In between changes?
I drive the car pretty hard and lose about half a quart in between oil changes. I use mobil 5w30 syn

Should I be worried?

 

my car hasn't been losing oil and it has 35,000 miles

 

Do you drive it hard though? I heard if you drive a car hard, it will burn/lose more oil

 

I drive pretty hard and haven't NOTICED any oil loss. I had the oil changed about 1000 miles ago, so I'll keep checking it to see how it goes.

IMO, if you aren't needing to add oil between changes, then you are fine.

-D'oh!

 

so i'm guessing me losing half a quart every 3k is a bad thing?

 

I've heard about this from a few board members here and there. I don't think it's a reason for worry, unless you're like one guy that I read about (around here) that lost A LOT of oil between changes (I think he got a new engine).

I mean, there is a reason that it is recommended to check your oil levels periodically... for instances such as this. Or to determine if there is reason to believe that you might've sprung a leak.

My oil consumption between changes has been relatively low.

 

I just recently changed my oil myself and found out that I also lost some oil, around half a quart. I drive my car pretty hard though. I'll be more mindful of checking my oil levels this time around.

 

In between oil changes at 3500 miles I wouldn't lose a noticeable amount of oil. That included a few track days between oil changes and I also used Mobil 1 5w-30. I wouldn't worry about using 1/2 a quart between oil changes, if you had to add a quart or more between changes then I'd have them check it out.

 

I wouldn't worry about it unless it gets worse. It is strange for a Nissan engine to lose oil, though. My Z doesn't lose any oil that is noticable and that because I race the car a whole lot. Maybe its the type of oil? I use Royal Purple 10-40 in summer and 10-30 in winter. In my 280Z if I used 10-30 in the summer in would burn about 1/2 quart every 3000 miles, but if I used 20-50 in the summer in wouldn't burn anything noticeable.

 

Well now I'm getting really worried. I keep getting mixed answers on this. This combined with the number of people that have had their motors replaced due to oil consumption is a scary thing.

Is this an issue with mobil 1syn 5w30?

 

I will probably get flamed for this, but I hate Mobil 1. I have had bad experiences with Mobil 1 because it breaks down quicker than advertised. I would rather use .99 cent oil than Mobil 1. Last time I used it I had to change it at 1500 miles because it already breaking down. Maybe it was the gasoline I used? I was also racing the car and I thought the high temperatures were causing the Mobil 1 to break down. I don't really know for sure what caused it but after that I never went back to it. I also haven't had a problem since.

 

You might also want to check if you are burning it or losing it. On my preorder Z I had a slow oil leak from the driverside valve cover. I couldn't see the leak because all the oil was on the cover under the engine. I only found it when I changed my own oil. You might see it if you look at the tag with a serial number on the valve cover. My tag always had oil on it.

 

Good point, check out your exhaust tips, is there excess amounts of black soot?

 

To get an answer on this question, I asked my father (long time mechanic). He said it is normal to burn half a quart to a full quart in between changes (2500-3500 miles)

I didnt stop there

1 I called Sheridan nissan and spoke to Jeff in the service dept.
He said " half a quart to 1 quart every 2500-3k is normal.

2 I called Porter Nissan and spoke with Amanda (who asked a tech). Their answer was "half a quart is normal, if it increases then bring it in."

3 I callled Performance Nissan in CA and spoke with Dan in their service dept. His answer "losing half a quart is not abnormal"

4 I called Ganwood Nissan (think thats the name) and spoke with their service dept. They to said it was normal.

So there you have it. It is normal to burn half to 1 full quart every oil change.

 

What do you guys mean when you say you are "racing" your cars? Do you mean that you are actually racing or are you talking about drag racing or street racing?

Just curious. I see a lot of this from people who I'm pretty sure have never turned a wheel on a race track, so I wonder.

 

Actually racing the car not street racing.

 

How do you know your losing oil. I can't even get a clear reading on that damn oil stick. Am I the only one that can't tell how much oil they have?

I haven't been worried yet because it's a new motor. But sooner than later, this is going to be a problem.

 

change your oil every 10,000 miles the 3,000 is a myth

unless you drive exclusivly city then id go 5,000

 

I've always wondered who the dipstick was that engineered the Z dipstick . Anyone have the address for the straight replacement dipstick . I know it exists but not where to purchase . Thanks .


FrankieZZ
PS The readings some of you get of 1/2 quart down , may not be completely accurate due to the difficulty in getting an accurate reading from that poor excuse of a dipstick .

 

10,000 miles are you serious ???