I have the 2001 QX 3.5L.
I found the engine burns oil a lot. I need to add one quart oil every other 1000 miles.
I don't see any leaking under the car, my friend told me that it's normal on this engine like the pathfinder.

did it happen to your QX also??
actually, how many qts oil it needs to do the oil change?

please give me some ideas.
Thanks

Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack the thread.

hangout, you may find the following site a very informative read: http://www.netcrafting.com/car_mx/pathfinder/oil.html

Basically, the right hand valve cover has a poorly designed baffle drain. This can be a potential cause of your oil consumption if you have no visible leaks. Also, a power valve screw backing out and being sucked in by the engine is also a possibility I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong about that statement). You can check the condition of your power valves yourself by removing the upper intake manifold, there's a good guide over on NPORA if you are confident enough to do this yourself. I think no matter what you should get threadlocker on your power valve screws if you haven't already, I think it runs for about $275-300 at the dealer. Not sure about tackling the right hand valve cover yourself, however. Maybe a leak down test is your next step. I have 123k miles on my PF and no oil consumption yet AFAIK. I really should check the oil level more often, though.

I'm using a 1/2 a quart every 1,000 miles give or take a few. 90,000 mi. on my 3.5. I don't believe it's a big deal. Oil cooler gaskets can be checked hangout. The civilian made some good suggestions.

Judging by your vehicle collection, you should have no problem paying a quality mechanic to do all the checks for you.

thanks for the infor. add a bit oil once a while in not a big deal at all.
I think they using the same engine on my 2003 I-35, but the one on I-35 is just perfect.

no oil burning on my 01 QX4 (136K miles).

my qx4 is sitting at 358k miles and it burns about a quart every 150-200 miles..I can smell it burning occasionally, but I havent figured out why yet

358K miles? WOW. How about starting a thread telling what you have had to replace and when.

I bought my '03 with 112,000km and multiple previous owners. No service records. It always burned about 1 quart between oil changes. I'd fill it up to the 'H' line on the dipstick and it'd be under 'L' when doing a change.

I bought my '04 with 136,000km and one previous owner. He'd kept it maintained and had all service records. It burns nothing. I've done one oil change; I've driven 5,500km on my current oil and it's still at the 'H' mark on the dipstick.

Could be luck of the draw, or it could be that one of the multiple previous owners on the '03 didn't keep up with maintenance.

FWIW, my '01 was burning a little (< 2/3 qt in 3333 miles) until 183K miles when it jumped up. I know check the oil every
500 miles, and about half the time I have to put in about a half qt.

What type of oil are you guys using? With 250,000 km my 97 uses Mobil 1. The crankcase hold just over 3.5 liters, I dump in 4 liters with a new filter and it stays there until I change the oil again. Usual oil changes are every 3-6 months now, but when I commuted every 3 months regardless of distance driven. I have experimented up to 12 month change, but I find 4 month change at this time adequate.

No gasoline smell
No particles
no frothing

I have used Mobil 1 for over 30 years, seems OK. Comments?

I actually bought it with about 320k miles for next to nothing and expected to just drive it until it died (you cant expect much more from a car), but it's been more than great to me..everything works exactly how its supposed to and I have yet to come across an issue that I can't fix myself; it's all been basic maintenance like brake pads and oil changes..I've always been a ford guy, but nissan/infiniti has really impressed me with this qx4

I've used Castrol GTX Dino oil since new. 5W-30 until about a year or two ago, 10W-40 since (the thicker oil helps keep
the P1110/P1135 codes away).

I've always run Castrol GTX in everything. My 240Z broke the tip off a valve stem at about 95,000 miles (bad tach had me
overreving regularly). I tore the whole thing down, checking all the clearances, which were all fine for a NEW motor.
You could see all the factory hone marks in every cylinder.

BTW, the new version of Castrol LMA DOT 3 brake fluid has a boiling point about 20 degrees higher than the old stuff, which
was already pretty good.

my QX has 115k miles on it now, so do you think I should switch the oil form 5w-30 to 10w-40?
my friend told me that the older engine should use thicker oil better..

hangout wrote:my QX has 115k miles on it now, so do you think I should switch the oil form 5w-30 to 10w-40?
my friend told me that the older engine should use thicker oil better..

I've read HDEO (diesel) oils help with oil consumption, I'd try that first. Also heard good things about Valvoline Maxlife (high mileage) oil.

I've got 230,000+ miles on my 01 and have yet to burn a drop of oil. Needless to say this is some kind of anomaly.

My oil stays at the same level in a 4000km oil change interval, Id say I burn no oil or very little. I have 120k I believe on the clock

I thought I was burning oil until I found the trans cooler was leaking.

I have 220,000 miles on my QX4. It used to consume about a quart every oil change, but has started to go up to about two quarts per oil change. Since I have switched to 10W-30, it has gotten slightly better - especially when using high mileage oil. I am planning on trying different weight/viscosity oils over the next few oil changes and will document what I find. I have not replaced the valve cover gaskets, nor have I replaced the PCV valve. I notice when starting up that the oil light will sometimes flicker even when completely full – leading me to believe there is a compression issue. I have not done a compression check on each cylinder. For the time being, I am fine adding oil every few weeks considering this is an older vehicle. I really don’t want to go to the time and expense of replacing the valve cover gaskets, PCV valve, etc., since I’m not sure it’s worth the trouble.