I know there's a comprehensive spreadsheet posted here so I hope there are some oil-heads on this board who can provide some feedback on my UOA.



Quoted from Blackstone:
We found high lead again in this sample, so it appears that when you run the oil this long, your bearings wear more heavily than normal. For this reason, we probably would not recommend extending your oil change intervals, as your bearings may wear out more quickly than you'd like. If the bearing wear doesn't bother you, then go for it. Then TBN read 2.6 so the oil still had some active additive remaining. The TBN read a little high (I think they meant viscosity), but we didn't find any contaminants that would cause a viscosity shift. Check back to monitor.

Before I act on their recommendation I'm considering one more variable. The oil level was allowed to drop significantly by the time I had gotten to the 7.5K oil change... I had only gotten about 3 3/4 quarts out of the engine (fill is 5qts.). I'm thinking if I could get a @%#$ good reading off the @$%# dipstick, and I topped off as needed, the extra oil may help control the fairly high lead wear I'm seeing right now.

But after thinking it through a little, if the oil level was low, causing the high lead wear, then the other wear metal readings should have been high as well. Unless the bearings are in a position that are susceptible to wear when the oil level is low.... at this point I'm a little confused.

Absent recommendations by others, here are the options I'm considering right now:
1. Continue using M1 to 5K with UOAs to support this interval. 2. Switching back to Castrol or Pennzoil dino and try a 5K mile interval. I want to keep the G for at least 200K miles, so I need to take excellent care of the engine.

Right now I've got 10W30 Mobil1 in the engine and will drain at 5K, so I've got a few weeks before I decide upon my next fill. I won't be sticking with synth (and the added expense) unless I can extend my ODI to 7.5K.

What's frustrating as well is that I'm using M1 5W30 in my wife's 4.7L V8 Sequioa and the analysis that came back was excellent... very low wear metals present, in fact Blackstone suggested I try a 9000 mile interval the next time around.

Sequioa UOA: http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/...c;f=3;t=001048

 

This is synthetic right?

 

Were you using 10W30 each time? Why not 5W30, that is what is required in my Maxima? Is it possible, this is startup wear due to not using 5W30?

 

Is there ANYTHING we VQ users can do to make the dipstick read an accurate reading...?

My dipstick NEVER reads an accurate reading, not when it's cold, not when it's hot, not after sitting around for 10 hours, and certainly not after sitting around for 10 minutes... it always shows the oil level at the same location, WAY above the crosshatch mark (even after an oil & filter change, adding 4.25qts)

Has anyone had success bringing this up with the dealer? Anything that can be done to improve it, and perhaps some insight on WHY the dipstick is like this?

 

Wait a few minutes after shutting off car. Remove and reinsert dip stick about 5 - 8 times (to drain off the oil in the tube). Take reading. Always works for me.

 

Just tried that a little while ago... no dice. The top-side of the dipstick always reports in the same location.

The funny thing is the oil level on the top-side is perfectly level, as if I really was reading the proper oil level. Maybe I have the wrong dipstick??? (i.e. this dipstick is too long?)

I seriously doubt there's too much oil in there... every time I drain roughly 4-5 quarts, and add 4.25-5 quarts with filter change.

 

Ooops, I left out a few details...

These UOAs were with 5W30 Mobil1 synthetic SuperSyn oil, and a Pure One oil filter. The manual only recommends 5W30 if you drive in subzero temperatures, being in FL, that's not likely, so the manual says to use 10W30.

The oil was not changed after the second analysis, just took a sample and topped off with 1/2 a quart, then ran for another 3K (or so) then drained.

The guys over at bobistheoilguy.com are recommending that I use a thicker oil such as 10W40. The M1 5W30 is very thin, a heavier oil would provide greater protection against wear.

 

I haven't heard that 5W30 is only recommended for sub-zero temperatures. Most cars (foreign and domestic) recommend 5W30 no matter what the condition. Using anything else may void the warranty if an engine problem occurs. I'll check my manual to see what it says.

Aside from that, you have your weights mixed up. The 5 in 5W30 means that the oil will flow at a 5 weight at startup when the engine is cold. As the engine heats up, it will flow like a 30 weight. So, you can see that 10W30 is going to flow slower at startup but give you the exact same protection as the engine heats up. These engines have very tight tolerances and I can't see the need for 10W40 unless you race on the weekends and need the extra protection.

I would suggest trying a 5W30 oil for 3000 miles then get another analysis.

 

OK, I braved the sub-30 degree temps to check my manual.

5W30 is recommended from - 30 all the way to >100
10W30 and 10W40 are recommended from 0 all the way to >100

I would still suggest trying 5W30 for 3000 miles to see if that elimnates the wear.

 

When I check my oil it's only every on a flat surface after the car has been sitting over night, otherwise I do get wild numbers. Post on the 5k interval and let us know!

 

chinee,

I agree to some extent with the BITOG commentary about using a heavier oil. If I were you, I would try the Amsoil ASL 5w-30 or the ATM 10w-30 (your choice) for the extended drains that you are doing of 7,500+ miles. Amsoil in the 5w or 10w 30 weight is on the thick side for a 30 weight oil and perfect for the VQ engine. A 40 weight is unnessary and less shear stable than the 30 weight oils.

I have used both Mobil 1 and Amsoil in my Maxima. The Mobil 1 burns oil; the Amsoil does not burn any oil over a 9-10 month interval and 10,000 miles. I like the Amsoil 5w-30 product and I am sticking with it. If you want off the shelf oil, go to Autozone and get the Castrol Syntec 0w-30 (Made in Germany with the Red label not the US made Yellow label crap). It has shown some good used oil analysis reports on the above referenced site.

My 2 cents.

 

Actually, I've been using Mobil1 5W30 (the UOAs above) and only switched to 10W30 with my current fill. The guys at bob's are suggesting a heavier oil to hopefully reduce the wear on the bearings (lead).

Does anyone here know how to easily acquire Amsoil oil in South Florida, Palm Beach specifically?

 

I'd be interested in seeing your UOA on the M1 10w-30 when you do it. Any idea when that might be? In the absence of those results, I'd suggest the Amsoil 5w-30 ASL also for reasons already mentioned. A 10w-40 oil is really not necessary in the VQ engine and the negatives outweight the thicker viscosity potential benefits.

 

Amsoil is sold through dealers. Members iwannabmw and talkinghorse are the two dealers on this board. I believe that both offer discounts?

I would sent either a PM for more info.

 

chinee,

You are still experiencing VQ break-in based upon your oil history, including a fairly early switch to synthetic and long drain intervals. This is not the optimal approach for keeping wear levels low. Your car is a good reason I recommend the **** oil changing regimen during VQ35 break-in in the sticky post. But that's water under the bridge.

PM member iwannabmw for Amsoil pricing and ordering. He's quite prompt in delivery. But that is a drawback to Amsoil: limited availability off the shelf.

Honestly, your numbers are just fine. The elevated level of lead is a consequence of the longer drain intervals and driving conditions more than anything else. Switching to Amsoil Series 2000 0W/30 and going the exact same mileage on that oil would help isolate whether you can do much about it or not.

 

Chinee,

As I mentioned on BITOG, I've had excellent results with Amsoil's 5W-30 under harsh conditions for 8k in a VQ30DE.

 

So BITOG is now the proper acronym?

 

I don't know if it's proper, but I'm too lazy to type the whole thing out.

 

I now drive about 2,000 miles a month, so I should hit 5K on the oil around the end of January, and 7.5K (if I go that long) around mid-March. I will definitely be performing a UOA.

 

I agree with the Amsoil ASL 5W30 recommendation. It is thicker (11.7 to Mobil1 10.9) @ 100C, cst. It is a great oil with many good UOA's. The GC 0W30 is an excellent oil also and is thicker then Amsoil and Mobil1 5w30 (11.9 @100C, cst). Autozone is currently stocking it. Extended drains will give you a higher lead count; try the Amsoil, perform a UOA around 7-7.5.5k and compare the results.

Pedro

 

I believe the M1 5w-30 is 10.0 cst at 100 degrees. Presume the above 10.9 is a typo. I personally like the formulation of Amsoil better than the GC as it has more AW/friction modifier in it in the form of boron which the GC lacks.

 

Oops...Thanks for catching it; I meant 10.0.

Pedro