I've been using MObil1 m1-110 for the past few oil changes, but the last one I purchased was DIFFERENT from the previous.
The "newer" versions of the M1-110 now come in a Black box (purchased @ Autozone) and the exterior of the filter is also now BLACK in Color. Looking INTO the filter, the construction is markedly different in terms of the construction and "layout" of the internal components compared to the m1-105. Frankly, it looks inferior to the "old" green/grey version. Also, the black m1-110 is not LABLED as a HIGH EFFICIENCY filter, as the m1-105 is, and does not boast the Synthetic Fiber content of the -105.

I'm confused.
Are these the same filters, under a different packaging - or are they REALLY a completely different construct with different levels of protection?? I cannot seem to find the M1-110 in the green/grey box any longer.

I bought the m1-105 for several reasons, but the most important being that it has a larger capacity and seems to have a more "hearty" internal design, in terms of the backpressure regulator and filtration media.

Here's the rub:

Since switching to M1 @ 17.5k I have changed my oil at reg. intervals of 5k miles +/- a few hundred. I have used other filters, but have now settled on the M1's to accomodate the longer change intervals of the full synth oil.

I have noticed that my oil (mobil1 10w30) at this latest change interval (4200mi) is SIGNIFICANTLY dirtier than ever before on the dipstick. Oddly, this is the first time the majority of the 4200k miles I've driven have been on the HWY. Typically, I am a city driver.

Is there ANY relation to the dirtier oil now, with this somewhat obviously inferior M1-110 filter??? I'm going to use the M1-105 from now on....but I'm just curious as to why my oil is SO much dirtier this time around, and wondering if the new m1-110 is partially to blame.

Any insight would be welcomed.
gr

 

the color of your oil is not related to the filter. I cannot confirm/deny that the new "EP" M1 filters are any better or worse at filtration, but I can tell you that any difference is negligible and will have no effect on the color of your oil or the protection offered by it.

in general, the color of your oil does not indicate its condition. oil will oxidize as a matter of course in an ICE. some oils have a more robust additive package that will clean better and suspend more dirt - thus appearing blacker on the dipstick -- this should be seen as a good thing, as the oil is doing its job. some oils do not get as black as quickly in the same engine - this could be due to differences in the additive package, base stocks, driving habits, etc. The cleanest oil I have ever run was cheap wal-mart super tech - it was still honey color at 3k miles, despite having the highest insoluble reading of all my oil reports.

since you did more highway driving during your last change interval, your oil got much hotter for much longer time. this will also affect its appearance, and getting your oil hotter is a good thing (will burn off excess fuel/water). city driving generally leaves fuel and water in the oil.

also note - all oil companies change their formulations quite regularly, so the same 'ole M1 you have been using for years is not really the same. in fact there is quite a bit of evidence to suggest that Mobil recently changed the base stock composition of M1 from GIV PAO to cheaper GIII. These changes will no doubt affect how "dirty" the oil may or may not appear.

you seem like a good candidate for oil analysis. you can send a sample of your oil to a lab and they can tell you everything you want to know about its condition, how well your oil & air filters are working, if you have a coolant leak, a bearing problem, etc etc. you will then know if the extra money you are paying for Mobil1 oil filters is worth it -- in my experience it is not. even the cheapest oil filters on the market will filter just fine, especially in a well maintained engine that doesn't pollute the oil much to begin with.

 

I was looking forward to seeing who responded to this....!
Thanks for the input.

I've long known that oil color is not necessarily indiciative of wear or life - but this time was so much darker, that it concerned me. Likely, you're right about the heat and distance being the cause, but since I've used the same oil for a while now, I could think of no other major variables.

You're right about me being a candidate (read: highly ****-retentive) for oil analysis. I've long considered it, but never been interested in the costs associated. Perhaps now is the time. My VQ burns about 1 qt. of oil between change intervals (5kmi), but it's never surpassed that amount, thankfully. I get some VTC start-up grind intermittantly, but no consistancy whatsoever - cold, hot or what have you. Needless to say, I keep a close eye on my oil level, and I keep a written log for reference.

Again - I'll be curious to see if anyone can validate the differences between the -110 & -105 filters. That has my interest.

thanks for the reply!
gr

 

Rider,

Sky gave you some very good advice in his post. I too think that the extra dirt suspended in your motor oil now is due to two factors:

- Until recently, you rarely did much highway driving.
- Recently, you did quite a bit of highway driving.

One of the best ways to get deposits out of your engine is to get it hot for a number of hours and run it at a relatively high RPM. I suspect that the heat and the higher sustained RPMs did the job of removing some deposits that had built up in your VQ during your city driving days. (The reason I know your VQ was seeing some higher RPMs -- when I'm driving 82 MPH, my VQ is turning over at 3 K RPMs.)

You didn't say how many miles you have on your Max, so it's hard to say if needing a quart of make-up oil before you reach 5 K miles is excessive (but it might be).

My VQ is coming up on 52,500 miles (the next oil change) and I added 1/3 of a quart at about 50 K miles (the first since I changed at 45 K miles) because I was going to be doing extensive highway driving. My VQ has burned about this much oil (1/3 of a Qt ever 5 K miles) since it was broken in at about 7 K miles (more before that point). You will note that I'm using a 7,500 mile OCI (maximum recommended by Nissan -- want to keep my drive-train warranty working) and using M-1 since it hit 7,500 miles.

I can't speak to the M-1 filter questions you raise -- sorry.

 

49k. total on my clock.
I don't LIKE that it burns a quart per cycle, but it's better than some guys who burn a quart a week -- THAT is a problem. Perhaps the 5w-30 will make a difference....I usually run 10w-30.

Good advice on the extra deposits. I'm satisfied that's it -- that being the case, I didn't feel bad about changing the oil a little earlier this time (4200) just to be safe.

I actually cut the -110 filter in half last nite for the heck of it. I DO NOT recommend doing this after it has been used!! Big MESS with the sawzall. Nevertheless -- I will say that those filters are built like brick shat-houses!
The filtration media is less....bulky than I would have thought - but what do I know. Interesting.

I also noticed that the larger capacity of the -105 filter necessitates MORE oil on the refill. I'd say 4.5 to 4.75 qts total. It just kept going!! The filter took a little more tq. to snug-down as well, since the seal didn't want to seat (oil drip at filter base). But I think once it hit a brief heat cycle, it planted itself properly without over-torquing. Be warned: don't overtorque!

gr

 

You may actually burn more 5W30 than you do 10W30 because incrementally the 5 oil is lighter (slightly smaller molecules) than the 10 oil. My recommendation is to stick with the 10 oil.

You burn a quart at some point before you reach 5 K miles and put in make-up oil. Do you add it when you are down a full quart, or do you add a smaller volume when it is down less than a quart? There is a theory about engines that burn oil: that oil consumption is higher the closer the oil sump is to being full. If you add small volumes of oil when you notice some has burned, you may want to see if this theory is correct by waiting until you are completely down a full quart.

I owned an 86 Celica that burned oil (about a quart every 4 K miles or so) and I found that the oil consumption in that car was noticably less (but still there) when I was using the same weight dino oil than when I was running synthetic oil. You may want to see if that is the case with your Max.

A little side story: I had two cousins who owned an old Model A Ford back in the late 1950s. The engine in that car burned so much oil that they only put used motor oil in the engine and never did an oil change because the oil was being burned so fast. Now that is a real oil burner -- you could see the thick blue smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe.

 

I had the thought that might be the case - losing more of the thinner wgt. However, it's already in the engine, so, it's going to be a wait and see....

Usually, I replace the oil that is lost in the increments - so I think you have a good point in testing the "1qt" method. I will try that for while and see.

Any ideas how much oil is represented by the L & H marks on the dipstick???
I've gnerally observed it to be about a std. quart. Not sure if this is the same for everyone, however. It pains me to see that level drop below the H mark on my stick!!!

I actually looked at my "log" yesterday, and it seems that my VQ tends to "burn" oil after I drive on longer trips. No empirical evidence, but that seems to be the 1 yr trend. I can't remember if I used to lose oil when it was new....but I have a STRONG hunch it began when i started using the FULL SYNTHETIC M1 at around 15k. Hmmmmm......

I have always been of the school of thought that switching BACK to Dino or even a blend, was a no-no. I've been a staunch user of the M1. Perhaps if I keep getting this issue, I might go back to the Dino or a blend after this next OCI.

In any case -- thanks for the input. I will continue to post-up in the future.
gr

 

In Jap cars I believe the difference between H and L is 1 Liter. Because 1 Quart = .946 Liters they are essentially the same.
There should not be an issue with switching back to Dino. I would not recommend switching at every oil change, but a one-time switch back to Dino should not be a problem.

The theory about burning more synthetic than comparable dino is that the synthetic is much more slippery and has more of a tendency to slip past the rings or wherever it is getting into the combustion changer. Good luck.

 

GR, One of the primary differences between the M1-110 and the 105 is that the by-pass valves are calibrated differently, with the 105 opening at a higher psid. While this higher calibration will theoretically force more oil through the filter element as opposed to getting by the filter by way of the by-pass valve, this is not necessarily good. On cold start conditions or situations which require a lot of oil, the higher setting of the Bp valve could reduce/restrict the amount of oil flowing to the engine.

What silvermax is saying about some engines consuming more oil when full is true...I have not heard of this on the Nissan VQ, but a perfect example is the GM Northstar engine. Many owners experience very high oil consumption when the sumps are full, but the engines seem to consume less oil when underfilled by a quart or two. I do not understand the comment about the slipperiness of synthetics causing increased oil consumption as synthetics are generally proven to reduce oil consumption in mechanically sound engines due to their lower rates of volatility. I also don't think that switching back to 10w-30 will make any difference in your oil consumption over 5w-30 since the two products should be essentially the same at normal operating temperatures.

While a lot of people on this site use Mobil 1 and are very happy with it, I've used the product and have personally never been a big fan of it. I've used synthetics exclusively in my cars for over 30 years. I've been using 0w-30 @ 10K drain intervals for the past several years and my '98 with 100K does not use a drop of oil between changes. I drive 65 miles/day to and from work, primarily high-speed highway driving in south-TX heat. Somethings not right if these engines are gobbling up a quart of oil or more in short order.

This post is about the filter, so my recommendation is to stick with the size that's recommended for your engine. There's literally a lot more to it than what meets the eye.

 

GR,
Check out my new thread about when to check oil level and the problems caused by overfilling the oilpan here:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=503469

It will help explain why your oil consumption could go down by keeping the oil level below the H mark.