I just swapped a VQ35 in my 4th gen and the motor has 33k miles on it. I put Mobil 1 SuperSyn 5w30 first thing when the swap was done with a new OEM oil filter.

Maybe it's just me but the car seems to drink. No leaks, engine is as clean as the day it went in. I bought the same thing yesterday (Mobil 1 Supersyn) but bought 15w50 instead of 5w30, will that help? I put in about 1/4 of a quart (so it is mixed with the 5w30).

Maybe I'm just hallucinating though, checking the oil on a VQ35 is a real b*tch. The vq30 was so much easier to check.

 

How many kilometres/miles have you driven since the engine swap? It seems to me 1/4 quart is nothing to get excited about. I would be inclined not to mix 15W30 with 5W30 and you certainly shouldn't be using 15W30 when you get to winter.

My advice is to stay with the 5W30 and monitor the situation. If you only needed 1/4 quart I would have been inclined to have just left it and watched the oil consumption longer.

 

when using synthetic oil you will need alittle more than the regular oil, since synthetic oil will stick to every piece inside the engine.... more if you changed the oil filter also...


adding synthetic and changing the oil filter can make a difference on how much you put in...

 

Good Advice. I would stay away from 15W30, particularly in Canada. You could consider 10W30 for the summer and 5W30 for the winter.

I wait until my engine is down 1/2 qt before adding any "make-up" oil.

It depends on how long the engine has been off as to how much oil still has not drained down into the oil pan, so this can effect your reading. I check mine in the morning before first starting the engine. That way I know I have a consistent reading each time I check.

Don't obsess over 1/4 Qt.

 

I don't drive the car in the winter, I drive a 500$ beater instead, because my insurance is ridiculous and I want to keep the car for a while.

Basically it will only see 50 to 100 degree weather. Right now I am mixing the 15w50 with 5w30, I will try to find 10w30 though.

After about 600 kms (400 miles) it seems it doesn't really drink, it was just my imagination. What issues are there with running 15w50? It said "performance driving" and I do indeed drive it pretty hard.

 

I don't think you should be running 15W30 ever. I live in a suburb of Vancouver and run 5W30 Castrol GTX year round. The climate isn't all that much different than Montreal other than in the dead of winter where you would see colder weather and more snow.

Stay with the $500 beater for the Montreal winters! I suspect there are a lot of rusted 10-year-old cars there.

 

Your Max was designed to run a specific weight of motor oil, and anything heavier (or lighter) can cause problems. There are tubes and channels that the oil needs to flow through and the heavier oil will not flow properly (and at the design volume), particularly when it is cold.

My 2004 says to only use 10W30 at temps above 30 degrees F. Because I garage the car (and I have a lot of Mobil 1 10W30 from previous vehicles) I run that weight year-round (until I have used all of the old stock).

Does the owners' manual for you older Max actually say you can run 15W50 for "performance driving?"

 

I'll just get a gallon of 10w30. Not worth taking the risk for 30 bucks.

 

Don't you check the oil the same way as any VQ30???

 

I think is bacause the dipstick locks in place. it has a child proof lock clip on it, and its kinda hard to get off.....

 

^ Mine is the same as the VQ30

 

You nailed it, genius! Nail on the head. My ribs hurt. Hil-f*cking-arious.