Hi to all, this is my first post so bare with me. I just picked up my new 2002 SE Majestic Blue 6-SPEED on Friday . My dealer called me up as it was being downloaded of the truck. I ordered it back in October and it was supposed to be in on December 7, but luckily it came a week early. The options that i got with the car are Sunroof, Leather, Bose, 4 Splash Guards, Floor mats. When i picked up the car it only had 5 miles on it, so my question for you guys is how high of an RPM can i go for the first 1,000 miles and should i change the oil early or wait till schedule change.

 

welcome

 

Follow the manual

I think you need to take it easy for the first 1000 miles and you don't need to get the oil changed early (this is a thing of the past). Just follow the recommended maintenance schedule and whatever the book says for break-in

And welcome!!!!!!!

 

Everyone thanks for the replies, I'm trying my hardest to take it easy, but i can see its going to be a long 1,000 miles ahead of me. I think I'm going to change my oil at 3,000 mile intervals because thats what Im used to.

 

i ordered my 6-speed last week. i cant wait

 

I have a 2K2 with about 950 miles on it. At 500 miles I changed the oil and filter. I put in Mobil 1 and a Wix manufactured filter (they are highly recommended). Although this might be considered over kill, it is representative of how I treat my engines. Changing oil early, even if you don't go to synthetic, can only help you. I plan on doing my next oil change at 1500 miles and then every 3000 thereafter.

There is also an oil analysis spreadsheet available at the top of the forum showing test results from synthetic oils and how they wear for more than 3000 miles. You may wish to check it out.

Enjoy the new Maxima - I'm loving mine more every day!

 

Im actually suprised by the high number of 2k2 6speed owners on here and on www.freshalloy.com ;especially considering its only been a couple weeks since its introduction. I stopped by the dealer this morning and they had 5 6speed 2k2's, all but 2 were fully loaded but those 2 still had good features minus the Leather Package. I only wish there were more 2k1 AE's with the 5speed when I went to buy mine so I wasn't limited to only the color the dealer had or could find.

 

welcome aboard

 

Don't pass 4k rpm
Don't press a lot of gas even though its below 4k
Don't brake hard
Try to drive in different speeds all the time

Also the manual says to change oil every 3750...don't know why that strange number but i have now 23200 miles and i changeed at 22500 to synthetic.

Also ABS, why did you take out the oil factory at 500 miles...its a speical oil from the facotry that you should keep in the engine till at least 1500 miles...why??...you want your engine to be ruined..

 

my dealer called and told me they just got a truck with SIX 6-speeds in but none of them were fully loaded...or even 'sorta' loaded. they were all pretty basic. kinda $ucks that i couldnt find one on the lot to buy.

 

congrats on the new purchase!!

here's your mod list (you'll be asking in a few months, in order of importance):

1. Replace those god awful ugly taillamps with 00-01 SEs
2. Stillen Rear Swaybar (adjustable, Addco isn't, as far as I'm aware of)
3. Either GC pseudo coilovers (real coilovers are sleeved shocks with adjustable spring perch) or eibach springs for a more aggressive look.
4. Stillen or Catman Y-pipe
5. Supercharger (when they design one for the VQ35)
...

 

I ordered my 2k2 automagic SE about a month ago, but it still hasn't arrived yet Gotta call the dealer tomorrow to find out when it will arrive.

 

Lucky you, Happy for ya!

 

Thanks for the info, I have been doing pretty much everything you mentioned, but i find myself passing cars in 6th gear easliy but i do have to press on the gas a bit. From now on I'll down shift to keep from preesing on the gas so much.

 

Actually, most (99%+) cars today don't have the special break-in oil like they used to. I know what you are going to say.

Yes, dealers, mechanics, uncles and fathers will tell you that they still do. But they don't. This isn't done anymore, and it has to do with the design and metals used in engines these days.

With that being said, it IS bad to switch to synthetic so early in the life of the engine. It is not bad to change the oil so early to get the particles out, but to go to a synthetic is what is improper. Around 3000 miles would be the earliset, but 500 is definitely too early because the engine is not completely broken in, yet. This has to do with the "seasoning" of the parts as well as the piston and cylinder land/groove interface conditioning. At least use regular oil up until 1000 miles minimum. If you go to a synthetic too early, the peaks in the cylinder walls may not be cut down enough, and this may cause glazing of the cylinder walls.

 

I am not an expert when it comes to engine construction, but I also would not consider myself to be inept. My logic is simple: if Mobil 1 from the factory is good enough for race engines, new Corvettes, Porshes, etc., then it is also good enough for the Maxima. I recognize that break in will take longer, but that's ok - it means my engine will last longer. Mobil 1 is a superior oil in virtually every respect as compared to conventional oils. Also, I mentioned my switch to Mobil 1 to a Nissan mechanic the other day and he didn't say a single negative thing to me about it . . .

Also, I don't believe the factory oil was anything special . . . if anyone knows something about this please post a comment. I would argue it's good to change the oil early to get any small metal particles suspended in the oil out of the engine ASAP. I plan on performing my second oil change at 1500 miles and then changing every 3000 thereafter.

 

Congratulations! Welcome Abroad!~

 

I just talked to the dealer today, and my 2k2 Max SE should be arriving within the next 10 days!!! <--- Tears of Joy!

 

OK. Break-in is different for different cars. Yes, Mobil 1 is great as a lubricant, sometimes TOO GOOD! It works fine in these other engiens because they are already in a state ready to accept this type of superior lubrication. Some engines are treated differently before they leave the factory and do not need a break-in.

Changing oil early is not bad to get rid of the particles. I agreed with that. But changing to a synthetic too early IS BAD. If you change to the synthetic before the engine is fully broken in, then you risk the engine NEVER being properly broken in.

IT IS NOT TRUE THAT IT WILL JUST "TAKE LONGER" to break in. FALSE.

What you risk is called "glazing". The engine parts are designed to wear down to a certain extent, and using a synthetic too early may not allow this to take place due to a reduced loading factor on the wear parts that would have taken place with regular oil. In fact, that's what "break-in oil" used to be - just a lighter oil that allowed the parts to load and wear more than regular oil. I agree that synthetic oils are superior for everyday lubrication, but a proper break-in is also important, and I wouldn't use them in the first few thousand miles.

 

2k2se6Spd, I appreciate your input on this topic. I've only had the synthetic in for 500 miles or so and I could still switch back to "regular dino" oil. Before I do this I would like to better understand your perspective. Please don't take this the wrong way, but could you provide me with some details regarding your sources for this information?

Please don't take my comments below as an attack, I really just want to understand the meaning and significance of what you stated in you last post:

I very curious to know what the differences in the "states" of engines coming from a factory with synthetic, versus those that don't, are. Do you mean to suggest that the tolerances on a Corvette engine are less precise so there is less need to "break-in" the engine? Alternatively, does GM run the Corvette engines for a certain number of hours before installation into the vehicle with a dino oil, then drain the oil, and add synthetic later? If these options are not the case, then how does the Corvette engine ever break-in since it comes from the factory with synthetic?

Again, I am not an expert but I have never heard of "glazing" except in the context of brake rotors (and this has to do with overheating of the rotor). I can guess that what you mean has something to do with the way the rings seat against the cylinder walls but I'm not too sure of this. I have never once read anything about "glazing" of cylinders/pistons/rings in any engine/automotive tech book. What is your evidence that clearly shows the impact of changing to a synthetic "too early is bad"?

What exactly does your comment "due to a reduced loading factor on the wear parts that would have taken place with regular oil" mean? I have to assume that a "loading factor" pertains to pressure or force. If this definition is accurate how exactly would a synthetic oil reduce the force/pressure/loading factor on engine parts?

Let's also be a little realistic here, as good as synthetics are, they do not prevent all or most wear, instead they allow relatively less wear than a conventional oil, and they still allow for friction between the moving parts.

I would argue that it could take tens of thousands of miles for an engine to "fully break-in". If that assumption is true, then why would anyone ever change to a synthetic at only a few thousand miles as you recommend.

This also raises another related question. How could someone tell if their engine is fully broken-in? I would suggest that it is really just a question of levels of wear. These wear levels range from zero for a new engine to extreme in the case of engines that burn lots of oil due to worn rings, cylinder walls, valves and valve guides.

I am very much interested in your answers to these questions. As you may be able to tell, I really want to do that which is best for my car. I am also always interested in learning something new, but I also like to know the answer to the question "Why?". Thanks in advance!

 

I think I changed over to Mobil 1 at 1500 or 2500 miles (seems so long ago) 30K miles later and no problems

 

Ok. I will try to answer your questions, while at the same time try to be precise. Literally, whole books have been written about this stuff. And there are many opinions on the topic. My info is from a bunch of different sources compiled over the years.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but could you provide me with some details regarding your sources for this information?
Again, my sources are numerous. I can not point you to a specific book or study, but my experience comes from my background in aerospace engineering and 7 years in the auto aftermarket/performance/racing business with experience with HKS, Mitsubishi Motorsports, GReddy, and Hennessey Motorsports among others.

I very curious to know what the differences in the "states" of engines coming from a factory with synthetic, versus those that don't, are.
Yes, rarely, some manufacturers actually still break engiens in at the factory. But this mostly has to do with the tightness of fit between the parts, especially the cylinder wall/sleeve and pistons/rings. Nissan builds an infamously "tight" engine that needs a lot of wear for all things to seat properly.


Again, I am not an expert but I have never heard of "glazing" except in the context of brake rotors (and this has to do with overheating of the rotor)...What exactly does your comment "due to a reduced loading factor on the wear parts that would have taken place with regular oil" mean?..Let's also be a little realistic here, as good as synthetics are, they do not prevent all or most wear, instead they allow relatively less wear than a conventional oil, and they still allow for friction between the moving parts.
So, Nissan has a tight engine. The cylinder walls have little microscopic grooves in them that oil sits in - little peaks and valleys. You actually want these peaks and valleys to wear down a little, but not too much. This balance of wear is what you want to achieve. If it wears too much (or what happens as the car ages), the compression goes down, leaks between the rings and piston, etc. Let's say that this process of wear started, and then you switched to synthetic. The cylinder wall is still too tight. What will happen with the synthetic (with excellent shear-resistance properties) is that these areas that still need to be wore down a little will not wear down. The synthetic will provide superior lubrication properties, and the fit will be very tight, but due to the synthetic lube, the wear rate will be greatly reduced, and the friction points that need to be worn down will actually "glaze over". This means that they will become super-smooth (not given a chance to wear down) and as they become smoother and smoother, it will be harder and harder to get them to wear down. So, the engine will still have tight places, but now with the synthetic, those places will remain tight. These little places will get much hotter than the rest of the areas that are worn, and this will futher create problems - localized overheating - which weakens the metal as well.

[B]I would argue that it could take tens of thousands of miles for an engine to "fully break-in". If that assumption is true, then why would anyone ever change to a synthetic at only a few thousand miles as you recommend.[B]
What is important is that the primary wear takes place to loosen up the parts of the engine. This happens in the first few hundred miles, and then the process slows down. I, personally, would wait until the 5-10K mark, and base the decision on many different parameters. The only way to know at all if an engine is fully broken in is when it completely stops consuming oil. But again, there is no certain point of perfect break-in. Too little, and it will be tight. Too loose, and it will have poor performance.

In your case, I wouldn't worry about changing back to the regular oil. It's not to say that "damage" has been done. But there are certain little things to do to extend the life of the engine. For racing and performance, every little bit helps. If you had immediately used synthetic from the beginning, I think you would be in much worse shape than you are now. The major wear takes place in the first few hundred miles, so that is the important part. It probably isn't worth it to go back now.