or is it quietly over exaggerated like everyone seems to do? I just can't see a VQ, let alone Nissan let this go on in the VQ35 for 2 years without noticing it and fixing it. I heard it is a bad egg thing you could get one with or with out. Also I use Syn mobil 1 in my Gen 4, I plan on using the same oil and its kinda expensive, How much are we talking about oil burn if I happen to get a "bad" egg?

Also, Do these have tranni issues down the road like my Gen 4 does? I have a bad Input shaft bearing that started to happen around 160k and right now it sounds like ball bearings in a blender but shes still kicking at 213k miles.

I mean if these Gen 5.5s have them then that would mean most 350z have the issue too right? Is there a fix that big modders ever done?

 

I have an oil burner and i came from a 00 jetta 2.0 and that car burned way more oil than my vq35, i dont feel its bad at all, been driving almost 3 months and i have only added 1quart of oil, so if i gotta spend $32 ($8 x 4quarts) a year in extra oil im ok with that. Im used to checking my engine out like every few days anyways.

If your the type of guy who only opens the hood at an oil change you will have to get used to checking every 2 weeks

 

it burns oil, some worse than others, very few not at all but if i was to giv my 02.... i say get a altima SER, more market out there for em, look better etc

 

My 5.5 thankfully is not one of the oil burners. I tend to check the oil once a week just in case though. The auto tranny is also bulletproof. Love it

 

kidding right?

 

^ Of course, 1-2 makes me sick. Shiftkit is a must have, one of the only reasons I regret buying another Maxima.Along with no waiting a little longer for a 6 spd...

Also, sort of off-topic do 6gen and up have better turn radius?>

 

Isn't the oil burning issue due to the variable valve timing? I don't have much experience with Nissan's VVT system, as my previous personal Nissan experience is all KA24, SR20, VG30-TT. The only Nissan I've had with VVT is a Spec V, but I didn't look into it much, cause it was just a get around car while I had my 300ZX. But I do have a good bit of experience with Honda's VTEC system, and every Honda in the known world with VTEC burns oil because of VTEC.

It's not a ton of oil by any means, and if you drive it really easy and don't rev the car high enough to engage VTEC, you probably wouldn't even notice any oil consumption at all, but, if you were like me, and redlined all the time, you'd have to add about a quart or two of oil every few weeks. At least once a month anyways.

Anyways, isn't Nissan's VVT system working constantly at all rpm's to change the valve timing at a moment's notice at any rpm? If so, wouldn't that be one of the main reasons that they would burn/consume oil?

 

Disregard that last post. I just went and educated myself a little further on Nissan's system, and have learned that it is not even a variable valve timing system, but simply a variable timing control system and has nothing to do with using engine oil for the solenoids or anything like that. Never mind. Carry on...

 

Maxima auto trans are weak... Ur speaking about a Modded transmission...

 

im on my 2nd 2002 maxima 6 speed and both of them burned oil the one i have now burned oil changed the engine slapped in an 05 engine and problem solved no oil burning issues

 

Do u have the issue with crank sensors?

 

Do it! It's like a luck of the draw, some are worse than others, but couldn't you apply the same concept to most things in life? I vote for you to get a mint '03 Titanium Edition...and then sell me the stock TE wheels when you start to mod it.

 

03 TE with Meridian package 6-speed, or 04 Elite with Tech package 6-speed. Both awesome cars IMHO... Both hard to find...

 

I've read that some 5.5 owners swap valve covers to 04+ valve covers I believe it helps

 

Also the "Home Depot" catch can helped me out some with the oil consumption.

 

damn a quart every 2 weeks? lol has anyone figured out to as why? lol That seems so crazy.

 

86k on the clock and I burn 2-3 quarts of syn every 3k. It is getting STUPID. I am switching to dyno this weekend and see how it goes.

I do an oil change and at around 1300-1500 the engine starts making a ticking sound.

I do have my front valve cover leaking and I don't know about the rear. But I can't imagine THAT much comes out. I mean there is nothing in my garage on the floor...

 

No didn't help me. I did not have a problem with my valve covers in the first place I just did it as preventative maintenance.

Its the rings on the pistons is why the oil burns. Nothing will stop it; oil catch cans, changing valve covers, different oil, etc.....only a full engine rebuild and replace piston rings OR drop a later model VQ35DE in your car.

To answer the OP's question. NO, its not that bad. You need to check your oil every 2 weeks and add accordingly that is all. If you forget ot check regularly the friendly OIL light will come on and remind you!!

 

Did the same thing only lasted about 40 days till a B1tch totaled my car....but planning the same thing next year, I get tired of adding a little here and there....

 

I must be be of the lucky few that has a 02 6sp that dosnt burn oil. Eghuast tips are clean. Approx 147K miles, then again Iv owned this baby since 07 at 67K miles. Taken great care with regular oil changes. Its a hit and miss situation i guess

 

Dude that is HORRIBLE. I never have had to check my oil between oil changes with ANY other car. This car it's ridiculous. I only should open my hood once to change my oil every 3 months or 3-4k miles, not 6-7 times!!! I don't even bother to check my oil now I am so fed up with it. I just wait for the engine to start ticking and throw in a quart. I don't give a **** if I am damaging the engine when it goes I swap in a 2k9 w/ hal.

Nissan ****ed up BIG TIME. There is no excuse for not correctly sizing the rings. They and everyone else have been doing it correctly for years.

They should have done a recall. Tru story.

I am switching to dyno because putting in 2-3 quarts between oil changes is costing too much. It's a ****ing j o k e.

Oh and the auto tranny sucks mine is slamming into gear and the clutches slip and I am only at 87k, and don't beat on the car. It only been to the strip once for 4 runs which is nothing. I have a full 6 spd swap going in soon. I can't wait to be away from this thing(I am starting to think of the whole car this way at 87k it should not burn 3 quarts of oil between changes and the tranny should last to 150k like every other automobile on the planet).

I now personally believe the reason the 02-03 was so short lived was because they knew they were producing a **** product and had to stop. Why stop selling the best performing(other than the 3rd gen, depending) and looking maxima ever(until the 7th gen)?



edit: Oh and it turns like a BOAT. Seriously I have driven many SUVs with better turning radius. I literally get embarrassed pulling into parking spaces with this thing. After 4 years I am learning to hate this car.

 

sounds like a plan keep us posted when you do it buddy

 

The main problem was the weak precats grenading themselves then particles being sucked back into the engine and tearing up the rings. VQ35 stock tune dumps alot of unburnt fuel. Im pretty sure all of you have seen vids of the 3.5s with only exhuast mods spitting a few flames.

Another reason this is especially for people who are hard on their cars is a malfunctioning PVC valve, this is the reason they say replace the valve covers. When you come off the throttle if the car is still at a high RPM there is a very high negative vac in the IM, there are 2 things connected to that IM and that is brake booster and PVC. So it ends up sucking up whatever is in the valve cover, that happens to be oil.

 

I agree the 5th Gens do turn like a boat...a big boat. But it really does sound like a hit and miss thing with the VQ35. It does sound like you got one of the lemons though... There's always lemons in every manufacturer.

 

Sounds like you should have done your homework before purchasing.

 

I knew all about it. It didn't burn oil for the 1st 2 years I had it and maxima auto trannies I have always had good luck with.

 

'02 SE 6MT w/178k miles, owned since 59k miles, always had slight oil burn issue between changes.

Always used Castrol 5w30, then went to Castrol High Mileage OR Supertech high Mileage 5w30.

The last couple of months it has become apparent my oil burning has become extreme. A quart of oil every 1-2 weeks. Car seems to run fine with some mild bogging under 3k which is normal and annoying at times, but after 3k seems to run smooth and fine.

So I just keep driving it like I stole it. Worse case scenario? Engine goes boom...

...can't plan for it. Just deal with it and keep oil readily available at all times.

 

mine seems ****ty below 3k too never put two and two together. Have you ever considered putting that stuff in your oil that says it can fix bad rings etc. I am scared it may clog up tiny oil passages and cause the engine to go bad even quicker.

 

^^ I wouldn't bother with that kind of stuff personally. Mine burns some, if I run over 3k miles between oil changes (every single time) to like 5-6k it probably burns 2.5 quarts in that span, not really a big deal to me.

I continue to drive it like I stole it as it's paid off and if it breaks it breaks.

 

I didn't burn any oil on my 1st 5.5 until the cats fell apart

2nd burned oil when engine braking, but was pretty good otherwise, but it also has headers.

It's hit or miss on the rings, hit or miss on previous owner's maintenance and only a ticking time bomb with precats.

 

Wasn't the theory was the pre-cats would fail and in turn get sucked into the engine and then damage the cyl walls, therefore leading to oil consumption right? Worst case it could kill the engine I believe. Another marvelous nissan design decision. Go swap in a 6th gen max engine oh wait tensioners are known to go bad. Proof: http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...ront-bank.html

When I do my headers next month I will cut open my cats and see their condition.

 

How much is a vq35 + labor For the swap usually?

 

is this to say very old cats should be replaced as preventitive maintenance?

 

haha, damn, I don't understand how car mfg make a new car, and I get it, the redesign it, usually from head to toe, but how the hell do they change so much stuff, that they just end up with issues? DO they not own or have one of their own cars?

They probably should to see what happens to it and what doesn't happen and learn from that you figured going from gen to gen they would lessen each issue but every new gen has a new issue that either the last gen didn't have or an issue that is on top or worse of the last issue.

Its insane. What is even worse is they don't fix issues the next year most of the time if it isn't done on more then a certain % of cars. Unfortunately all car mfg are like this. It seems. Just like my Throw out bearing issue in my gen 4, ALL gen 4 transmissions I heard can get this issue after 160k.

 

Man, its really not THAT bad. If you feel so strongly about it then buy another year Maxima and dont deal with the issue, or buy 5.5 gen and swap in 09 maxima motor. Almost EVERYONE in here has been dealing with the oil burning issue for YEARS since the dam car came out and I haven't seen anyone BLOW up their engine because of oil burning. NOW, if you dont pay attention and let the dam thing run dry then YES you will ruin your engine, BUT the little OIL light usually comes on long before that happens. YES, it SUCKS that it burns oil. YES, it SUCKS that turning radius is GARBAGE, YES, it sucks 3rd gear synchros are TRASH.......

BUT this doesnt SUCK:

 

Its just the way it is. By the time this issue became relevant most cars were out of warranty so its a "damn that sucks" attitude.

oil burn off effects about 1% maybe 2% of the 5.5gens. Next to all of them dont have issues. i have only read of 3 stories on here off oil burn off. It can get terrible yes but most cars have headers on them so they dont experience pre-cat failure.

 

I've got a 2003 might put 100 miles on it a month with about 30 hours idle a month and it will burn through 3 quarts in a 4-5 month period. Oil light never comes on but the engine starts throwing valve timing and crankshaft sensor/solenoid codes. Worst part is the dipstick always reads as full.

 

this is a 9 year old thread, and i dont have any issues with the dip stick, its as accurate as any dipstick should be, don't forget you can't check with a warm engine, I always let it sit overnight to check my oil, (rule of thumb is 20 mins after driving at a minimum but that's not always enough time to cool off) i have seen the most accurate measurements that way, down to an 1/8 of quart.

 

my 02 6 speed just hit 300,000 miles recently and it's been an oil guzzler since I got it in December of 2012 with 175,000 miles on it. I check and add oil every sunday. I really like the car so I'll be doing a 7th gen engine swap next year. right now my transmission is out and apart. I'm adding a Sentra SE-R Spec V H-LSD, JWT flywheel, 350Z clutch, and my ECU just got back from Nisformance. I've always been into Maximas since driving a VE30DE 3rd gen SE back in the day.