Last night I heard what sounded like valvetrain noise. The belts seemed loose so I got under the car tighten a lil and the noise went away.

This morning halfway to work i heard the noise again.

Went to the dealer where i bought the car and they automatically assume it was the lack of oil ( i suspected as much)

They asked if I ever check my own oil, I responded every weekend, and it was about 1/3 quart low but then again the dip-stick sucks.

Well 3 hours after leaving the car their, they asked if I had any proof of oil changes. I told them that in my passenger bag compartment there were a whole bunch of pink invoices from the local oil place that stocks mobil 1 synthetic.

Currently they are waiting to here back from Nissan on whether its going to be a upper/lower engine replacement or complete.

2006 350z bought in Jan 30, 2006
17,300 miles on the vehicle.
Base model 6spd.

 

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Interesting. I would not think being just down 1/3 would cause any major issues. Typical for them to try and point the finger back. Don't let them give you BS about going somewhere else for an oil change. That does not void the warranty.

 

Well when I talked to service guy to pick up some stuff from my trunk they told me that they had drained it to check much oil there was in the car, and they only get 2 quarts including what was in the filter. My question to them was isn't the oil light suppose to be on for anything that low? They responded with they thought so two.

By the way mods are as follows:

2.5 True dual w/x-pipe
K&N drop-in
MREV2 w/ Spacer

 

The oil light only omes on if the pressure drops extremely low. 2 qts will not trigger the oil pressure light from my experience.

 

I have a question though on the way they performed the oil check for diablo. I have always felt that is a very bad way to gauge oil consumption because there is no way that all of it will come out. Therefore, that method would yield higher oil consumption than actual. Someone that knows this, could you please chime in?

 

Hey guys do you think there is a connection between oil consumption and pinging?? The weather has been warmer the past few days, and my car pings like crazy!!! Its mostly between 1,500 rpm-3,000 rpm, under light-medium throttle. I have read that people use one step colder plugs, or take it to the dealer to get the timing retarted by a degree or 2, but I dont know how effective those fixes are. Does anyone know if the two problems are related?? Now I know why the new HR motor has twin knock sensors!!!!!

 

Its not accurate at all. You have 1/2 a quart min. left in the pan at all times.


But in his case it was the only way. It would never show on the stick at that level. He was over 1 qt low. Best way would have been to fill it with a quart at a time till it read on the stick then let the car sit for a long time. Then check the stick and you can determine how low it really was. Thats a huge waste of oil for a car you pretty well know is really really low.

 

Mine does the same thing, it pings as you describe and also burns oil. I've been told by Nissan that the reason it pings is because of Carbon build up. I'm no meachanic, not sure if carbon build up can occur because of oil leaks from piston rings etc. MAybe someone more mechanically minded can chime in...

 

Oh, forgot to mention, I've had the engine retarded and changed to one step colder spark plugs. No difference.

 

Guys, the dealer is still being told my Nissan to keep doing test and taking samples of the oil. The dealer knowns that the engine has to be replace on for obvious reasons is on my side. I called corporate to get see if I could go anywhere with this.. they are suppose to call the dealership get the back story and get me answer as to why they are not being told to proceed...

Can those here who have had motors replaced for oil consumption issues, see if they have their case numbers and pm them to me. If by the end of tomorrow they still haven't given the go ahead for the full replacement I want to present corporate with cases so I can scare them in doing it. I would greatly appreciate it. Since I'm incurring rental car expense I want to get this done ASAP. -Thanks

PS. I got to talking with some techs at a couple dealerships asking around the area (Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, FL). They have told me that Nissan has instructed them in most cases where they have noted Low Oil on the 2006 either during scheduled maintenance or during warranty services, they have told to fill the car back up with oil and if you do not hear any engine noises, send it off with the customers.

 

You do not want it replaced yet since they haven't figured out what causes the consumption. There are some guys on here that have gone through 2 or 3 engines, some more, that are still having the problem. They need to isolate the cause and fix it before they swap the engine or you'll be doing the same **** again in a few months. Nissan is not authorizing the swap because they know damn well they don't have the fix yet.

Also guys, I have to assume that burning oil is bad for other components in the car, particularly the exhaust. I'm thinking if they do get around to a fix it may be pretty damn involved... and people need to fully understand the problem and it's long term affects on all components.

Oh yeah, and my old boss got the 2.5 Altima recall letter over the weekend. He had no idea but had heard about my issues,

 

Engine is rattling, it has to be fixed just so i can drive it. Currently I have to pay a car rental to get around, and I am under 24 which tacks an extra 25 bucks a day to rental price.

Come on guys I need some tools to fight with, I gotta bring something to the table cause i read it only ain't gonna cut it when I start getting into it with Nissan. I'm just asking for case #s if anyone has got them.

 

Has adding oil helped with the rattling? I had severe rattling too until I added a couple of quarts.

 

How my friend dealt with warranty issues was that he basically wrote down who said what, at which time, ie. "This tech at this dealership said "xyxy" today but three days later, he said "xoxo" etc." When my friend went to the district warranty guy with an ultimatum and a pile of info that was well organized like that, they instantly gave him a new motor.

 

pretty much doing the same.. but i figured since this is the oil consumption thread to record data and collect information onthis matter, i should be able to get the case #s and use them as part of my supporting information. -Thanks

 

Got another letter from NNA today... dropping off the Z on 3/26. I guess we're seeing how long we can drag this out now...

 

Well got the car back today with the new engine. We'll see. But have to admit, it does feel good to have a new engine!

 

I did get a case # from them the day I called them, but I also received a call from the dealer the same day and was told that they were given authorization to swap the motor.

I would think that by now they have some facts on which builds presented no problems and are using these motors for the swaps.

 

Wells its been 3 days as of today. Still no go ahead for a full engine replacement.

 

You make a good point on the extra components. That oil has to be going somewhere and we all no where. They should probably be replacing everything from the cats back also.