I have had a few threads on here discussing my oil burning problems. My 95 SE seems to be consuming a lot of oil without much evidence of doing so. I do have trace amounts of light blue smoke coming out of my exhaust. But my oil consumption is easily 1L per week. According to Nissan, there are no oil leaks and the filter had been replaced and checked, with nothing to report. They have no idea what is going on.

Now, while I try to diagnose what the problem is, I have decided to keep a stock of oil with me, so that I can at least top up the oil as it burns. My question is, what type of oil should use? Amsoil seems to be the best according to a lot of the tests from the org.

1) Synthetic or regular?
2) What oil weight do I use?

Is there any easy way to find out where the problem lies - rings, seals, what else could it be?

Lastly, I just had a thought - this car never showed any signs like this until I took out the cat and replaced it with a test pipe and then took it to the track (and obviously drove it hard down the 1/4 mile). Could putting the stock cat back on help at all?

Thanks for any help.

 

You need to have a compression test done pronto....


-RMB

 

I was gonna do that but I got stuck on step 1... oil filter fuse? I can't find that to disconnect it.

 

Try Using 10W40 Valvoline Maxlife- helps to conditions engine seals

 

I thought that Amsoil was pretty much the best, hands down. I did see the Valvoline Max Life line at the local Canadian Tire. Nissan just puts 5W30 all year round I think... so I went ahead and got some Valvoline Max Life 5W30 to top my oil up with.

So, Valvoline over Amsoil? Regular 10W40? Not 10W30 either? I am guessing that you recommend 10W40 for the summers... but what about the winters?

Also I assume, stay away from Synthetic?

 

Send an oil sample to blackstone labs. Use 10W30 reguler dino oil like Catrol GTX until you figure out what's up. Switiching to synth on your motor may only increase consumption, and that may be very costly.

DW

 

I think this is your best bet at this point. The higher mileage oils are mostly marketing and going to a 10W-40 may be premature. A compression test and a sample from Blackstone (use the Dyson analysis option) will provides lots more info as to what course of action to take nect.

 

Please don't use Valvoline anything. It is empirically a weaker oil than other brands for the same money.

VQs have been known to have bad rear main seals or valve cover seals. Those leaks aren't easy to find.


In the interim, use Castrol GTX in 10W/30 form and have your oil analyzed. More details are available in this thread:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hreadid=100060

 

... and how hard are they to fix?
What about Amsoil? I have heard nothing but good things about them.

 

Change your PCV valve.

(Positive Crankcase Ventilation)

 

Could you please elaborate a bit more? I haven't had this option presented to me before. I don't think I quite understand how this is related.

Thanks.

 

If your PCV valve isn't working, the normal blow-by gases that make it past the rings and valve seals stay in the crankcase rather than getting sucked out and burned. These fumes contain unburned gasoline, acids, and water among other ugly things. These can in turn dilute the oil in your engine and make it "thinner" in effect. It'll also sludge the hell out of it in short order. The thinner the oil the more that will be burned......

Just yank the PCV and take a look. If it seems clean enough and rattles when you shake it it's probably ok. You can also blow into it. Air should only pass one way. But replace it anyway...

But I've never heard of a failed PCV system on the Max..... Some Toyota motors are notorious for sludging...

-RMB

 

Check the basics first.Do a compression test-if within spec,perf. a leakdown test.Also look at the spark plugs.If they have soot deposits on them you are burning oil.Most likely culprit are the valve stem seals check evrything else first though

 

Depends on your mechanical ability.


Me personally, I would replace a valve cover gasket before a rear main seal. It's all about your level of comfort.

Keep in mind that my suggestions may be a band-aid for a gunshot wound and/or money thrown out the window if the leak(s) continue.

If you read my link above you would know that I have created the oil analysis spreadsheet and that I personally use Amsoil in my vehicles that I maintain.


Contact member iwannabmw by e-mail or Private Messaging for dealer cost pricing on Amsoil.

 

Hmm so... in my case what was your reason for recommending Castrol GTX 10W30? Does Amsoil not make a 10W30 that would be better than the Castrol GTX?

 

Like everything else in life, it comes down to money:

Castrol GTX: $1.20/quart

Amsoil: $4 to $5/quart


Some people prefer dino oil, others like synthetic.




Castrol GTX has the most consistent wear levels from an oil analysis standpoint on Maximas and that's why it's the preferred dino oil to use.

 

You're burning or leaking a quart a week.

What brand or viscosity or color packaging really doesn't matter right now until you fix the problem.

-RMB

 

Why spend the extra money on Amsoil when it is going to leak out of the engine....... Amsoil 10W30 is a better oil, but its more expensive than Castrol GTX

 

Amsoil, or any other synthetic oil for that matter, does not fix a car. They just perform better and last longer than regular oil. This is nothing to do with your oil problem. Fix the problem first, use the cheapest oil because it's leaking anyways. It would be a huge waste to have a quart of Amsoil disappearing every week. The maxima can use 5W30 or 10W30 oil, I recommended the thicker stuff to help stave off the leaking until you found the problem. If you expereince temps above 0? F all the time, then you can use 10W30 all the time. Once you fix your leak, then think about putting Amsoil in your crankcase.

DW

 

Thanks for all the help guys. I didn't realize that Amsoil was SYNTHETIC ONLY!

I will stick to Castrol GTX 10W30 for now until I fix the problem (hopefully it is something simple and can be fixed cheaply and quickly) and then switch to Amsoil.

 

For summer I use 10w30, for winter I use 5w30. Mobil 1 sync oil. 499 a bottle.

 

What the others have already mentioned was my reasoning as well. Amsoil is a great oil, no question, but you're better off at this point figuring out the consumption before deciding to use it (as much as I'd like to sell you some )

 

i think i may be in the same boat. i lose about 1Q every 500 miles. (i think, i am going to watch this more closely next time i top off my oil)

i have no dripping of any sort and my compression is good. I am going to test compression again, and maybe get a leakdown test. I fear it is valve stem seals, what a PITA!