So the other day, i randomly bumped into oil burning posts on org here again and decided to check my engine oil dipstick. I wasnt expecting to be surprised at all, because i recently had an oil change less than 500 miles ago. So when i pull it out, i was SHOCKED to see engine oil on dipstick below the half mark in between H and L. I mean just less than 500 miles And this dipstick check, i did it in the morning BEFORE starting the car, so the car was sitting all night and in the morning first thing dipstick check.

The car has 61K miles, and the dealership on my last visit had told me , "Sir, its normal for cars to burn oil" I didnt feel like arguing with that fat lady.

So now, today before starting it up in the morning i poured in some engine oil. I went in about 0.8 Quarts of oil, and afterwards when i checked the dipstick, it was showing oil beyond H mark..... I just drove it around the block and now its sitting.


I would like to know if there are any consequences to overfill the engine oil by half to 3/4 of an extra quart ? Or the fact that itll burn off sooner or later will automatically take care of it ?

 

Extra oil creats extra pressure in the crank case and that "could" be bad. It "could" blow out seals and yada yada... but I don't think a half quart would do anything like that.

 

So for future, how should i add the oil to keep up with the required level. I mean dipstick is no brainer, but in my experience Maxima dipsticks are not the best and user friendly. They start with oil on the low side, blank no oil region, then a small oil spot.

Any suggestions ? Im thinking to start carry an oil quart in the trunk. I have never raced this thing and 90% of the time treat it with love under 3K RPM shifting. But then i only had this car for about 6000 miles.

Since its a huge issue, why wont Nissan recall these motors which are burning oil ??? I mean yes its expensive, but why on earth are they making POS quality products after establishing the VQ reliability legacy. They should stand behind it....

 

Two things I always keep in the trunk: 1 quart of Mobil 1 5w30 and an OEM Nissan 2001 MAF. Just in case, haha.

 

Shud i drain some oil out or you guys think ill be okay ?

 

its not that big of a deal...top off when necessary. Nothing is wrong with your car

 

Mine doesn't burn any oil, I've used Motul since the day I had it. Switch to a group 5 synthetic oil and see if it helps at all.

 

The freaking thing depends alot of the leveling of the car; even tiny "off" from the horizontal leveling (both axises) makes a huge difference of the reading. Park the car in contrary position overnight; you'll be surprised...

 

mine is about one fourth to half mark higher than the H level...wtf..

 

i dont know... my dipstick readings have always been consistent.. both my 03 and my 01... but one thing you should know (that im sure you already found out) one quart DOES NOT equal the distance between the H and L on the dipstick.. if it's at the L then put in 1/4 of a quart, and that should fill it to the H mark.. and just use that to fill accordingly

 

Tell me about it. Parked on completely level ground and reading full vs where I normally park and it reads halfway between full and add.

 

i hate my dip stick idk if its just the vq30 but you can never see where the oil is and it drive me insane. i have to wait like an hour so the oil settles and then i can almost read it. other wise it seems like im like over by 30 quarts (aka oil all over the stick)

 

i have a 93 se and have the same problem- reading the level is almost impossible

 

I wonder if doing the next oil change is a good approach to it. I am thinking to drain the oil completely next time (about 2500 miles, so quite sometime), and then note the exact number of quarts that go in.

So on subsequent oil change, i should somehow collect all the drained oil in a marked container and see how much oil have i burned. The only concern i have is:

If my car is burning alot of oil, waiting 3000 miles before changing/adding more oil to level it up is a good idea or not. I mean if it gets low, would that cause damage to engine ?

 

Why would you wait until 3000 miles to add more oil if you are low? Add oil as needed.

 

hassanqadir, I don't think this is a good idea. I myself, check the level every morning (especially after long trip) and if necessary, add accordingly. After the period expires, I know exactly, how much oil I've added.

 

Scott, i would wait full 3000 miles, becuase then i will know that how much oil have i burnt in 3000 miles. I dont even know how much oil is this thing burning, and like agreed in above threads, the dipstick in maxima is not your true sincere friend for estimating....

Just thinkign that if i put in 5 quarts to change oil, when i redo oil after 3000 miles, amount of oil i drain will tell me how much low have i been.

 

NEVER, I repeat NEVER, use the amount drained as an indication of oil consumption. Use the dipstick. Yeah, we all know about the oil smearing on it, just wait about 20 min. for drainback, and be consistant with the time/car attitude. The oil filter and the filter media itself holds more oil than you might realize.

 

point acknowledged ! No waiting for 300 miles till next oil change. 1 Quart goes in the trunk for As Needed base solution.

 

If you burn two quarts in 3000 miles you'd be down two quarts and could cause engine damage if you wait until you change the oil to find out how much you are going through. Just keep track of how much oil you add in between oil changes.

 

'03 SE 59k no oil loss issues, Mobil 1 5w30, 1/2qt of Lucas oil.
my friend has a '04 Altima SE that drops 1-1/2qts per month He uses the same oil and has less miles (45k). The dealer said the same thing to him just normal wear...