OliverB Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Today I was informed by a garage doing a service on the car that my 56 plate Zed (DE) is burning 'up to 1 litre of oil per 1000km'! I knew these cars, particularly of the 2006 batch have been known to go through it, but this is mad. Has anyone had similar problems and does anyone know of a solution? Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Yup, new engine I'm afraid. Or a rebuild if you so desire. However, how did they know how much it's burning unless they've run it for 600 miles? Surely you would notice that when carrying out your weekly/monthly/whenever oil check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Bradders- Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 mine done more than that lol, still drove fine for a good 3k miles lol! hold it out whilst saving for a reubild or new engine lol (mine turned out to be valve seals) but i rebuilt the whole engine anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverB Posted April 21, 2016 Author Share Posted April 21, 2016 I suppose they ran it for shorter than 600 miles and multiplied based on average consumption? So...uh...will probably regret asking this but, how much does an engine rebuild set you back? And while I'm asking, could I put an HR engine into a DE for a similar cost? Seems almost easier if I could find a 350z HR that's being broken up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 There's no way they could know, tbh. I'm assuming you don't do any oil level checks yourself to back this up? Just run the car as usual, and check the level after every couple of hundred miles, you'll soon know if it's burning it. You can't really fit a HR to a DE, it would cost more than the car is worth as it's not a straight forward swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph 7 Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Just think about it that you are giving your car an oil change on a more regular basis. You will be doing an oil change every 5000 miles. Mine can also be on the thirstier side of things, especially when I'm just doing my comute to work (sub 4 mile). Doing longer tours of the country yield lower consumption. I just keep an eye on it by tracking my oil top ups using the trip computer odometer. Am I right in thinking that the 1l per 1000 miles was classed as within tolerance from Nissan? Or am I making that up form a beer ravaged memory? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 It's 1L/1KM, but yes you're correct that's within tolerances. Which I think is utter bobbins. Porsche use the same spec for their engines, and that's utter bobbins too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph 7 Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 I agree, it just means they can call the excessive consumption as a 'characteristic' as opposed to a fault. I remember an Alfa 156 company car we can that was a drinker. It never let us down, just had to keep on top of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverB Posted April 21, 2016 Author Share Posted April 21, 2016 Cheers gents. I have only owned the car for a couple of months, had to top up once (a small amount) and then had oil top ups included in checks I've had done, so haven't got into a routine. My commute is 28 miles, lots of smooth M1 driving (ahem) and the roundabouts of Milton Keynes. I've had so many plans for mods to the Z (largely cosmetic), would you guys suggest saving the money for a rebuild/new engine instead, or tolerate additional top ups/changes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph 7 Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 As Ekona said, keep an eye on your consumption, keep a log and see where you are at. You may have many years of trouble free motoring or you may need a bit of work doing. Either way you need to garner the data first. The key thing is to make sure it doesn't run out of oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 I would stop letting others top up for you, and start weekly checks of the level on a definitive surface. It doesn't have to be perfectly flat, but it does have to be consistent so you get an equivalent measure every time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverB Posted April 21, 2016 Author Share Posted April 21, 2016 Cheers, I'll log the oil consumption and maybe resurrect this thread down the line 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggalo Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 lots of smooth M1 driving I've just spent most of the week on the M1 and A1. I think you queue rather than drive that bloody thing. M6 was luxury by comparison. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis_UK Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 (edited) There are so many variables with the VQ35DE it is a nightmare to pinpoint, as other have said just keep on top of it. Could be anything: Valve Seals (Engine Rebuild?) - (Blue smoke on startup?) Piston Rings (Engine Rebuild?) - (Easy to notice, blue smoke on acceleration) PCV Valve (£10 Replacement?) - (Oil Consumed under hard decceleration) Valve/Rocker Cover Leak - Spark Plug Well (£200 each side for Rocker Cover?) or (Get new o-rings and custom fit, £30-£40?) High Engine Mileage (Thicker Oil?) or (Engine Rebuild?) Driving Style (Not letting engine/oil get to temperature before spirited driving?) PS: Replacement Engine 30,000-60,000miles between £2000-£3000ish, if you start spending more might aswell go for engine rebuild atleast you will know for certain it is "new". Edited April 21, 2016 by Lewis_UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 I ran a Honda that used a litre every 1000miles for 3 yrs. Topped it up every 250 miles. Gave it to my bro when I got the zed and it ran ok another year. He sold it to a guy from Latvia who wanted to DRIVE IT BACK TO LATVIA. We told him it burns oil and to top up regularly. He'd need to carry about a boot full of oil for the journey But I bet the car made it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverB Posted April 23, 2016 Author Share Posted April 23, 2016 Thanks for the advice guys! Lewis - I really appreciate the suggestions, I've heard of the PCV being the culprit on the 2006 model. As for the mileage, I'm on 93k, I'm hoping to avoid a rebuild/replacement - if I were to do it, I'd be keen to have the engine prepped for a supercharger, as that's something I've had in mind for a few years down the line. I understand FI requires (or should require) some building of the engine to cope, could I make those changes at the same time do you think? Hopefully it keeps motoring along without ending up with a boot full of oil cans like a certain Honda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marcw79 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 (edited) . Edited August 2, 2016 by marcw79 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GizmoGold Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 My 56 has started doing the same =/ I put in 2L about 3/4k miles ago because it was very low. I luckily checked it after Japfest and it was below minimum again. I'm not seeing any smoke (which I guess is a good sign), but I'm going to take everyone's advice and start checking the oil level weekly to see how quickly it's dropping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobPhoboS Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Firstly don't panic - you probably don't need a rebuild unless you've done all of the checks first and smoke is billowing out Whom is doing the checks/work on your car ? (trying to establish if they are a specialist or not) As the others have said, check it and top it up yourself. Lewis_UK is spot on there. If it's using oil it's worth popping an oil catch can (or two) on. Check the spark plugs for oil - if so replace the valve covers or get the kit to repair it. I used a kit but I've noticed that there is a bit of oil on the plugs again so I'll try some more sealant but in the recess between the seal/valve cover and the metal plug tube this time. Start an account with opieoils and ensure you take advantage of their offers - especially the 5ltr tubs 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GizmoGold Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Firstly don't panic - you probably don't need a rebuild unless you've done all of the checks first and smoke is billowing out Whom is doing the checks/work on your car ? (trying to establish if they are a specialist or not) As the others have said, check it and top it up yourself. Lewis_UK is spot on there. If it's using oil it's worth popping an oil catch can (or two) on. Check the spark plugs for oil - if so replace the valve covers or get the kit to repair it. I used a kit but I've noticed that there is a bit of oil on the plugs again so I'll try some more sealant but in the recess between the seal/valve cover and the metal plug tube this time. Start an account with opieoils and ensure you take advantage of their offers - especially the 5ltr tubs How hard was it to do the repair? I'm changing my spark plugs this weekend and if I see any oil I may need to get the kit from Torqen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobPhoboS Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Just give yourself plenty of time, and a dry place to do it, ideally a garage or a marquee over you I'd start on a friday evening, so if you run into any problems, you have sat to go and get tools/parts easily. http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/94723-rocker-cover-grommets-no-need-to-replace-entire-rc/ You could just try the sealant down the sides first of all, run it for a couple of weeks, check the plugs and see what's happening. Ensure you have something like carb cleaner to hand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GizmoGold Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Just give yourself plenty of time, and a dry place to do it, ideally a garage or a marquee over you I'd start on a friday evening, so if you run into any problems, you have sat to go and get tools/parts easily. http://www.350z-uk.c...lace-entire-rc/ You could just try the sealant down the sides first of all, run it for a couple of weeks, check the plugs and see what's happening. Ensure you have something like carb cleaner to hand. Thank you 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverB Posted April 26, 2016 Author Share Posted April 26, 2016 Thanks for the advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverB Posted August 11, 2016 Author Share Posted August 11, 2016 Apologies for ressurecting an old thread, however I found an engine going for £2.5k (fitted). They say that have DE engines with new head gasket valve stems, tested and skimmed head, all oil seals re-done, crankshaft polished etc. Question is, would a 2003-2005 engine be compatible with a 2006 Rev-up car? It is listed as 2003-2007. If you're interested, they're at globalengines.co.uk, not sure if they're a known entity on the forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 I've never heard of them. What ended up happening with your engine? Did it give up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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