I am able to put new rings in but no why would I want to do that after spending all this money on a new car. What has to be done to fix this issue once it has occured. I always owned mid 90s and older and never could adapt to this new stuff makes me realize how much I love my turbo 91 max and 86 300zx.

 

thats why it pays off to to the proper research before buying the car.. if you read the threads you'll find out that there is nothing that really can be done short of changing the rings.. but keep in mind, that this issue isnt with ALL 3.5s

 

I don't understand what you're asking?

I am going to assume you have oil loss problems with the VQ35 and have read that putting in new rings is the wayto fix it. Personally, I just deal with the loss. The cost of replacing the rings (assuming you have a mechanic tear down and rebuild the engine) is far more than the cost of replacing lost oil over 6 years (assuming current oil prices).

 

the title is "ring question on 3.5"
yet i dont see a question

 

Go back to your 91 Max & 86 Z.

 

why not just buy another vq35 with low miles, stick it in, and see if luck turns around?
these engines are dirt-cheap, if i had a problem with oil burning, that's what i would do.

 

I have used this site many times in the past just to find information about my 99 Maxima SE (R.I.P). My 99 was totaled in an accident. I immediately was on the internet scouring around to find an 03 Max SE because I always loved how they looked and wanted a 6-spd tranny.

I paid to have an 03 Maxima SE, 6-speed transferred to the local CarMax. The 03 has 48K miles, and is in excellent condition. Price is $15,500, which seems reasonable given the condition. The only thing now is that after reading all of the information about the 5.5 Generations buring oil, I really don't know if I should go through with buying the car.

I read on a thread that not all 5.5 Gens have this problem with the o-rings, but is there a way that one could tell whether or not the problem exists in five days? I have 5 days to get my money back and will probably pick up the car on Saturday so any information would be very much appreciated.

I cannot search threads, and I have been through 6 pages of threads on the 5th Gen forum and have not found what I am looking for. I also have tried to view threads by many users on here who say they have covered the information that I am looking for and I am not allowed to do that either. I feel like I am stuck. HELP!

 

Is there a VIN # sequence that Nissan knows where the oil burning / o-ring problem was prevelant? I am racking my brain to find an answer here. I really don't want to buy this car if it burns alot of oil. Is it literally a crap shoot?

The 03 Max SE VIN # is JN1DA31D43T509449

Also does the catch-pan act as a partial solution to this problem? Basically I would buy the car if I knew the oil burning problem existed, but on a small scale.

 

I think it is (my '03 doesn't burn oil by the way).
You have to remember that the dis-satisfied owners will ALWAYS scream louder than the satisfied ones.

 

All you can do is take a chance. I have an 03 6 speed and my car doesnt burn a drop of oil. Like it has been said not all 6 speeds burn oil......I am now at 69000 mile and still no problem

 

my 03 doesn't burn oil either..it has been low but after a change I didn't notice much change..I'd also just stick it out rather than fix it if I have/had the problem, putting in some extra oil only costs like $5 each time..or I'd look for a new vq35 but that's still a lot of unnecessary work imo..it's not like the tranny or engine is gonna completely crap out

 

I'd rather wrap it up

 

bada bing!

 

but no, seriousy... you might as wlel just get it if you really like it.. if it burns oil, it's probably gonna be a little bit down the line.. one thing you can do is check to see if you see a certain color smoke coming out of the exhaust (blue maybe?).. also run your finger along the bottom of the tailpipe and see if there's any black stuff.. i'm pretty sure that can also be an indication.. hopefully somebody can back me up on this, but best of luck to ya man.. i would get it... i got one with 49k on it, and i'm happy

 

wyche89,

How much did you pay for yours if you don't mind me asking? Did you purchase any extended warranties? Where did you buy it?

 

i bought mine in lebanon, PA.. the sticker price was 15,000.. i had a trade in with a loan balance that was a few thousand dollars higher than what the car was worth.. so they paid off the loan on my old car, and i got it for 16,000 bottom line... no extended warranty

 

I have heard about running a finger along the inside of the tail-pipe, and to look for an oily residue. Defininitely will be doing that. Anything else that you guys know of? I really appreciate all of the responses. I am feeling better about it now than I was a few hours ago.

 

thats good.. those are the only indications that i know of.. other than that, it's hard to diagnose an oil burning problem unless you have the car for a couple thousand miles

 

ahhh a brand new issue with 3.5s

 

at the end it is up to you.

i took a chance on my car and i am not burning any oil with 245000+ miles.

 

Like nobody knew, what a novel

 

its as if i dont have a 10+ page long thread which talks about all the probable causes and how to fix the problem

 

That thread is worthless since I've seen more pics of your girl doing work on your car more than you

 

there are no pics of her working on my car in that thread

 

Sorry for annoying people for asking questions, but like I said all of these threads that are out there concerning this information either don't work or my profile does not allow me access to search. Anyhow a new question for you guys:

Do I take my chances with a 5th Generation Maxima that may burn oil? The car is a 2003 Maxima SE, 6-speed, 49K miles, Gray, $15,500 from CarMax?

OR

Do I purchase a 2004 Maxima SE, 6-speed, 49K miles, Silver, $15K from a private owner who can be trusted and has properly maintained the car?

Thoughts, advice?

 

it depends on what you want. most people in here would say the 03

 

Objectivity?

I have heard pros and cons of both. And when I list these items I am talking about STOCK only:

04 rides nicer
04 has a more cumbersome gauges
04 is heavier
04 has 20 more HP
03 better gas mileage (probably a wash)


the problem is that the 03 is from CarMax and the 04 is from a private seller who can be trusted. (not that CarMax can't be trusted, but who would you all feel more comfortable with?)

 

6th gens have TERRIBLE build quality especially the first 2 years, dont get it!

 

How so? Care to elaborate?

 

Get a 02' 5.5th gen, which is made in Japan in contradistinction to all 03'+

 

Ive talked to several 6th gen owners when i worked at advance auto parts and i would ask them how they liked their cars and etc. Several of them were former 3rd, 4th, and 5th gen owners. They blatantly said their previous maximas held up better than their 6th gens.

 

And i'm one of them

 

I have a choice between an 03 and an 04.

Could anyone go into more detail about how the 6th Gens are not holding up? Are there noises and squeaks when driving? Are not and bolts falling off? How are the 6th Gens inferior in quality to the earlier models? Is it because they started building the cars in Tennessee instead of Japan? (Not trying to offend anyone).

 

I would suggest running your finger inside some different cars tail pipes to get a base line that your finger we get dirty. Try a Camry or an Accord for comparison don't just stick your finger in a tail pipe of a 5.5 and you see it is dirty and base your decision on not buying the car on that. Check with the service department of a Nissan dealership to see if the car has been dealer serviced or get the sales person at CarMax to get documentation that the car has been serviced. A good salesperson will do that to make a sale and others won't since it involves a few phone calls.

 

Yes

 

Same opinion here

 

Build quality aside, I think the 5th gen cars look a lot better than the 6th gen. I also do not like the harder plastics used in the 6th gen interiors. I'd rather get a newer Altima than a 6th gen Maxima.

However, if you like the styling of both equally, get whichever car checks out best for you.

 

Agreed. It's one fugly car! But don't tell the guys in the 6th gen forum I said that

That aside, the 04 was the first year for the 6th gen and is with any new model year - stay away!

 

04's have 10 more horsepower.. the power difference is minimal... it's nothing you can really feel since the 04 is heavier.. i say go with the 2003.. looks better in my opinion, and from others opinions, it holds up better.. but guess whose opinion is the only one that matters... yours! lol

 

A 2002 Max 6-spd, with 68K has come into the picture now. I love the looks of the 5th generations, but I have some reluctancy with buying one from a place that does not know about the car i.e. CarMax. If I can buy a 5th Gen. from a private party, and obviously someone who has properly maintained the car then I would feel at ease because I would know about any problems moreso than I would if I bought it at CarMax. Do you all agree? Plus I would be able to save some extra $$ buying it private party. I think I am going to go with a 5th Gen and buy it from a reputable private party.