Oil Consumption.

[maddog1982]

Hi Guiys, I know the 296hp engine is known to use oil. Question is what is normal? Im struggling to workout if the oil has dropped, Ive had it 1400 miles now, im sure it was level when I bought it and now look likes its used maybe 1/8 on the stick. I drove it this morning, left it for ten mins then checked the level.

[WhackyWill]

Mine does not use any oil and its got 80k on the clock, if its using that much in 1400 miles

 

I would look for a leak or do a compression test as it may be rings, how many miles on the clock ?.

[maddog1982]

Mine does not use any oil and its got 80k on the clock, if its using that much in 1400 miles

 

I would look for a leak or do a compression test as it may be rings, how many miles on the clock ?.

 

its got 49k on the clock full history and the last owner drove it like an old man! It may be me not reading the level right. oil pressure is around 20psi when warm on tickover. The other thing to not the ground had a slight decline so this maybe will have effected it. im talking ever so slight. I will check again. Is it better to do this when cold, maybe the oil hadnt fully drained back into the sump?

[Briggsybriggs1]

My car uses oil about a 1/4 it's not normal for a car to use that much it was a big problem on some off the 2006 rev up . I just keep checking my oil every month iv no signs off smoke or leaks anywhere . ..look on the USA site my350z there is loads off chat about it. .

[Briggsybriggs1]

its got 49k on the clock full history and the last owner drove it like an old man! It may be me not reading the level right. oil pressure is around 20psi when warm on tickover. The other thing to not the ground had a slight decline so this maybe will have effected it. im talking ever so slight. I will check again. Is it better to do this when cold, maybe the oil hadnt fully drained back into the sump?

 

Yes cold and flat when u check your oil .

[maddog1982]

oh oil is still golden which was changed around 3000 miles a go.

[maddog1982]

Sorry thinking about this, the oil will have been full when serviced (right to the top line?), so its at this level after around 3000 miles if im measuring correctly

[Briggsybriggs1]

Sounds ok then just check your oil level again when cold and parked on a level ground if needed top it up if needed then check it again In 1000 miles

[chubbster]

Hi Guiys, I know the 296hp engine is known to use oil. Question is what is normal? Im struggling to workout if the oil has dropped, Ive had it 1400 miles now, im sure it was level when I bought it and now look likes its used maybe 1/8 on the stick. I drove it this morning, left it for ten mins then checked the level.

 

As has already been said, this looks ok at the moment. If you had a real problem you'd have been down to the low mark on your dipstick - or even lower - after 1400 miles. If you're at all concerned, make a table in a Word file, check your oil every week and keep a tally in the Word file. This will give you a clear, objective picture over a period of time and it will also help any garage/mechanic if you ever need to do anything about it.

 

Trust me, the hi-rev engines that had this problem were losing oil at a far greater rate than this. You are using oil, but it's manageable at his stage. I don't want to worry you unduly, but some of the hi-rev engines started off with no problem and then suddenly developed it. So, keep a regular eye on your dipstick.

[370Ad]

Mine does not use any oil and its got 80k on the clock, if its using that much in 1400 miles

 

I would look for a leak or do a compression test as it may be rings, how many miles on the clock ?.

 

Yours is the 276 engine though isn't it? So 'shouldn't' use excessive oil.

[WhackyWill]

Mine does not use any oil and its got 80k on the clock, if its using that much in 1400 miles

 

I would look for a leak or do a compression test as it may be rings, how many miles on the clock ?.

 

Yours is the 276 engine though isn't it? So 'shouldn't' use excessive oil.

 

Yes' one of the last ones made in 2006.

[JetSet]

. ..look on the USA site my350z there is loads off chat about it. .

 

Yes, seems to be a bigger problem in The States. Just a thought but the 3.5 engine was built at 2 sites, one of them in Kentucky or at least somewhere in The Deep South, just wondering about quality control. Also 98 Ron isn't easily available in some rural parts of The States, could be a factor.

 

Pete

[maddog1982]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I have no idea on the brand of oil, Its what ever nissan use. Its a tight a drum the car has little wear on it which you would expct being so well looked after. Only thing I notice is its a bit ticky when idling.

[WhackyWill]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I have no idea on the brand of oil, Its what ever nissan use. Its a tight a drum the car has little wear on it which you would expct being so well looked after. Only thing I notice is its a bit ticky when idling.

 

Think Jet was referring to 98 Ron Petrol not oil.

 

[chubbster]

. ..look on the USA site my350z there is loads off chat about it. .

 

Yes, seems to be a bigger problem in The States. Just a thought but the 3.5 engine was built at 2 sites, one of them in Kentucky or at least somewhere in The Deep South, just wondering about quality control. Also 98 Ron isn't easily available in some rural parts of The States, could be a factor.

 

Pete

 

It was quite a big problem here too. I don't think it was a local USA quality control problem. Nissan have never admitted knowing what it was, but I bet they know. Partly, they'd taken the VQ35 engine to its limit and maybe there was a problem with some batches of the piston rings (or were they assembled wrongly? These theories could explain it). I have known of a few UK cars - presumably built in Japan - whose engines blew up through lack of oil and quite a few more who had excessive oil consumption, but Nissan wouldn't recognise it because it fell just short of their ridiculous oil consumption limit (I think the car had to use more than 2 litres every 1,000 miles before they'd do anything, so if you used something like 1.5 litres per 1k miles you were stuffed). I think there's more said about it in the USA because they have more 350z's over there and they shout louder (class actions, etc).

[yankeesiter]

Hi Guiys, I know the 296hp engine is known to use oil. Question is what is normal? Im struggling to workout if the oil has dropped, Ive had it 1400 miles now, im sure it was level when I bought it and now look likes its used maybe 1/8 on the stick. I drove it this morning, left it for ten mins then checked the level.

 

As has already been said, this looks ok at the moment. If you had a real problem you'd have been down to the low mark on your dipstick - or even lower - after 1400 miles. If you're at all concerned, make a table in a Word file, check your oil every week and keep a tally in the Word file. This will give you a clear, objective picture over a period of time and it will also help any garage/mechanic if you ever need to do anything about it.

 

Trust me, the hi-rev engines that had this problem were losing oil at a far greater rate than this. You are using oil, but it's manageable at his stage. I don't want to worry you unduly, but some of the hi-rev engines started off with no problem and then suddenly developed it. So, keep a regular eye on your dipstick.

 

Good advice. When I had my 350 Zed and used to take it to the Continent, it used to use about 1.5 litres in 3500 miles and when it came back last year, it had 97k on the clock. The car is still for sale which is not too much use to you (just an aside for those worrying about buying cars with high mileage).

 

Hope you don't have a problem after following the advice above. Good luck

[ATTAK Z]

The reason I traded my 2004 (rather than selling it privately) was because the oil consumption was excessive

[eatonm90]

Hi All, Had my 276 for 2 months with 67,000 miles now done 3000 miles on it over that period but have been a bit concerned as used getting on for 2ltrs of oil. It uses more oil than my old supercharged A series Mini. Looked at the US forums and can see it has been a big issue over there. I have done visual inspections and can only see a small leak in No.6 plug hole but not major yet. No sign of burning it either although I recently fitted a plenum spacer and the oil looked fairly fresh inside. Going to check the PCV valve and try a leak down test if I get time over the weekend.