pjung_hej

Hi guys,
What could be causing oil consumption? I have a 98 Max and I've been adding one bottle of oil every 1K miles. I know I drive hard and rev the engine all the time but this doesn't sound normal. The only mod I have that directly affects the engine is the UDP. Does any one have the same problem?
-P

carnal_c30

iTrader: (38)

are you sure it isnt leaking?

Nismo

iTrader: (18)

can be caused by worn piston rings which then the oil will be burned up instead of having it scraped off the cylinder walls.

Micah95GLE

Did you buy the car new? That sounds like either a big leak somewhere or the car was abused during break-in and the rings are in bad shape. Does the car blow blue smoke out of the exhaust, or are there puddles of oil under the car after it's been parked for a while?

Frank Fontaine

Happy New Year, almost time to go to the parade.
Anyway I had the same problem on my 98. I was under 60k so they replaced the oil pressure switch under warranty. I think it's cured the problem now. Good luck.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

If the rings are shot you should see a ton of blue smoke out the exhaust. If you don't, I would lean towards a hidden leak somewhere.

pjung_hej

Thanks for the reply guys. No I don't see blue smoke out of the exhaust, but I don't see oil on the ground when the car is parked for a while neither. I suspect there is probably a hidden leak somewhere...I only have 50K miles so hopefully they'll fix it under warranty. I just hope they won't blame on the UDP...

kit99bar

If you rev your car high alot, then you will burn oil up.
that's what's happening

Eric99SE-L

How many miles are on the car? If the oil does not appear to be leaking, you should do a compression check. All cylinders should within 10% of each other. Most Maximas should go 200k miles before using oil. I doubt the car is burning oil unless it has been seriously overheated.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

It wouldn't go through oil at the rate of 1qt every 1K, though. My 97 has 61K on it and has only burned 2 quarts of oil over it's life, both on extended highway trips. In the summer months, the engine lives at the redline, so high revving doesn't necessarily mean it will burn oil.

pjung_hej, is the bottom of the car coated with a greasy film. There could be a hidden leak that pools in a crevice, but when the car moves it will streak backward. In any case, no matter what it is, I don't see how they can blame the UDP and back it up. Good luck

UMD_MaxSE

iTrader: (1)

1 quart every 1k miles is a lot oil loss The UDP has nothing to do with it, unless you are leaking oil from the crankshaft seal.... check the area around the pulley and belts.... any grease or oil?

pjung_hej

This is exactly what I'm worrying about...the mechanic that installed my UDP had a hard time taking the stock pulley out. After he finally took it out(I don't know what he did to take it out), he did not change the oil seal ring...but I'll check that. Thx.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

In that case, if it did cause the problem, and the install wasn't done too long ago, it could be warranty work from your mechanic instead, providing he botched the install.

unrealii

iTrader: (8)

I know a taurus is not a maxima, but my taurus's pcv valve went out and the intake was sucking up all of my oil and burning it finely, therefore I was unable to detect it in the exaust. I know nissan uses better parts, but I'd add the pcv valve to your list as things to check.

2DMax

iTrader: (2)

I also have a 98 SE with an oil disappearing trick.
Not to the degree of yours though....about 1/4 qt every 1000 miles.
Had my oil sending unit replaced and the problem lessened, but did not disappear.
Strange, sometimes I have a problem, sometimes I don't. I use the same oil all the time.
Go figure.

Frank Fontaine

Your comments are food for thought. I too had the switch replaced, but I can't tell if I'm still losing oil or not. It's not to the same degree, that's for sure. I wonder how many others are affected--no oil on the ground, but a weird feeling that the oil is still depleting at trace amounts, pressure switch already replaced. Why does the question keep popping up on 98's?

These days, because so many people don't intend on keeping the car or it's leased, nobody cares. There is a mentality out there that figures the problem will just be passed on to the next owner. But those who want to keep the car and have paid for it do care..... it just makes you wonder about Nissan's quality, ie VQ is supposed to be an awesome motor, right?

pjung_hej

This has me worried...I wondering how many people are experiencing the same problem on their max(especially 98)but just either don't know about it or ignoring it. So some of you have the oil sending switch(?) replaced...what exactly is it anyway and how would replacing the switch solve the problem? One more item for me to check...

I'm one of those who's planing to keep my car for a while and I'm bothered so much by the oil leaking/consuming problem I'm having. One side of me is saying that I should bring my car to the dealer and have them check it, but other side of me is saying that I shouldn't because they'll just end up blaming the mods I have(UDP not installed right, intake not supposed to be modified, y-pipe and cat not legal, blah, blah, blah...), and then void my warranty. I really don't know what to do...

2DMax

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, I have no idea.
My car has been garaged it's entire life, and never a drop was on the floor. But the dealer put a tracer in the oil and located a leak in the sending unit.
But like someone said earlier, the harder you drive it, the more likely it is to burn it. I don't drive it hard, crusin' pretty good on the highways, but not hard. The dealer said there was no trace in the exhaust. I would really like to see the inside of the cat converter though.

Micah95GLE

I drive fairly hard (redline at least once almost every day that I drive), but I've never added a single drop of oil to the Maxima. It doesn't lose a drop between oil changes, and I go 4000-5000 miles between changes. It's time for an oil change now, and the oil still has a gold tint to it. I love my VQ. I think that it's strange that other Maximas are losing oil. I didn't know it was a problem.

Frank Fontaine

Here's where you can read about the oil pressure switch, at the bottom of the page:

https://maxima.org/forums/5th-generation-maxima-2000-2003/45742-woodtrim.html

If you look at the oil pan from behind the right tire, you will see the switch.

Another weird thing about the Maxima is it's very difficult to get a good oil level reading without letting it sit for hours if not overnight, and then the incline matters. I don't know if that's a result of the transverse engine, but I've never had to be so careful about checking the oil level in any other car I've owned. They've all been RWD though....

Micah95GLE

I always check the oil after the car has been sitting overnight, on any car. You can't get an accurate reading if the car has been running in the last few hours, because much of the oil will still be in the heads.

ivolley

iTrader: (1)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Frank Fontaine
[B]


Here's where you can read about the oil pressure switch, at the bottom of the page:

https://maxima.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=45742

SO SO true I could not get an accurate reading on the dipstick. I have a 97 with 62K miles and I have seen my oil light flash intermittenly and I took it back to where the oil was changed and they apologized and replaced the oil, I am running Castrol Synthethic, this was three weeks ago and a couple of days ago while breaking hard the oil greeted me an then went away.

pjung_hej

Thanks, this is very informative.

In regard to reading the oil level, it's true that unless your car is absolute level, it's hard to get an accurate reading. However, the manual recommends warming up the car to normal temp and wait for at least 10 minutes for the oil to come down. If you look at the dipstick for the auto tranny, it has two readings: cold and hot. It's the same reason for engine oil reading. Leaving the car for too long might not give you accurate reading especially in cold weather like this...

Victim64

I am having the same problem on my 98. To start, I can NEVER get a good reading on the dip stick. And to top it off, I think I am some how losing oil. Never see any on the ground, just changed my plugs and they looked normal, and don't see any smoke coming out of the exhaust. I have noticed some oil around the oil pressure switch on the back of the oil pan and plan on replacing that during the next oil change, but like I said above, no oil is ever on the ground??? Where is it going?? Never had a remote issue with oil on my old 96, and this is pushing the wrong buttons. Had several mods that I was going to order in the next few weeks, but not while this problem presist.

ivolley

iTrader: (1)

I think certain VQs are oil burners (no blue smoke or anything) but consuming oil. I had my oil pressure sensor replaced and guess what happened 2400 miles later the light was back on. This does trouble me and just like you I have no oil stains in driveway and no smoke. since then I have chosen to change oil every 2,500 miles. The oil you see on the senor is probably from the filter dripping oil on it when it gets changed, the sensor sits just below the filter so it gets an oil bath when it is unscrewed.


GOOD LUCK

2DMax

iTrader: (2)

I think the 98 VQ's steal the oil and sell it on the black market

kratz74

I burn a quart every 2-3000 miles or so. Engine spends a good 30-40% of its time above 3500 rpm. My friends 98 Caddy burns a quart every 3-400 miles. I say Oil is cheap-live with it. Oh and my car has 100k on it and I am the original owner and meticulously broke it in. .