. mgr.
HOPEFULLY I can get them to do SOMETHING!!

gr

 

you need a compression and leak-down test

 

Thanks sooner - I'll push for both.
The mech kept telling me my car was the nicest 02 he'd ever seen, in terms of the condition it was in.
LIke I said - the DEALER is on my side....now hopefully they'll go to bat for me with NNA.
The Reg. Svc Mgr is BRAND NEW, so I'm not sure if that's going to help, or hurt me.

gr

 

i always get told the same thing
too bad its only nice on the outside!!

 

we were literally standing UNDERNEATH the car while he said that....

gr

 

when my motor was low on oil i went to the dealer, first they told me i am just a quart of a quart low (when i checked at my house my dip stick was at the tip)they said they did the same test as they use for 2.5 altima engine, and they told me i dont know how to use the dip stick, so they put the red stuff on the dip stick, drain plug etc and told me to come back in 1500 miles and my car will be perfect
so i went in, and made them check the oil infront of me, and the dip stick was dry succer burned alot of oil, cattman tips had like half an inch of black carbon built up
then they ordered the new motor for me and put it in @ 60K miles

 

Got my UOA back from Blackstone:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=557100

Cliffs: for my car at least, the rings are fine, but bearings are contributing to high iron and lead content.

I'll be posting it on BITOG too, and will post those comments back here when I have enough of them.

 

Is that the bearings on the crank??
--my car knowledge gets a little hazy the deeper into the engine I get--
I forget how many miles you have PM....is this normal?

I doubt I'll be going to the trouble and expense of oil analysis on this car -- but maybe on my next one.
...god knows, it won't be another Maxima...

gr

 

Good point. I don't know for sure either and should probably clarify with them, but I'm guessing main bearings and/or rod bearings.

Sorry to hear that you hate your Maxima now.

 

I don't hate my maxima....I just hate Nissan, and how they treat me.
Why can't I get a new engine as easy as the last guy who posted....

gr

 

Gotcha, understandable. I've chosen to live with it. I like this car for what it is and will continue to flog it for as long as I have it. Even if I have to top the oil off every 2500 miles.

In fact, other than the Bose cd player, this is the only issue I have with it (I'm on original coils, MAF, brakes, O2s, everything). Like I mentioned to you before, Nissan hasn't touched my car since the 30K mark and probably never will, even if I blow the motor up.

 

I had to add a half quart now that I am 1800 miles from the last oil change. I can live with that, actually reasonable for 122,500 miles on the engine.

 

I had to add 1 quart after 5k 101k

 

F you

 

Btw, from the feedback I've seen, most of my poor UOA results have been attributed to my not keeping the oil level up enough, the M1 5W30, and to a lesser degree my K&N air filter, which we all know is not as effective as a good paper filter.

I will first see how the consumption is with the Castrol GTX, then change the valve covers and PCV.

For those interested, links to other feedback here:

http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...84&postcount=4

 

You folks that are losing oil need to perform a leakdown test! And check your intake tube/box for oil puddling! I have a friend in Louisiana with a 3.5 Altima with a high oil consumption! I don't know if it's his rings or his valves but I would bet, it's those valve stem seals and they're hard and crackly! Today's engines run extremely leaner than engines ever have in order to obtain decent fuel mileage. So I would suspect those valve stem seals first! Leakdown tester will tell you everything! I hope yall broke you engines in properly when you first bought them. Also hope you're using a decent brand motor oil mineral or synthetic. My Maxima has almost 80K and it doesn't use a drop of oil...I run 10w40 Royal Purple synthetic motor oil, and run 4000-5000 mi between oil chgs

 

this has all been determined....its bad rings

 

After six months of being ignored by Nissan, i FINALLY got a call back from a reg. c/s rep three weeks ago.
They apologized profusely, and admitted that the prev. rep. was fired for incompetence, yadda-yadda.
For my troubles, they OFFERED me a $200 service credit. I refused, and reminded them of my ORIGINAL issue with the Oil Consumption. A week later they offered me a free warranty extension of 12k miles or one year.
Again, I resisted.
I had many heated conversations with the new c/s rep - and finally she admitted to me, that it was INDEED the dealership that had to bring my case to the Nissan WARRANTY DEPARTMENT.
So, I talked to my local Svc. Mgr today -- and WHOA! Surprise, he is now denying that in the past 6 months+ of me going to his dealership for SPECIFIC OIL CONSUMPTION ANALYSIS, that those test never happened!! And futhermore, we need to start the process ALL-OVER, because I never made it clear to him that THAT is what we were doing.
If it weren't expected, it would be comical. This has gone from simple conspiracy to FULL-BLOWN Cover-up!! From the Dealer on up the chain - I simply am in AWE of the crap these b.s. artists are feeding me.

I even have WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION to PROVE that each dealer (2) has been performing these tests, and why. I simply am astounded that this type of lunacy can be possible!!

I am ashamed to say - that I am NOT DONE with this. Today, I accepted the warranty extension from Nissan, and I am going to the dealer today to have them take a reading on my oil, and driving 1000 miles this weekend to go back next week for another reading....never mind that gas is pushing $4.00gal!
The dealer is SAYING that he WILL perform a leakdown and compression test for me (under warranty) and take this to Nissan to try and make a case.
At this point - I don't belIEVE ANYTHING ANYONE tells me....but i WILL go thru the motions a few more times.
I KNOW, in the end, that Nissan will pull some subjective crap on me like they did with Sooner -- but I am determined to see this to the end!

I cannot stress enough - that I will NEVER-EVER buy another Nissan Vehicle, if they don't make this right! -- and given the b.s. i've had to endure over this issue, I'm relatively certain I don't EVER want to deal with Nissan again anyway, even if they do come-thru with a new engine or the like.

I feel like an impotent ***** for not being able to take this situation any higher - but aside from wasting time and money on a futile lawsuit....what else can I do?!?! I have talked to managers, written a letter or two, and even contacted the state's attorney office to register a complaint -- all for nothing.
I can do two things now: I can drive this pig until it drops, or I can sell it and salvage $10k towards a newer car.
I don't hate this car -- I just HATE the way Nissan has treated me, and CONTINUES to treat me. It IS truly UNBELIEVABLE!! How hard is it to admit to ONE customer, that their fukking 3.5L engine has an oil consumption issue and warranty it?!?!?

Again - what is the difference between me and the guys who walk-in to their dealer and get a new engine without trying???? I'll never know....but I also know the only way to express my displeasure, is to tell others how they've mistreated me, and to never buy their products again. And sadly -- if I had been treated like I SHOULD have been....I probably would have continued to buy Nissan Vehicles.
Nice Job Nissan.

gr

 

i wouldnt go that far

 

why not? I have unequivocal proof that two dealerships have now lied about the status of my car!?
I don't think they're after ME specifically...but it's like they just keep going in circles trying to make me go-away.

Frankly - I don't even believe that the dealer will provide me with statistical PROOF that they've performed the compression or leak-down tests!

--Sooner-- do they have a "machine" that gives a print-out of the compression results?? I doubt it...but I'm trying to get them to PROVE to me and SHOW me the results of either test.
I'm thinking they'll just SAY they did it, and not show proof if I'm not standing in the service bay watching them.

gr

 

Okay here it is:

Had the rear valve cover, seal, and PCV replaced under warranty today.
#'s 3 & 5 Plugs had oil in the "stems".
Had a good look at the valves, intake manifold, cams, etc - and everything looked good -- no excessive oil pooling, or sludge in the plenum.

COmpression test was done on all six cylinders, and from the Nissan FSM, 185psi, is GOOD ie: at the TOP end of Spec. >> all six of mine pusched 175psi cold.
Mech said it would likely achieve the spec 185psi at operating temp.

So, i was VERY pleased!
And, yes - I sat and watched the mech do the WHOLE job, including the compression test.

My oil consumption in the last 5k miles has LITERALLY been cut in half, and the ONLY thing I can reasonably attribute it to, is the last two OCI's - I used Mobil1 HIgh Mileage Formula.
I don't necessarily think that this is the actual reason for the slow-down in my oil consumption....but I have NO idea what else could have caused my consumption to slow and literally reverse itself!!

So, for Now - I am relatively satisfied that my Engine is in Good Working order, and should survive another 60k+ miles under my ownership.
My mech and another BOTH commented that mine was the cleanest and best maintained Max they'd ever seen in the shop....and the mech said the engine looked well-maintained.
Don't know if I'll continue to use M1, but I think I most likely WILL, and I will continue to use the HIGH MILEAGE formula. Why NOT?!?!
I don't mind dumping a little more oil in the engine between OCI's, as long as I know the engine is working properly.


gr

 

glad it wasnt bad rings like the rest of us

 

YEah - small miracles, eh?

I'm a bit concerned that my LACK of relative oil consumption during this OCI COULD have been the PCV not working. But I had replaced it less than 20k ago.
Could THAT have slowed consumption?? It would seem to stand to reason, if it was blocked or stuck closed....dunno.

Again - time will tell. Even then - I don't mind dumping oil in it, as long as I know the motor isn't gummed-up, and my rings aren't bad.

i feel pretty lucky - for a change.

gr

 

there's no brand loyalty with Lexus either, I battled them on a lemon law problem over a year and they couldn't even replace my ES330 with a unrepairable alignment problem and the case settled for $4200, which doesn't even cover the depreciation loss and I've still got to deal with the lemon vehicle myself so screw Lexus, there are defects in all kinds of products and most people are fooled by fake reputation.

 

he did say he bought it used and Lemon law is mostly for brand new vehicles and if you have the money to donate for legal fees, I'm suffering the same problem too with oil in #5 cylinder and now dripping down the engine block after changing the spark plugs, give it to me and I will hire the lawyer

 

Took my Max in to the Nissan dealer for an oil change. I only drove 2,000 miles in 3 months and wanted to change it. I had them measure all the oil they drained. The tech told me the oil had a burnt smell to it and had only 2 quarts in it. The dealer suggested running 20w/50 for the summer time and bring it back in 1,000 miles to see if there is any change. Had the oil changed to 20w/50 and no cold start rattle. I'll post on the 1,000 mile checkup

 

sold the car...no longer my problem

 

Great update..

My car burns oil.. I don't really see the problem. I just add oil.

 

Craig, how much is it burning between oil changes?

 

OK...I've been reading these posts since I bought my recent 03 SE 6SPD. I'm new to the org, but I'm a seasoned Max vet with 5 under my belt. Currently I own an 07 SE that I bought in January of 08; it has the infamous Timing Chain Tensioner problem and is currently at my local dealer with $1,000.00 in parts in the back seat (Courtesy of Courtesy Nissan!). Now, this 03 that I've had for a little over a month now has the infamous rattle and is an oil burner. I owned an 03 before I bought the 07 and it had a slight rattle in it as well. But this 03 IS BEGINNING TO BE A PROBLEM. I changed the oil after I bought it at 95,800 using Mobil 1 FS High Mileage 10w30. Well, I had to change it again at 102k miles and some change. Oh and in between I had to add 2 quarts of oil. This is ridiculous. My first car was a 90 SE...didn't burn a d@#^ drop of oil. My next car was a 98 SE 6 speed, it didn't burn oil like it wasn't oil in it. It was bulletproof. My 03 wasn't bad either. The 07 I'm not going to comment about. But this 03 is giving me hell! IDK what to do either.

I have no mods on it, YET. Ive changed the plugs, belts, tranny fluid has been changed too.

I think I'm going to put this car out there to be sold and be done with it.