I recently bought a 2003 maxima it has 30 thousand miles , runs great but not long ago i heard that the motor for the 5.5 generation is a bad motor.Who better to ask than the professional .Is the 5.5 generation a good or bad engine, thank you.

 

Whoever told you the engine in the 5.5 is bad knows nothing about cars. The 3.5 V6 in the 5.5 gen made Ward's top ten engine list for both years the car was in production.

The only thing the 5.5 engine is known for is its potential to burn oil. But I have 164k on mine, and burn less than a quart of oil in 2500 miles.

 

when does it start to burn oil

 

Can't really say for sure. It's really hit or miss. Like I said, I barely burn enough oil to have to worry. I can go 3,000 miles and change my oil regularly without having any issues. Some people see the engines start burning oil as early as 50,000 miles.

Really, it all depends on how well you take care of the car. The Max I have had one owner before me, and all the miles that were on it when I got it were highway miles. So that was a huge plus wear-wise on the engine.

 

some do, some dont.

 

mine was well taken care of i hope i have a good one , thank you very much you guys have been very helpfull.

 

Nissan VQ engine FTW...

Wow, 30,000 only?

 

I know. I'd kill to have a 5.5 with only 30k on the engine. I mean, I know they're around. But finding them is damn near impossible.

And to top it off, finding a 6MT with low mileage...even more fun.

 

Wish I could have found a low mileage 6 speed car when I was looking.

Monitor your oil level in between oil changes (wait 10 minutes after turning off the car otherwise the dipstick is pretty hard to read) and add oil as needed. Mine uses a quart every 1500-1800 miles (depending on driving conditions) and has since I bought it 55,000 miles ago. Engine still runs great, very quiet once it warms up. The oil burning issue is more a nuisance than anything else for most people.

 

The 3.5 is a great motor. Sounds like somebody doesn't know what they're talking about. Some of the 3.0 guys like to talk bad about the 3.5 motor but they all secretly lust for one.

The oil burning really is hit or miss. I've got 150,000 miles on mine and I'm pretty hard on it. I don't use any oil and I change it on a 7,500 to 8,000 mile interval. Always have since I got the car with 70,000 miles.

Don't worry about a thing. Drive it and enjoy it. If you have to add a little oil now and then it's still well worth it.

 

I don't talk bad about the 3.5 and I don't lust for it. Happy with what I got...

Only potential issue is the oil burn....cross your fingers.

 

I wish I had a VQ35 .. but I'd much rather have manual .

I have more fun driving my 5MT 4 cyl Tacoma than I did a 240whp 5AT TL.

 

bad motor..... did you hear that from a chevy guy?

 

actually i owned a ls1 trans am before this car

 

a little oil consumption...so what?!? Its a small price to pay for the performance of the 3.5 imo

 

... iirc vq motor was #1 and in the top 10 for 10yrs in a row for best engine... I remeber reading that somewhere... it was on nissanusa.com at one point also... the motor is strong

 

I like that I have oil consumption issues. It allows me to go longer between oil changes because there's a fresh quart added in every 2000 miles.

 

HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!! FINALLY a non mustang fanatic! hahaha, lsx ftw!

 

Here's something to think about.

People who don't have a 3.5 are quick to talk bad about it because it makes them feel better about not having it.

People who have a 3.5 and have problems with it are quick to talk bad about it because they're pissed.

People who have a 3.5 and have NO problems with it never say anything at all about it because there's no reason to.


So, now when you go to listen about the engine... whose talking? I have the same issue with my car right now too.