First oil change: drained only 3.5 qts!
#1
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First oil change: drained only 3.5 qts!
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)
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)
Last edited by Surfer90291; 02-14-2015 at 08:39 PM.
#3
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Whoa now sparco, I hope there was some sarcasm. My rev up has been burning oil since I can remember and it's at 145k miles now (still quicker than my roommates s2000 and can easily keep up with my co workers modded g37at) just stay on top of the oil situation and do an oil change every 3k miles religiously.
#4
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Whoa now sparco, I hope there was some sarcasm. My rev up has been burning oil since I can remember and it's at 145k miles now (still quicker than my roommates s2000 and can easily keep up with my co workers modded g37at) just stay on top of the oil situation and do an oil change every 3k miles religiously.
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#9
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I keep reading here to dump the whole 5 qts when doing an oil change.. and I think it should be safe to put 5.2 to reach full capacity.
I'll keep the oil level checked, I hope I'm able to measure it..
#13
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Surfer.............Do you know if the oil was changed just before you bought the car? If you didn't change it right away, there could be 10,000 miles on the oil. You drove the car for 3000 miles and found out you were a quart and a half low. The dipstick is a little difficult to get in and out of the engine, but with a little patience, it is very useful. You should check your oil at least once a week until you determine if you are burning oil or not. When you couldn't get a reading on the dipstick the oil was probably so low the end of the dipstick wasn't reaching the oil.
#15
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That's how I call the dipstick. I'm looking for an aftermarket or a gauge to tell me without a doubt how much oil is in the engine..might sound totally stupid but our dipstick is a joke.
I keep reading here to dump the whole 5 qts when doing an oil change.. and I think it should be safe to put 5.2 to reach full capacity.
I'll keep the oil level checked, I hope I'm able to measure it..
I keep reading here to dump the whole 5 qts when doing an oil change.. and I think it should be safe to put 5.2 to reach full capacity.
I'll keep the oil level checked, I hope I'm able to measure it..
#16
New Member
You were not able to read the dipstick after buying the car. I'm guessing but think your new car came with <4 quarts of oil in the engine. If you are not hearing any "ticking" noise, you should be OK.
#17
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Thread Starter
I do remember, while inspecting the Z, I checked the oil and later that night I realized I didn't click the dipstick all the way in causing some of the oil to splash out in the engine bay making quite a bit of smoke. I added 1qt the same night and thought I added enough.
Now the oil is so clean it's hard to get a reading but will check it every other day and determine if there's a major oil consumption or I just lost way more than I thought that time I didn't click the dipstick all the way in...
The engine is very quiet and doesn't tick at idle or anything. I do hear some grinding sound when the rpm are low and I floor it. It sounds more like a transmission / clutch related noise or could be a loose heat shield somewhere. I recently installed a Nismo exhaust and I remember the two gaskets: cats to y-pipe weren't sealing perfectly. Nothing major, to this day it hasn't thrown a code and I will get proper gaskets to seal perfectly. Maybe the accelerating rattle could be a cause of that small exhaust leak. not sure.
Last edited by Surfer90291; 02-15-2015 at 01:02 PM.
#19
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I'm pretty sure the oil was not changed before I bought the car, it looked quite colored but not dirty like it needed to be changed right away. I agree, it was probably so low it wasn't showing up on the dipstick.
I do remember, while inspecting the Z, I checked the oil and later that night I realized I didn't click the dipstick all the way in causing some of the oil to splash out in the engine bay making quite a bit of smoke. I added 1qt the same night and thought I added enough.
Now the oil is so clean it's hard to get a reading but will check it every other day and determine if there's a major oil consumption or I just lost way more than I thought that time I didn't click the dipstick all the way in...
The engine is very quiet and doesn't tick at idle or anything. I do hear some grinding sound when the rpm are low and I floor it. It sounds more like a transmission / clutch related noise or could be a loose heat shield somewhere. I recently installed a Nismo exhaust and I remember the two gaskets: cats to y-pipe weren't sealing perfectly. Nothing major, to this day it hasn't thrown a code and I will get proper gaskets to seal perfectly. Maybe the accelerating rattle could be a cause of that small exhaust leak. not sure.
I do remember, while inspecting the Z, I checked the oil and later that night I realized I didn't click the dipstick all the way in causing some of the oil to splash out in the engine bay making quite a bit of smoke. I added 1qt the same night and thought I added enough.
Now the oil is so clean it's hard to get a reading but will check it every other day and determine if there's a major oil consumption or I just lost way more than I thought that time I didn't click the dipstick all the way in...
The engine is very quiet and doesn't tick at idle or anything. I do hear some grinding sound when the rpm are low and I floor it. It sounds more like a transmission / clutch related noise or could be a loose heat shield somewhere. I recently installed a Nismo exhaust and I remember the two gaskets: cats to y-pipe weren't sealing perfectly. Nothing major, to this day it hasn't thrown a code and I will get proper gaskets to seal perfectly. Maybe the accelerating rattle could be a cause of that small exhaust leak. not sure.