I check my oil all the time and its always good. Well today i cheked it and it was pretty much completely empty. Wasnt even showing on the dipstick. So i put a quart in and its still not showing. Where did all my oil go? I looked around and didnt see any leaking. Im thinking of changing the valve cover gasket. Tomorrow i wil get a better look considering is was a little dark out. I also read it could be the piston rings? Well im hoping its just leaking thru the gasket because i think the piston rings are quite expensive, well more than the gasket anyway. I also remember one time i took one of the spark plugs out and there was oil in it which im guessing is a indicator of a worn gasket?

How long/how many miles since your last oil change?Any fresh oil stains under the car?Is there smoke in your exhaust?

Buy a compression tester at your favorite auto parts store. Minimum acceptable compression is 145psi, with nominal at 185psi. There should be no more than 14psi difference between any two cylinders. If you have poorly sealing piston rings or a leaky headgasket, it'll show up as poor compression.

Well i think i might be due for oil change, i think its been a few months or getting there since i last changed it. Fresh oil stains, i havent noticed yet, im gonna put some oil in and put a piece of cardboard or something under the car to check it. And smoke i dont think so but once again i havent noticed. I will get back to u in a hour or so.

Man it took 2 1/4 quarts of oil to bring it to normal level. Anyways im just gonna wait awhile and see if any oil leaks, i put a piece of cardboard under the so i can tell. Also i have one of those compression testers but im guessing i'll probly need someone to help with that? Do you have a a guide or something that shows how to do it. I read one but it was for a different car, but im assuming its kinda the same.

i'll bet you're burning it up b/c of worn out rings

Im guessing if i change the rings im gonna have to change the gasket also since i have to take off the valve covers? Man i swear with this car! If its not one thing its another, I just had to order another window regulator as well after it broke saturday. Well if it is the rings i probly wont be able to change it till next month cause i have no money right now.

tmorales509 wrote:Im guessing if i change the rings im gonna have to change the gasket also since i have to take off the valve covers? Man i swear with this car! If its not one thing its another, I just had to order another window regulator as well after it broke saturday. Well if it is the rings i probly wont be able to change it till next month cause i have no money right now.

the passenger window regulator?...mine went bad too. Whatever you do, don't buy a cheap window regulator from EBAY...i got robed, lol.

keep poking around your engine compartment until you find a leak somewhere b/c maybe it only leaks when you drive. If your 02 sensors throw a code it's probably b/c they are getting covered with filth...but it could be something not so serious, so don't get descouraged. We are here to help you figure out and fix this problem with your MAXIMA!!

lightsout wrote:
the passenger window regulator?...mine went bad too. Whatever you do, don't buy a cheap window regulator from EBAY...i got robed, lol.

Oh really? lol yea my passenger side too but ive actually bought 2 before, i had to buy the driver side as well a few months back. I did get it on ebay :/ with no problems. Now back to the car, i will check it in a bit.

Also forgot to mention there is no smoke coming out of the exhaust either.

replacing the rings on the piston is a major job. I did it on my motorcycle and what a pain in the butt. Wouldn't even dream of doing it on a car. Too many small details to follow. Check the compression or have a leak down test done.

Yeah it is quite hard i think. But i talked to my dad about it, he is kind of a mechanic, does it as a side job and he said its probably not the rings because there would be some smoke which there is not.

See if there is oil in the antifreeze

Nope there is not.

Is there oil in your windshield washer reservoir??!!

dude how would oil get into the washer tank?

do you have a intake on the car. if you do check the line that comes off of the front valve cover and see if the intake is pulling oil from there.

I do. I will go check. Just to be curious, what does this mean if it is puttling oil thru that line?

Presscott707 wrote:do you have a intake on the car. if you do check the line that comes off of the front valve cover and see if the intake is pulling oil from there.

Well not a full intake,i just have the cone filter. Do you mean the hose that comes off the valve cover and goes into the pcv valve? If so then yes there is oil in there Or would that be the rear valve cover. Whats the front? the side closest to the windshield or furthest from it? lol

Or wait or do you mean the hose that comes off the valve cover and goes into the intake manifold? I guess that would make more sense. Well yes it looks like there is a little bit of oil being sucked in it. What does that mean? is it really bad i hope not!

first i would like to say sorry to allensteiner for taking this pic.this is the line im talking about. my car was sucking oil from there into the intake. so i put a breather filter on the valve cover and close the hole on the intake.

Oh my car is a gxe has the sohc vg30e motor, looks different than that. There is only 2 hoses i see. 1 comes off the valve cover and goes into the intake manifold(i did see a little oil in the hose). And there is one that is directly on the intake but it goes into the iacv i think. Let me see if i can find a pic.

cool i had a pic of my actual car from cardomain here is the hose i see. #1 goes from the front valve cover to the intake manifold. #2 goes from the intake to the iacv and #3 goes from the rear valve cover to the pcv valve.

From the looks of your picture, it would be #1 or #2.

Yea probably, I chekced #1, it did have some oil, not alot but a little but. I will check #2 tomorrow. I think i might just get one of them breather filter, they look cool plus they help ur motor out . How do i put one on? Just put it on the valve cover part then cover the other hole? I seen a maxima on cardomain and he has 2 of them breather filters, one on that #1 hose and on the #3 hose. But the pic is kinda small so i cant see how he put em on.

my bad i was thinking that you had a newer maxima like a 95 to 99. im sorry.

have you been able to jack up your car and take a look under the engine and tranny? if not, do so. obviously look for leaks or any oil, dark, grimmy areas under the car. take pix and post here.

Ok will do. I need to get a hold of a camera though so it wont be till later probly.

Well i wasnt able to get a camera yet but i did look and it looks like there is a lot of oil build up around the oil pan and it looks like on the transmission too. Hopefully i can take pics later.

do you have a camara phone?

u can purchase a cheap disposable camera and have it developed at walmart with a CD of all the pix!

my guess so far is the both the engine and tranny oil pan gaskets are old and corroding.

OK, i got a camera, here is some pics i took.

This is the Oil pan.

Some thing next to the oil pan, You can see the oil dripping :/.

Transmission

A pic from up above, behind the rear valve cover

Around the oil filter area

The dipstick showin normal, since the last time i put oil in like a week ago.
Modified by tmorales509 at 2:52 PM 9/14/2008