The main important things are:
1. Run synthetic and change it a lot, at least every 3000 miles or every time you go on the track. You should be doing this anyway no matter what sort of car you have.
2. If you drive hard or do any sort of motorsports, run a cooler.

 

You guys seem to be all about your mods anyway. Get an aftermarket oil cooler and add that merit badge to your signature.

 

Another thing to note is track driven 350Z's need an engine oil cooler and diff cooler as well. They just don't have oil temp monitoring and they don't have a limp mode.

The 350Z diff gets really hot, and the engine, although the oil temps are not as bad as the 370Z does get into the tilt zone in track driving.

 

I live in Texas and track my HR 350z and the temps have not been bad enough to worry about getting a oil cooler for the diff or engine. I have ran Amsoil in the car and also Castrol Edge. No problems at all. The 350Z doesn't need a oil cooler to do track duty in some serious heat (100 degree's) as I know many down here that don't. The 370z needs it even for 5pm traffic. It wants to overheat.

This doesn't mean it doesn't hurt to have one anyways, but it isn't required.

 

LOL. You've known Mike Kojima for over 10 years? Wow. Long time acquaintance, huh?

I bet Mike hasn't the foggiest idea who your are except for the assclown who keeps talking like a tool. Or poser. I lean towards tool.

Will (fully expects SOLO's forum-famous hypocritical TOU retort and self-deprecating arrogant response)

 

No need too, I don't lower myself to your level anymore.

 

Mike, (I hope it's alright to call you Mike, I know I haven't known you since the early 90's like Solo) I tried posting this over at my350z.com, but it would only post the first paragraph or two, even in a second post. So, hopefully you'll see this here. Sorry for somewhat OT guys, but maybe everyone will find this a bit interesting:

The valve clatter issue was present on the G37 as well, which also uses the VQ37VHR engine. The VQ37VHR uses Nissan's patented hydrogen-free DLC. What's being postulated is that an ester-based hydrocarbon is needed to quiet the valve train because of the H-free DLC found on the bucket face of these engines.

Where I get confused is looking at the VQ35HR, which also uses Nissan's patented H-free DLC coating on the bucket faces, but doesn't share the valve clatter complaint with the VQ37VHR. So why is the H-free DLC now the culprit for valve clatter?

Looking at the two engines, and the complaint singularly associated with just one of them, I find it hard to believe that the common DLC coating is the culprit rather than the unique VVEL mechanism found in the VQ37VHR. Further, I find it hard to believe that using an ester base oil is the solution, based simply on an ester's polar affinity, when there are a good number of other hydroxyl compounds used in engine oil with similar hydrophillic properties. This becomes especially curious when examining the patent for Nissan's ester oil, which is not an ester-based product, but does have a unique ingredient I have not seen in an oil formulation before.

Looking at Nissan's patent for this new oil, we can see the use of an ester additive. Quote:
Ester additives are often favored for their natural polar affinity, but also for their solvency, high viscosity index, and high-temperature/high-shear stability. They also react with water and are therefore hydrolytically unstable, a natural drawback to their hydroxyl construction. Thus, the use of ester is required to be minimized to a proportion beneficial for its solvency, rather than its lubricity. Quote:
Also, just to be clear, most ester additives are not the same as the diester and polyolester (POE) base oils used in oils like Motul or Redline. Fatty-acid ester additives are often variants of trimethylol propane C8/C10, known as TMP esters. The base oil used by Nissan in its testing of this new formulation was actually a polyalphaolefin, or PAO. The oil can be synthetic or conventional based, however. Quote:
The key for the base oil is that it not exceed 15% aromatic content, so that oxidative stability is maintained. PAO has excellent oxidation resistance due to its fully-saturated nature. Fully-saturated hydrocarbons like PAO are also very thermolytically stable for this reason, and for the same reason, are very poor solvents. The use of a conventional base oil with a fatty-acid ester additive is described as a potential alternative when a solvent-refined conventional oil additive is also included. Quote:
Now, whether PAO or conventional based, the whole point of the paper has been centered around the use of several solvent and carrier additive possibilities such as TMP esters which can adequately suspend and diffuse a nanoparticle lubricant. Nanoparticles such as organomolybdenum compounds have been in use for many years as an engine oil aditive. The most common are molybdenum dithiocarbamate (MoDTC) and molybdenum dithiophosphate (MoDTP). Zinc dithiophosphate (ZDDP) is also very well known, although there have been inconclusive studies to suggest phosphorus is detrimental to modern catalytic converter life expectancy, and so it's use is declining. In addition, low SAPS oil restricts ZDDP and Molybdenum Disulfide use in order to reduce ash. AntimonyDTC is another common, albeit expensive, nanoparticle. Nissan's patent addresses a nanoparticle which is ashless, durable, presents no issue to modern catalysts, and exhibits a low friction coefficient- diamonds, or rough chemical equivalents at least. Quote:
H-free DLC is a potential nanoparticle base, and guess who owns the patent on the world's first hydrogen-free diamond like compound? Nissan. I think Nissan has figured out how to make their H-free DLC into an additive which needs a good solvent to help adhere it to surfaces. Quote:
Ester base oils and ester additives are nothing new and not special. They have drawbacks of their own when used as engine oils. H-free DLC is new, is worth a couple of patents, and is expensive. I think this is what we are getting with Nissan's "special" ester oil.

Consider the overall mechanism of the VVEL system, and it becomes clear that while it is a good bit simpler than BMW's Valvetronic design, it is still a rather complex system with unique lubrication needs. The HR uses DLC buckets without the valve clatter, so why would the DLC buckets be the issue on the VHR engines only? The VVEL system, however, is unique to the VHR and would no doubt require special lubrication needs in order to maintain the design specifications. Even BMW's systems don't rev to 7500 rpm and have the overall lift offered by VVEL. This is a well-engineered valvetrain with, arguably, extreme forces present when one considers the amount and array of reciprocating and oscillating masses involved. It makes sense that Nissan would desire a special surface additive to extend the life of this mechanism when other oils may fail to protect these surfaces as the lubricant overheats and moves from elastohydrodynamic lubrication to boundary lubrication. This nanoparticle additive would potentially offer the surface protection needed under such duress.

Just my thoughts.

Will

edit: added quote boxes

 

Will,

I just wrote a bunch of stuff about this subject on three seventy Z dot come, I think you know a lot about the subject but it will still be an interesting read. I covered a few more things as well, Look at the top of the magazine section.

 

http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/2...t-service.html

Fresh bump.....

Nissan supplying oil coolers?

Also I don't understand where they got their info about the 350z having this problem too when it hasn't.

 

Looks like the issues are getting worse. Nissan denying warranty issues now with people installing aftermarket oil coolers.

http://www.t he 3 7 0z.com/nissan-370z-general-discussions/3044-everyone-oil-temp-issues-7.html

Glad I have a 350z. :P

 

I wonder what the other issues regarding the warranty denial were? It would be a bad legal case, lets see, press cars confirmed as having oil coolers, Nissan Motorsports selling oil coolers, Nissan providing edmonds.com with a Nissan Motorsports oil cooler to help with there problem and it fixing it and they write about it.

The magnerson-moiss warranty act should protect the owners rights here. There must be other issues that were considered owner abuse, like evidence of racing and track driving. Like maybe the owner brought the car in for smoked brakes but Nissan saw forum posts with picture about track day driving and noticed an oil cooler and corded tires.

Maybe the oil cooler was installed improperly and leaked or with kinked hoses that cut off the oil, or was a poorly engineered one that caused a drop in oil pressure.

There is probably a bigger story behind that post. If Nissan is really denying warranty based solely on the installation of a quality properly installed oil cooler, then thats lame but I don't think it will hold up in court.

 

o u c h

 

There always is. Just because somebody posts that they're being screwed by their dealer or Nissan doesn't make it true.

 

my friend had a aftermarket oil cooler installed they told him that their was no worries they will still honor his warranty.

 

I think non-HR Z's come with an oil cooler. Stock.

 

Per the info posted, the dealer/Nissan saw his car posted on the website with pictures of him installing the cooler. So they voided his warranty.

 

is a water/oil heat exchanger... in theory helps in cold days to warm up the oil when you start the car, and to cool it down when it's really hot.
the 370z should have it too.

I think that "current" model car are designed from beginning with "insufficent" cooling to satisfy EPA.
with less cooling the engine heats up really quick and the emission level drops.
that's it.
on the other hand, not having real temperature gauges, you get rid of the morons that usually abuse a cold engine.

 

I agree 100%! Which is why I am coming home to the Z here shortly. I do have quicker lap times in the vette on the track, but it isn't as fun as my old 350z. I still love the C6 and am keeping mine, but getting a Z too and will switch it to the car I track (after the oil cooler, apparently though).

 

Others are saying they called Nissans customer service number and were told if the Nissan Motorsports oil cooler was used and the dealer installed it there would be no problem with warranty.

If someone were to take Nissan to court under the Magnerson-Moss act, I am pretty sure they would have a good case unless Nissan could prove that the failure was due to the oil cooler which is not likely if it was a quality well designed unit, like the motorsports, stillen, technosquare or ARC parts.

 

More new updates regarding the overheating issue. It seems as I predicted that when the outside temps hit 90+ and now 100+ foe people they are starting to overheat just by normal driving. People are hitting 260 degrees just by around town driving.