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Surfer, the retired gentleman in my neighborhood who did all the service on my Z shared your disdain for the supplied dipstick. At the first oil change he modified the dipstick by increasing the amount of hash marks as well as putting a stamped texture between the high and low lines. I think he took a new file with sharp teeth, placed it on the dipstick and gave it a few good smacks with a wooden mallet. This created a pattern of small square pockets that held on to the dipped oil and a raised texture that showed the oil level even in low light. It was a long time ago, but he may have also used a tiny super sharp *****-punch to help create some of the texture. I was there watching, but I can’t quite remember. Maybe someone else can elaborate on this technique.
I don’t own the car anymore so I won’t be able to post a picture.
Last edited by Jennifer 2; Feb 15, 2015 at 10:03 PM.
Jen, that's a great idea. I'll consult a friend of mine and try to mimic that and post pictures. Maybe it would be smart to just buy a replacement one just in case it breaks in two
Last edited by Surfer90291; Feb 15, 2015 at 10:41 PM.
Jennifer makes a good point: If it is difficult reading your oil stick, you won’t do it. And… When there is a deficiency, it cries for a solution.
I remember when dipsticks had notches indicating top and bottom limits. They were easily read.
You can “notch” your 350z’s dipstick without compromising its integrity. It is much easier to read levels that are between distinct notches in your dipstick.
Ok after having scored the dipstick for a better reading, I'm pretty sure I'm burning about 1 qt. per 1k. It seems a little high for a non rev VQ with 100k miles.
I do drive a bit aggressively but I don't think that's it. I also found this post on https://my350z.com/forum/engine-and-...-normal-2.html
Originally Posted by winterdevilg35
ok heres my input....i have an 03 and i did a compression test and found out in cylinder #5 my seal on the VC aka valve cover (where the coil pack goes into the sparkplug) had a bad leak. then i did some research and found out a lot of VQ engines have that problem and in that same cylinder. The cheapest way to fix it is to buy a new right side valve cover (not the side you put oil in). My engine seems to of had that problem for a while now because i had oil consumption since i bought the car a couple years ago. It will eventually cause the coilpack to go bad and wont ignite the sparkplug so you will be running on 5 cylinders and not know it. I have also read about how someone who had a frontier had an oil consumption problem and he cleaned his VC's because they got clogged where the PCV hose goes from one cover to the next and then into the intake. Also somehow if it is clogged it can cause the oil to be sucked through the PCV hoses and into the intake to be detonated in the combustion chamber. So thats two ways that oil can be consumed in our engines that a lot of people dont know about. Bad seal on the VC #5 cylinder and oil being sucked into the intake to be ignited. I know there are a lot of people who have taken off their upper plenum and saw all the oil resin. Its all because of poor design of the VC's and PCV lines. Thats one reason i suggest the oil catch can for even stock engines. It helps with detonation further down the road. hope this info can help some of you out. tomorrow im actually changing my VC's, VC gaskets, coil pack (because it was warped and soft from the leak over the years), and a new silicon pcv hose that goes to the intake because mine is really worn (im assuming from all the oil going through it). It all costs me $508 with shipping. Thats not what everyone needs but thats what i need. But as far as the compression test if the compression test is good then there is no reason for you to have a leakdown test. With my compression test i had 175 psi on cylinders #2,4,5,6 and on cylinders #1,3 i had 170. About 3% difference which is nothing. Your suppose to have at least 140psi. If i had 175 and another cylinder with 140 thats about 20% and thats a problem so then you would do a leak down test to find out where the leak is ex. leaking through the rings. Also if your doing a compression test and it slowly laggs up to pressure when your turning over the engine then there might also be a leak through your piston rings fyi. Your suppose to turn it over about 5 times (average) to get the rated psi. any questions feel free to ask.
I did check my valve covers as much as I could since I don't have the time to pull the harness away for now. The VCs on both sides of the cylinders closest to the firewall seem a bit dirty. I took some pictures. Maybe a compression / leak down is due?
Surfer.........burning a quart every thousand miles is not a big deal. Just check your oil every couple weeks and add oil as needed. If your car is running ok, that is be far your cheapest solution. I remember when I carried a quart of oil with me in my Austin Healey Sprite because it burned a quart about every 500 miles. It was a new car at the time and sports cars just burned oil. Like I said, if your car is running good, just add oil as needed and don't worry too much about it.
There are many reasons your car uses oil. I started using (actually losing) oil at about 90k. If I remember correctly, it was a gasket on the oil pump. Fixing this eliminated the oil loss. Be sure to check everything around the engine. Spotting an oil leak is easier if you clean the engine bay. My car was leaking only with the engine running under load, and I didn’t have oil spots on the garage floor.
I drove an MG (MGB) in the 50 years ago. It was a beautiful car that was fun to drive; and it was a piece of junk (maintenance wise). It used oil when it was new (and more after a year), and its Lucas instruments and gauges were constantly failing. The fuel pump broke so frequently that I carried a replacement in the trunk.
I agree that using a quart in 1k miles isn’t too much a concern. I’d monitor this closely and try not to worry.
I recently bought a Z and after 3K miles of driving it around and enjoying I wanted to check the oil. I couldn't get a valid reading from the dipsh!t so I decided to go ahead and do my first oil change.
I poured the old oil in the empty jug and realized it was only 3.5 qts!
I'm nervous about the consequences of running the VQ35DE with such low amount of oil.
My 350z is 2004.5 with a VQ35DE (non revup). So by nature it shouldn't burn oil, also I don't think I have any leaks since the floor of my spot is clean. How do I figure out if the engine was damaged?
Went with a slightly oversized filter (K&N HP-1010) and poured in the whole 5 qts of Pennzoil Platinum 5W30 (still can't get a reading from dipsh!t)
Any motor can burn oil. No knocking/pinging? No smoke from the exhaust? I wouldn't worry about it. Fill it up, and keep an eye on it.
What does your dipstick look like? I've seen some that were broken off...
I drove an MG (MGB) in the 50 years ago. It was a beautiful car that was fun to drive; and it was a piece of junk (maintenance wise). It used oil when it was new (and more after a year), and its Lucas instruments and gauges were constantly failing. The fuel pump broke so frequently that I carried a replacement in the trunk.
I agree that using a quart in 1k miles isn’t too much a concern. I’d monitor this closely and try not to worry.
Oh, here comes another one of the "more seasoned" of us with an old joke that's worth telling cuz most of the members here are our kids' age and have never heard it....
Why do the Brits drink warm beer?
Because they own Lucas refrigerators.
Hmmmmm, on second thought, that was lame even back in the day. And the younger folks here STILL won't get the reference to "Lucas, Prince of Darkness".
The British sport cars were very fun to drive. Most had a modestly sized engine, but the suspension setup and light weight made them very nimble. Maintenance was complicated and unreliable. I remember instructions to clean the car well with mild soap and water, and then apply a layer of beeswax.
Although the knock-off hub was very cool and looked great, I had lots of trouble with the wire wheels.
And... There are websites dedicated to Lucas jokes.
