Scottwax

iTrader: (8)

Owner's manual says 10w-40 is acceptable in warmer climates.

kbohip

That's exactly what I'm going to do...1 quart at a time. I'm definitely switching to 10W-40 at least until winter. I'll probably run it all winter too as my car is kept in a garage that never goes below 50F. Sure it'll sit outside at work all day in the cold but that's what it gets for drinking all that oil!

crazy97

iTrader: (1)

Didnt work for me. I got 10w30 for this issue.. Fail

Castrol dino oil 5w30 burns

Amsoil SS 0w30 also burns

andymaxima

does anyone know what to do to fix this problem?

my car runs perfect, no blue smoke out the tailpipe, the oil just disapears
so i dont think its actually burning idk!

MaxinO2

iTrader: (1)

I burn about a 1 quart of Valvoline 10w30. It burns more around 5,000+ rpm's.
I had a 90' pathfinder with 262,000 miles and still going. Nissan's will last.

Scottwax

iTrader: (8)

Rebuilt the engine or live with it. It is burning oil but not at a rate where is visible out of the tail pipe or fouls plugs.

CraigSE

Just check now and again, and add as required.

Its no biggie, and the car will like you for not running the sump low.

I find the VQ35 likes slightly thicker oil, but it does not have to be synthetic. So just use a quality conventional due to cost of having to top off.

kbohip

Ok, so I took my Max down to Palm Springs, CA on vacation last week. The poor car was really loaded down with the family and all the luggage, etc. Anyway I got some very interesting results regarding the oil usage. Remember it burns about a quart at least every 1k miles, double that apparently with synthetic. I drove a total of 2,470 miles including the driving I did in Palm Springs. Out of all that driving I used only 1/2 quart of oil! The car didn't burn a drop of oil in the 1,100 mile drive to and from California either. All of the oil burn was while driving in PS with temps in the 80's. I'm guessing this more than proves once and for all that the oil use is definitely from bad rings as when they are heated up (say during long highway drives) they expand and fill in the gap. I'll be switching to regular non synthetic 10W-40 at the next oil change at 100k miles. Sigh, that's only 1,500 miles away.

Oh and btw, I envy you guys at low altitude. My car felt like a 300ZX TT at sea level. Back in Colorado at 6,000' plus it feels like a Corolla. The difference in power is HUGE!

andymaxima

does anyone know what would be the best coventional oil and what grade to use to slow down the consumption a little?....i tried quaker state 10w-40 and it seem to burn the same as 5w-30..... has anyone had any luck with a certain oil/weight??
i tried searching but couldnt find a good answer

CraigSE

You just have to experiment.
I like Valvoline conventional. Engine runs great on this oil.

2slow

iTrader: (6)

So then, what does a Corolla pull like? A goat?

andymaxima

so im going to a machine shop to get a quote on my engine to get rebuilt........my question to you all is what should be done by them to make sure this engine doesnt burn a drop of oil when the rebuild is complete........ im assuming that the rings and valve seals are the culprit and should be replaced. but idk cause my car still seems to have full compression and doesnt blow any blue smoke out the tail pipe just seems like the oil disseapears. my biggest fear is that the engine will still burn oil after they rebuld it!!

Scottwax

iTrader: (8)

You'd be better off looking for an '04 or newer low mileage FWD VQ35 than a rebuild price-wise.

All engines burn some oil, there is no such thing as an engine that doesn't burn a drop of oil. It all depends on how well the cylinders were honed, using the proper sized pistons for the bore and using quality rings. Proper break-in is necessary too.

andymaxima

could i find a engine from a 6th gen maxima and put it in no problem???
i thought i could only get one from a 5.5 gen?
and im afraid if i get a used one it will burn just as bad

nhalvarez

Has anyone tried Royal Purple? My mechanic only uses it in his shop. I haven't had him change the oil in mine. I usually take it to the dealership for oil changes. I let my mechanic take care of the other stuff. But I might let him do it and see if Royal Purple helps.

Scottwax

iTrader: (8)

Other than the early G35 rev-up motors, the oil burning issues seem to have been fixed by the 6th gen cars. You'd have to use your intake manifold since the 6th gen cars have an EGR valve and we don't, otherwise it should be a drop in. Someone here recently posted about using a low mileage '05 Altima engine in their Maxima and being really happy with it.

joeltender

Lucas oil additive+5w30, using this mix religiously for a long time. No problems and less burning.
Some people say Lucas is bad, myself and many others I know have had no problems.
my old cavalier went to 300+k original motor, tried to blow it up but couldn't.

kbohip

I drove a '92 Corolla for a few months here a few years ago. I'd say the goat might be beaten in a race between the two.

I've added regular 10W-40 as my car has burned off the PP 5W-30 and already I can see that it's burning less oil. The funny thing is my fuel economy just hit 23 in the city. Maybe my engine runs best with a 6W-32 blend.

CraigSE

Expensive boutique oil... I'd rather go with something like Amsoil or Redline if it were me. (in that league)

CraigSE

It's not like stuff like that is bad, its just not needed.
I've had some high miles cars too, and additives are not what gets them there. Changing the oil often enough is what does.

andymaxima

i found a engine at a junk yard from a 2005 maxima automatic with 42k miles for $486. would this engine work in my 2002 6 speed and is there a chance that the one from the 05 will burn oil or is that rare for a 6 gen vq35?

Scottwax

iTrader: (8)

I haven't heard of too many 6th gen oil burning issues. You'd need to use your intake manifold since our cars don't have an EGR valve.