2003 Maxima 3.5 Oil Disappearing
). Plus, my 1st maxi was a 2000.Even my previously abused '91 Z32 doesn't use much oil (leaks more than burns - 180k). My '91 E34 at 210k doesn't burn oil, either.
I still don't think it's mostly rings. My old 3.5 only burned a lot of oil when engine braking (giant cloud of blue after), so I suspect valve stem seals. My even older 3.5 didn't burn until precats destroyed the engine.
Precats will ruin everything, guaranteed. They're a ticking time bomb.
Quit making up excuses. Even 1 quart for 3k is not normal. This isn't a piece of **** engineered BMW. Parts are clearly defective. Some 3.5s burn and some don't.
Honda KNOWS their rings/design is defective. They've been sued over it. I recently saw a Pilot consume over 2 quarts in about 1,000 miles. I assume they have mostly fixed it b/c of the lawsuit LOL
Last edited by Child_uv_KoRn; Apr 8, 2015 at 07:42 PM.
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Posts: 19
What all is involved with this swap? Is it a direct fit?
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False to the millionth degree. Ever own a VQ30? You can drive for over 10,000 miles and not lose any oil. I've seen it. I basically have that VQ30 (sister's ). Plus, my 1st maxi was a 2000.
Even my previously abused '91 Z32 doesn't use much oil (leaks more than burns - 180k). My '91 E34 at 210k doesn't burn oil, either.
I still don't think it's mostly rings. My old 3.5 only burned a lot of oil when engine braking (giant cloud of blue after), so I suspect valve stem seals. My even older 3.5 didn't burn until precats destroyed the engine.
Precats will ruin everything, guaranteed. They're a ticking time bomb.
Quit making up excuses. Even 1 quart for 3k is not normal. This isn't a piece of **** engineered BMW. Parts are clearly defective. Some 3.5s burn and some don't.
Honda KNOWS their rings/design is defective. They've been sued over it. I recently saw a Pilot consume over 2 quarts in about 1,000 miles. I assume they have mostly fixed it b/c of the lawsuit LOL
). Plus, my 1st maxi was a 2000.Even my previously abused '91 Z32 doesn't use much oil (leaks more than burns - 180k). My '91 E34 at 210k doesn't burn oil, either.
I still don't think it's mostly rings. My old 3.5 only burned a lot of oil when engine braking (giant cloud of blue after), so I suspect valve stem seals. My even older 3.5 didn't burn until precats destroyed the engine.
Precats will ruin everything, guaranteed. They're a ticking time bomb.
Quit making up excuses. Even 1 quart for 3k is not normal. This isn't a piece of **** engineered BMW. Parts are clearly defective. Some 3.5s burn and some don't.
Honda KNOWS their rings/design is defective. They've been sued over it. I recently saw a Pilot consume over 2 quarts in about 1,000 miles. I assume they have mostly fixed it b/c of the lawsuit LOL
As far as oil consumption goes, I've never had anything that used much if any oil. If anything, it was just old stuff that leaked. I had a 1995 F150 that didn't smoke or burn oil and it had 300,000 miles in it. We also have a 1997 Mustang Cobra with 128k miles that doesn't use oil.
Last edited by NmexMAX; Apr 9, 2015 at 07:52 AM.
Yes, they disintegrate and are sucked back up into the engine. No lawsuit like the altimas means nothing at all was done and people don't know.
He did mention expense wasn’t a problem. You need to read before mindlessly posting.
I used to be on this same theory, but mine burns currently at 160k, and I’ve had headers since 37k.
Numerous times and I will once more, the best compliment any shift could have are PUR mounts. I went as far as downgrading the level of my VB mod (from II.5 to II), and then decided to upgrade the mounts, and after I upgraded, decided to go back up to II.5. Haven’t regretted it since.
Numerous times and I will once more, the best compliment any shift could have are PUR mounts. I went as far as downgrading the level of my VB mod (from II.5 to II), and then decided to upgrade the mounts, and after I upgraded, decided to go back up to II.5. Haven’t regretted it since.
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I guess expense is a relative term. There is a budget to repair the car or replace it with something slightly better or with less miles. A "new" vehicle is out of the question. The Maxima actually belongs to my parents who are retired. Its their primary vehicle. They really like it, so I would like to keep it going. That might not be feasible. They need something reliable and easy to maintain. Replacing this car with a nice lower mileage Crown Vic or Grand Marquis is being considered.
New cars are not my thing. My main interest is classic cars. I restored a 65 Mustang. My daily driver is a 94 F150.
I still am somewhat confused how it would even be possible for exhaust to be sucked back up the manifold in the opposite direction of flow.
New cars are not my thing. My main interest is classic cars. I restored a 65 Mustang. My daily driver is a 94 F150.
I still am somewhat confused how it would even be possible for exhaust to be sucked back up the manifold in the opposite direction of flow.
Last edited by SEmaxima; Apr 10, 2015 at 02:04 AM.
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We did some more experimenting and I followed the car for a drive under different conditions. It seemed to smoke a little but definitely noticeable when leaving a stop under medium acceleration. Under hard acceleration it was less noticeable, but that could be because it was exiting the tail pipe faster.
George when you put performance parts on your car you can't expect it to be the same as non upgraded parts. Polly/mounts are going to make the car stiffer. That's a foregone conclusion. I just don't understand do you want your car to be exactly the same as stock then just leave it stock. Just saying.
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From: New Jersey
I guess expense is a relative term. There is a budget to repair the car or replace it with something slightly better or with less miles. A "new" vehicle is out of the question. The Maxima actually belongs to my parents who are retired. Its their primary vehicle. They really like it, so I would like to keep it going. That might not be feasible. They need something reliable and easy to maintain. Replacing this car with a nice lower mileage Crown Vic or Grand Marquis is being considered.
New cars are not my thing. My main interest is classic cars. I restored a 65 Mustang. My daily driver is a 94 F150.
I still am somewhat confused how it would even be possible for exhaust to be sucked back up the manifold in the opposite direction of flow.
New cars are not my thing. My main interest is classic cars. I restored a 65 Mustang. My daily driver is a 94 F150.
I still am somewhat confused how it would even be possible for exhaust to be sucked back up the manifold in the opposite direction of flow.
I have 1st hand experience. It's not a theory. My 1st 6 speed had 60k when I bought it. It didn't burn oil and I drove the **** out of it. I was changing it every 3k ish. At 74k, I changed the oil and all was still well.
At 75k, out of nowhere, the engine refused to accelerate. I was on the interstate, it overheated and shut off.
Guess what happened? Precats completely disintegrated! They clogged up the rear cat and choked the motor out. AND the whole time for at least the last 1k mi, they had been eating up the cylinders and blew almost all of the oil out! After gutting the rear cat the car would run, but had a knock.
So, yes, the threat is very real and everyone not deleting them is dealing with a mother****ing ticking bomb. I gutted cats on a maxima myself and the front precat was rattling around losing mass like crazy. Not to mention that it was severely plugged up....from burning so much goddamn oil in the front bank.
We've seen irrefutable proof from other members. EVERY single 02-06 Altima suffers the same fate (witnessed one myself). Go ask the B15 guys. Driving hard accelerates their destruction b/c the extra fuel heats the **** out of them.
Why there are so many people in denial is beyond me. Nissan had a freaking recall for this exact problem on the QRs!
Last edited by Child_uv_KoRn; Apr 10, 2015 at 04:29 PM.
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I think our next step will be doing a compression test.
I looked at the records. It looks like about 6 years ago, the rear valve cover was replaced, but not the front.
Yeah, I noticed there is not an EGR valve. I wasn't sure how they got away with doing that.
I looked at the records. It looks like about 6 years ago, the rear valve cover was replaced, but not the front.
There's more than one way for it to burn and there's a big difference between up to 1 qt per 1-3k and 1 quart every 500 miles.
I have 1st hand experience. It's not a theory. My 1st 6 speed had 60k when I bought it. It didn't burn oil and I drove the **** out of it. I was changing it every 3k ish. At 74k, I changed the oil and all was still well.
At 75k, out of nowhere, the engine refused to accelerate. I was on the interstate, it overheated and shut off.
Guess what happened? Precats completely disintegrated! They clogged up the rear cat and choked the motor out. AND the whole time for at least the last 1k mi, they had been eating up the cylinders and blew almost all of the oil out! After gutting the rear cat the car would run, but had a knock.
So, yes, the threat is very real and everyone not deleting them is dealing with a mother****ing ticking bomb. I gutted cats on a maxima myself and the front precat was rattling around losing mass like crazy. Not to mention that it was severely plugged up....from burning so much goddamn oil in the front bank.
We've seen irrefutable proof from other members. EVERY single 02-06 Altima suffers the same fate (witnessed one myself). Go ask the B15 guys. Driving hard accelerates their destruction b/c the extra fuel heats the **** out of them.
Valve overlap and backpressure, brah. Haven't you noticed the lack of an EGR valve? That's not helping, either.
Why there are so many people in denial is beyond me. Nissan had a freaking recall for this exact problem on the QRs!
I have 1st hand experience. It's not a theory. My 1st 6 speed had 60k when I bought it. It didn't burn oil and I drove the **** out of it. I was changing it every 3k ish. At 74k, I changed the oil and all was still well.
At 75k, out of nowhere, the engine refused to accelerate. I was on the interstate, it overheated and shut off.
Guess what happened? Precats completely disintegrated! They clogged up the rear cat and choked the motor out. AND the whole time for at least the last 1k mi, they had been eating up the cylinders and blew almost all of the oil out! After gutting the rear cat the car would run, but had a knock.
So, yes, the threat is very real and everyone not deleting them is dealing with a mother****ing ticking bomb. I gutted cats on a maxima myself and the front precat was rattling around losing mass like crazy. Not to mention that it was severely plugged up....from burning so much goddamn oil in the front bank.
We've seen irrefutable proof from other members. EVERY single 02-06 Altima suffers the same fate (witnessed one myself). Go ask the B15 guys. Driving hard accelerates their destruction b/c the extra fuel heats the **** out of them.
Valve overlap and backpressure, brah. Haven't you noticed the lack of an EGR valve? That's not helping, either.
Why there are so many people in denial is beyond me. Nissan had a freaking recall for this exact problem on the QRs!
Last edited by NmexMAX; Apr 15, 2015 at 08:02 AM.
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Posts: 2,300
From: Columbia SC
Right, slip up on my part, 3.5 wasnt introduced until 5.5 2002-2003 hence why it was "experimental" then. My 03 has been absolutely babied and meticulously maintained, yet burns 1qt/1000mi valve covers failed in both front and rear and as we speak is going in for replacement. Putting 6th gen on as they're better sealed and fit the same.
The 4AT is pretty bad too in my GLE. Not an aggressive driver, no street racing, no takeoff at red lights to green like a jerk, very rarely floor it, just once in a blue moon to hear her purr. Fluid is frequently inspected and flushed and refilled when appropriate, yet its now begun to have a problem where it doesnt shift into 4th when the engine is cold on very cold days. Luckily its spring now and it only happened a few times this past winter, but i know whats coming...
The 4AT is pretty bad too in my GLE. Not an aggressive driver, no street racing, no takeoff at red lights to green like a jerk, very rarely floor it, just once in a blue moon to hear her purr. Fluid is frequently inspected and flushed and refilled when appropriate, yet its now begun to have a problem where it doesnt shift into 4th when the engine is cold on very cold days. Luckily its spring now and it only happened a few times this past winter, but i know whats coming...
Its normal for the transmission not to shift into OD/overdrive when the fluid is cold, sometimes not for a few minutes until after the fluid has warmed up.
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I came across this. Is there anything else I should know about when checking the compression on this motor? Also, Does it really have to be warmed up? With the intake etc removed, there is no way to run the car.
http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/nis...-compression-1
http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/nis...-compression-1
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Posts: 224
From: Toronto, Ontario
I came across this. Is there anything else I should know about when checking the compression on this motor? Also, Does it really have to be warmed up? With the intake etc removed, there is no way to run the car.
http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/nis...-compression-1
http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/nis...-compression-1
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From: New Jersey
basic shop class rules, just turn it over a few times, doesnt need to be warm
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Or is it a 5th gen needs a 5th gen trans?
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From: Mississauga, ON, CANADA
In comparison my vq30 in my old 4g was modified a lil and I took that thing to 7k rpm on a regular basis... 7k km oil changes with synthetic and it would be down only a cup of oil if that.
I would understand a turbo car losing a bit more oil cause extra heat and a turbo but not a 250hp naturally aspirated engine that doesn't even reb high.
On my new 02 I use German made Castrol 0w30. Apparently this 0w30 gets a lil thicker than 30 when warm and on bob is the oil guy it returns the best results in oil tests for the vq35. I also added an eighth oz of "bardahl no smoke". So far it burns very little and is still golden dark brown after 2 weeks.
On my new 02 I use German made Castrol 0w30. Apparently this 0w30 gets a lil thicker than 30 when warm and on bob is the oil guy it returns the best results in oil tests for the vq35. I also added an eighth oz of "bardahl no smoke". So far it burns very little and is still golden dark brown after 2 weeks.
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This test was done using a brand new Bosch FIX7828 tester. The engine was turned over for 5 to 7 seconds for each test. I do not have access to another one. More importantly, this shows they are all in about the same range. Here is a link to the tester.
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...eyword=fix7828
I just found this on another forum. Apparently all engines aren't identicle.
umm.. trying to clarify my doubts on those numbers..
so there might be different compression readings from different testers..? and does those numbers have value other than knowing the variance between cylinders and if leak is present?
what if the same tester/gauge was used on two different engines, and both produced constant readings, but a big gap between the two.??
e.g.
---------------------
engine 1
140, 140, 145, 150, 145, 150
engine 2
200, 210, 205, 200, 205, 210
--------------------
Even if the readings were a little high, I don't think that low compression is the car's problem. So, that tells me the rings aren't bad. What else could cause the oil burning issue?
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...eyword=fix7828
I just found this on another forum. Apparently all engines aren't identicle.
umm.. trying to clarify my doubts on those numbers..
so there might be different compression readings from different testers..? and does those numbers have value other than knowing the variance between cylinders and if leak is present?
what if the same tester/gauge was used on two different engines, and both produced constant readings, but a big gap between the two.??
e.g.
---------------------
engine 1
140, 140, 145, 150, 145, 150
engine 2
200, 210, 205, 200, 205, 210
--------------------
Even if the readings were a little high, I don't think that low compression is the car's problem. So, that tells me the rings aren't bad. What else could cause the oil burning issue?
Last edited by NmexMAX; Apr 15, 2015 at 08:03 AM.
There's more than one way for it to burn and there's a big difference between up to 1 qt per 1-3k and 1 quart every 500 miles.
I have 1st hand experience. It's not a theory. My 1st 6 speed had 60k when I bought it. It didn't burn oil and I drove the **** out of it. I was changing it every 3k ish. At 74k, I changed the oil and all was still well.
At 75k, out of nowhere, the engine refused to accelerate. I was on the interstate, it overheated and shut off.
Guess what happened? Precats completely disintegrated! They clogged up the rear cat and choked the motor out. AND the whole time for at least the last 1k mi, they had been eating up the cylinders and blew almost all of the oil out! After gutting the rear cat the car would run, but had a knock.
So, yes, the threat is very real and everyone not deleting them is dealing with a mother****ing ticking bomb. I gutted cats on a maxima myself and the front precat was rattling around losing mass like crazy. Not to mention that it was severely plugged up....from burning so much goddamn oil in the front bank.
We've seen irrefutable proof from other members. EVERY single 02-06 Altima suffers the same fate (witnessed one myself). Go ask the B15 guys. Driving hard accelerates their destruction b/c the extra fuel heats the **** out of them.
Valve overlap and backpressure, brah. Haven't you noticed the lack of an EGR valve? That's not helping, either.
Why there are so many people in denial is beyond me. Nissan had a freaking recall for this exact problem on the QRs!
I have 1st hand experience. It's not a theory. My 1st 6 speed had 60k when I bought it. It didn't burn oil and I drove the **** out of it. I was changing it every 3k ish. At 74k, I changed the oil and all was still well.
At 75k, out of nowhere, the engine refused to accelerate. I was on the interstate, it overheated and shut off.
Guess what happened? Precats completely disintegrated! They clogged up the rear cat and choked the motor out. AND the whole time for at least the last 1k mi, they had been eating up the cylinders and blew almost all of the oil out! After gutting the rear cat the car would run, but had a knock.
So, yes, the threat is very real and everyone not deleting them is dealing with a mother****ing ticking bomb. I gutted cats on a maxima myself and the front precat was rattling around losing mass like crazy. Not to mention that it was severely plugged up....from burning so much goddamn oil in the front bank.
We've seen irrefutable proof from other members. EVERY single 02-06 Altima suffers the same fate (witnessed one myself). Go ask the B15 guys. Driving hard accelerates their destruction b/c the extra fuel heats the **** out of them.
Valve overlap and backpressure, brah. Haven't you noticed the lack of an EGR valve? That's not helping, either.
Why there are so many people in denial is beyond me. Nissan had a freaking recall for this exact problem on the QRs!
replacing y-pipe with warpspeed on a 5.5 dosent replace precats, you still have them to deal with regardless.
4th gen and 5th gen one precat is replaced and one is left with a y-pipe
My point was, the oil burning issue. No reason these should burn this much oil at such low mileage. Depending on how I drive, (engine braking, etc since this causes more vacuum and sucks up more oil) I burn about 1.5 qt every 3k.
I wasn't referring to the grenading issue, mine still has gobs of power, so calm down there tiger.
EGR in these relies heavily off of CVTC. Apparently they saw that was a bad idea and went back to external EGR in the A34 and beyond.
On the warpspeed website, for the 2002-2003 maxima, it says "No Pre-cats Deleted." Which I'm assuming that means that there are no precats and that they have been deleted/removed.
Nope read it again, No precats deleted, and if you read further it says you will pass emisisons because no precats are deleted.