I Have an 06 6-speed mt with 78k. At 60k the entire engine (long block), transmission, and cats were re and re'd under warranty. The engine was using a quart of oil every 500 miles, believed to be the result of malfunctioning cats. The transmission would grind when shifting fast between 1st and 2nd gears. The interesting thing is, at the time, Nissan didn't even "bat an eye" when I said the engine/tranny and cats needed to be replaced.

Am I to assume that given Nissans response to my "demand" that they were/are aware of issues and there is a good chance the new engine/tranny/cats will meet the same fate of the first. With 18k on the new engine it uses a bit less then 1/2 quart of oil every 4000 miles.
Is it time to send my Maxima on its way, as I am not confident that Nissan has "fixed" the original issues? Advice?

 

i don't think 1/2 a quart of oil being burned off in 4k miles is anything to be worried about. Most engines burn a little oil. If your engine you got from nissan was rebuild, it might be just breaking in. Just monitor the oil consumtion and keep the oil topped off. If it was me, I would not be replacing a car that just received a new engine, new tranny, and new cats. Those are the most expensive repairs on the car and you were lucky enough to get everything covered under warranty. You have an almost new car without spending any money on it.

Keep it, drive it, be happy.....unless of course you're just looking for a reason to convince yourself to upgrade to a new car, in that case .....goodbye maxima and hello g37???

 

Oil consumption has nothing to do with clogged cats, cats are part of the exhaust, gas millage drop maybe but not oil consumption.

 

Never heard of oil consumption, transmission, and cats being correlated....three independent systems. As for the current consumption, that's fairly normal. Just keep an eye on it to make sure the consumption level doesn't increase. I'd say stick with it. You do have a virtually new car.

 

Nissan believes the engine oil consumption was the result of malfunctioning cats that started to turn to a dust substance that got sucked back into the engine and scored the cylinder walls. Apparently there is a split second when the valves align and this can happen.The new engine they put in was brand new. The transmission obviously was unrelated.

I know the oil consumption is normal and Nissan has told me up to a quart per 2000 miles is acceptable. However, I have previously owned a '96 300 zx turbo, '01 Maxima, and a '90 240sx and niether of these vehicles burned a drop of oil.

My concern is that this engine is doomed to fail again as I don't believe Nissan has addressed its issues, similar to the auto transmissions.

Wish I could afford a G37 right now.

 

0.5 qt every 4k miles?

What are you intervals?

Very normal to me.

 

Wow. Didn't know the 6spd gave problems with the engine and tranny. I mean you could bring the issue to them and maybe they just might give you some kind of a compensation. The stealership will try to blame it on anything like abuse or aftermarket performance mods.

I've had an engine consume a rediculous amout of oil in a month so I know what you're going through. The tranny is a pain. The 6spd are very rare and they are strong and reliable. IMO I think you should keep it, check the oil often and worst case sinerio you swap the engine. I just did mine after messing it up at the race track. Under 2K.

 

[QUOTE=240tomax;8441842]Nissan believes the engine oil consumption was the result of malfunctioning cats that started to turn to a dust substance that got sucked back into the engine and scored the cylinder walls. Apparently there is a split second when the valves align and this can happen.The new engine they put in was brand new. The transmission obviously was unrelated.{/quote]

thats exactly what happens, I have torn down a number of nissan engines and found scoring on the walls and cats in pieces.


The 3.0 engines are quite different in regard to oil consumption versus the 3.5. I have own a number of 3.0 maximas and none of them burned any oil but all of my 3.5 engines had burning issues, not major oil consumption but still some. I believe my 3.5 with 35k miles was burning about .25-.5 quarts in 3500 miles which is considered normal.

 

[quote=nsnrider;8442857]Any idea why the cats fail?