I havent burned a drop of oil since I owned my car from 86,000 and Im at 131,000 now...the last oil change was 1,000 miles ago fully synthetic and I checked it today and its about 1/8 of a qt low. Not alot burned at all...

I may have burned alittle bit because of switching from 5w to 10w since this is the first oil change using 10W since the winter and this is my ummer oil, or since the hot weather has came on I may have burned alittle

I always keep a pretty good check on the oil level since I have free time at work..

I wanna hear everyones stories ??

-matt

 

I don't use synthetic, just Castrol 5-30 most of the time. Car only has 53,000 miles and the oil is changed every 3,750 miles or less. I have not had to add a drop of oil between oil changes and don't expect to anytime soon.

 

I just hot 113,000 and have been usind Mobil 1 5w-30 Synthetic since about 80,000. I just recently (maybe the past 5,000 miles) have had to add like 1/4-1/2 qt between oil changes. I found that my oil pressure sensor was leaking again (this is my third one) and replaced it, but I am still loosing oil somewhere. I am pretty sure I am not burning it because I never see smoke out the tail pipe and I don't beat on the car. I have taken really good care of it by changing oil religiously every 3,000 miles and the owner before me did the same. It is really starting to bug me.

 

Could be many different things...weather, not letting the car sit enough after you shut it out to check it, a tiny bit more strain on the engine from the a/c running alot

-matt

 

my old max that is sitting in my driveway has 245,000+ miles on it and used regular oil for changes on it. it did not leak/burn oil at all...i never once had to add oil between changes..and the last oil change that was done to it before it was taken off the road was a late change. and the thing never gave me 1 problem ever.

 

hello..
im a newibe

but i have a 97 maxima with about 54k on it, and i wanted to ask why mostly every morning whenever i start my come, 'white' smoke comes out of my tail pipe. then through out the day, whenever i start my car it doesn't smoke, it seems to happen only in the morning time, when i first start my car..

what could be wrong? burning oil?
im using amsoil synthetic 5w-40.. should i use something else?

thanks..

 

I changed from 5W to 10W from the winter to the summer and I burned a little bit of Oil at the transition 1/4 of a qt

before that I havent burned a drop of oil...

any suggestions

-matt

 

Couple questions for you...

How cool is it in the morning in HI? If you let your car sit all day (or for several days), does it do the same thing, or does it only happen in the morning? How is your coolant level?, Is the inside of your tailpipe relatively clean or black and sooty? Is your oil level low or do you add oil between changes?

Concerning the viscosity, use 5w-30 (or 10w-30). Nissan does not recommend a 40 weight oil in this engine...AMSOIL 5w-30 will give you all the protection you need, and more. ed

 

I commute 65 miles/day, south TX heat, 70-80 mph, AMSOIL 0w-30, no leaks/seepage and not a drop consumed between semi-annual changes

 

Mornings are regular it is the summer, so around 80 or so. It seems to be the first start up of the day. I dunno if it is oil leaking through seals, or what not. But later one if i start it at work, school etc., no smoke whatsoever. And at times, the 1st startup has no smoke at all.

The cat and tailpipe is good.
Coolant level is stable as well, I've been told the smoke has bluish tinge so it could be oil burning.

 

Engines burn some oil that gets into the intake path by way of the PCV to the cylinders. That's why some people install oil catch cans to keep the oil from burning inside the block. You could either dumpt the oil or add it back to the engine.

 

Doesn't sound particularly good...the symptoms you describe sound like worn/hardened valve guide seals, but i've only seen that happen on cars that were operated in extremely hot environments, and/or on those that had been neglected with very infrequent oil changes...and then there's Chrysler/Mitsubishi. Nissan engines are very reliable and durable. What Deezo says is true...the PCV system is designed to recycle vapors/blow-by so they don't get released in to the environment...I've also seen cases where oil can get sucked up into the intake, but if that is happenening to an extreme then something is wrong, and/or you are driving it with an extremely heavy foot. You need to have it checked-out by a competent mechanic...

 

aww i really dunno what to do. i bet this one will cost a lot. based on the situation me and my folks have decided that maybe we should let this car go as well.

i don't drive it rough or anything like that.

i've taken it to some mechanices and they didn't find any thing wrong and what not. but i guess they aren't specifically in it. maybe taking it to the 'dealership' would be better, but i dunno if we can afford something like that right now.

but thanks for the helps.

 

i mean i dig the maxima as it is just under 60k, synthetic. however i dunno if it is worth going on with it, if things may hash-up later on. i am not saying i will trade it in for something NEW, but just many other factors play a role as well.

we have a honda, a alitima (i think we just got a lemon at times), a camry, and what not.

i really like the maxima, it is really clean in and out, and well maintained.

i've been trying to isolate this problem ever since, but everyone throws diff things at me. i really dunno what to do cept perhaps take it down to nissan and have them check it out.

thanks..

 

I wouldn't trade an otherwise good car just because it puffs once in the morning.

Anyway, in terms of oil consumption, my 00 with 72k miles on Mobil 1 goes through perhaps a half quart every 5k miles or so. My 97 with 84k and mobil 1 seems to go through less. I've been told that that's well within spec.

The fact is that any car will burn at least a tiny bit of oil when it's running. I've heard that synthetics will burn more because they may be more successfully finding themselves into parts of the engine, which would include the combustion chamber.

 

I know at least 4-5 guys with the same problem as me in their vq30 maximas:

When I had 86k miles on my car, my car started to burn 1 to 2L (~1-2 qt) of oil every 700 miles or so. The first time I noticed was when my low oil level light came on, after a lengthy trip...the oil was so low, I had an estimated 1L (~1qt) of oil left in the car!! Nissan put me on this oil program and changed a few things (such as my PCV valve) and monitored the car for leaks, but NOTHING could be found.

Eventually under the 100k/6 year extended ASP warrenty, they had to give me a brand new VQ. The same exact thing happened to another guy with a vq30 5th gen. 1 guy I know of sold his car because of the same problem, and 2 other canadian .org members have the same problem (one of them has since sold his car as well).

The funny part is that the cars I noticed doing this were all 5-speeds. There are no signs, nissan tech's cannot find the problem, and the cars do not suffer in performance...I am still pretty clueless.

 

Egads, I hope that doesn't happen to me I've no warranty on either vehicle!

 

wow i see... mine doesn't burn oil heavily, i have never had to top off w/ oil cept jsut doing the regular oil change about 3000 miles or so.

i've taken it to a few places to evaluate but it didn't find any leak or anything. i bought this car used, so i don't have warranty or anything like that.

everything else is great though..

 

****...I have a 99 5-speed and had a similar problem recently. I started the car after it had been sitting for more than 3 days and got an awful, unlubricated sound. I added 3 quarts and now my dipstick reads just a little past the high mark.

I had noticed oil on the bolts at the bottom of the passenger side steering/strut assembly but didn't put two and two together. The scary thing for me was, the car was almost 3 quarts low on oil and my oil pressure light NEVER came on, not even when I started it and got that awful sound. The bulb's not burnt out because it comes on with ignition. WTF???

I figure I have a leak at the drain bolt (bought a new bolt and washer from Courtesy) or at the oil filter, or maybe I need to look into the oil pressure sensor.

This is very annoying. I don't want my VQ to self-destruct... From now on I'm definitely checking my dipstick frequently.