2006 G35 Sedan 6 sp manual oil consumption

[telcoman]

Well I just reached 40k miles on my 06 G35 Sedan. This vehicle used 1 qt of oil per 1000 mi when new. Today I checked my oil and after 1900 miles since the last oil change it took 1/2 quart. I change oil every 3k to 3.5 k miles and use Pennzoil 5w-30 oil.

Since there have been many posts on this topic I thought I would just convey my results. I had thoughts of getting rid of my vehicle after a year had the 1qt/1k mi continued. To those who feel their vehicle is using too much oil, I say be patient.

Telsoman

[zozoka1212]

Thanks for sharing this info. It is a hot topic all the time.

zozo

[coupleGs]

I don't get it??? Ur saying if ur car is burning oil, just be patient and 1 day, it will stop consuming oil?

[telcoman]

I don't get it??? Ur saying if ur car is burning oil, just be patient and 1 day, it will stop consuming oil?

That a vehicle consuming oil will stop at some point, I am not sure? I only posted my results. Keep in mind that there are some that really push their engines? I rarely go over 4k RPM.

If you have been reading posts on this site for the past year or two, there is much controversy on this topic. It appears that some owners of 6 speed manuals have this problem while others do not. There appear to be a small number of VQ engines that experience oil consumption. Some owners have had engine seizures for failing to check their oil regularly. Others after complaining to the dealer had to undergo an oil consumption test where the dealer places a seal on the engine and the vehicle must be returned to the dealer at regular intervals for oil consumption/measurement testing.

Rather than go thru that, I chose to carefully monitor my own vehicles oil consumption and posted the results on this site. I found this to be less time consuming for me. Why it has taken 40k miles to reach a 1/2 qt of oil consumption per 1900 miles is a subject that perhaps the engineers that designed this engine can figure out?

Telcoman

[coupleGs]

ok.. But any oil consumption is still oil consumption. The previous Lexus I have owned didn't burn oil at all. According to the stick. It was still at the full line.

Same with my current G. After 3500, the oil is still at the full line. And yea, I don't really go pass 5k on the car.

So any with their dipstick reading near half or below the full line, your car is burning oil. It's not normal and don't lie to yourself.

[Beancooker]

There is an issue with burning oil. It is not G35 specific. It is specific to the engine; VQ35DE. This is an issue with 350Z, G35 and Maxima. I would assume that the Murano and the FX have the same issues too.

[Rooster Cogburn]

mine did it, until infiniti put my 3rd engine into my car.

[telcoman]

ok.. But any oil consumption is still oil consumption. The previous Lexus I have owned didn't burn oil at all. According to the stick. It was still at the full line.

Same with my current G. After 3500, the oil is still at the full line. And yea, I don't really go pass 5k on the car.

So any with their dipstick reading near half or below the full line, your car is burning oil. It's not normal and don't lie to yourself.

My previous vehicle was a 92 Lexus 5 speed manual that never burned or used a drop of oil. I had it fourteen years with over 100k miles on it. I was quite surprised the first time I checked my oil on my new G35 Sedan 6sp manual. I had thoughts early on of getting rid of it due to the 1k mi/qt of oil consumption but not only has the consumption dropped, I love the car & it is much more fun to drive than the Lexus ever was. I also discovered recently that there is a considerable difference between the G35 6 speed and the G35X automatic. I had a loaner for 5 days while they fixed by air bag warning light. Those that chose the G35X & AWD do not know what they are missing? The difference between the vehicles is awesome!Just my opinion!

Telcoman

[g35cuhlean]

I would stop using Pennzoil if im you. That oil is not that great. I went to a auto mechanic school and all the teachers bad mouth Pennzoil. Due to Pennzoil gets all gunky inside your engine over a couple of miles.

So use something beside Pennzoil, i used to use it on most of my cars that i own, but ever sinced i heard it from most of my teachers i stopped using it too. I only listen to wise one. lol

I suggest u stop using it.

[telcoman]

I would stop using Pennzoil if im you. That oil is not that great. I went to a auto mechanic school and all the teachers bad mouth Pennzoil. Due to Pennzoil gets all gunky inside your engine over a couple of miles.

So use something beside Pennzoil, i used to use it on most of my cars that i own, but ever sinced i heard it from most of my teachers i stopped using it too. I only listen to wise one. lol

I suggest u stop using it.

g35cuhlean I thank you for your suggestion, however:

1- I'm an old farht who's been driving for over 40 years and not about to change.2- I have been changing my own oil every 3k to 3.5k miles all my life.3- I have gotten over 240k miles on some of my vehicles by following #24- The oil that I use is what I find on sale usually for between $.59 & $.99 cents per quart mostly at Pep Boys. Since the oil meets API standards and is only used for 3.5k miles I do not believe what any one else has to say regarding a particular brand?5- There are some that believe using synthetic or Royal whatever for $6/quart is best? Thats okay with me but IMHO they are wasting money?6- No matter what oil you use, it should meet API standards & be changed frequently because of condensation and other impurities that end up in the crankcase over time.7- Manufactures that recommend oil changes at 7500 miles insure that your vehicle may not last too long & you will return for a new one?8- For more information on oil see

http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

Thanks again

Telcoman

[telcoman]

Well I'm up to 43430 miles and just added another 1/2 qt of oil today after 1930 miles since the last oil change.

Also found a good deal in today's paper at Pep Boys for those that might wish to save a little $$$ doing their own oil change.



Telcoman

[ianh]

Do you have a table with your oil consumption history ?I would like to look a this as I am looking at purchasing G35 with oil consumption problems. (8,000 miles)Thanks.

[telcoman]

Do you have a table with your oil consumption history ?I would like to look a this as I am looking at purchasing G35 with oil consumption problems. (8,000 miles)Thanks.

ianh:Welcome to NICO

Here is my maintenance log.

All oil changes have been performed by me

12/31/05 Pick up vehicle at dealer with 33 miles1- 5/7/06 1637 miles First oil change and filter 1 qt low 6/5/06 4745 miles add 1 1/2 qts of oil2- 6/25/06 5245 miles Oil change and filter 7/10/06 6123 miles added 1/2 qt oil 8/5/06 7860 miles Tires rotated by dealer $79.95 incl 2 oil filters\3- 8/12/06 8540 miles oil change & filter 1 qt low 8/26/06 9812 miles add 1 qt oil 9/16/06 10585 miles add 1/2 qt oil4- 10/1/06 11930 miles oil change & filter 1/4 qt low 10/14/06 13026 miles add 1/2 qt oil 10/28/06 14172 miles add 1 qt oil 11/4/06 14809 miles new air filter5- 11/5/06 14833 miles oil change & filter (forgot to check dipstick) 11/21/06 15966 miles return to dealer for def tire pressure monitor N/C 11/26/06 16330 miles add 3/4 qt of oil6- 1/6/07 17965 miles oil change & filter 1/2 qt low 1/22/07 19162 miles add 1/2 qt oil 2/17/07 20686 miles add 1/2 qt oil7- 2/21/07 21030 miles oil change & filter 3/17/07 23011 miles add 1 qt oil8- 4/9/07 25006 miles oil change & filter 1 qt low rotate tires 4/14/07 25422 miles replace cabin filter 5/12/07 27146 miles add 1/2 qt oil 5/18/07 27784 miles new air filter9- 5/20/07 27867 miles oil change & filter (just prior to drive to Florida) 6/10/07 30173 miles add 1/2 qt oil 6/12/07 31299 miles add 1/2 qt oil10- 6/15/07 31597 miles oil change & filter 6/30/07 32900 miles add 1/2 qt oil11- 7/21/07 34514 miles oil change & filter 1/3 qt low, rotate tires 8/18/07 36849 miles add 1/2 qt oil12- 9/1/07 38024 miles oil change & filter new air filter 9/10/07 38259 miles Air bag warning light (3 trips to dealer) 9/24/07 38443 miles Driver Air bag sensor replaced under Warranty N/C 10/6/07 39929 miles add 1/2 qt oil13- 10/27/07 41491 miles oil change & filter rotate tires 1/2 qt low 11/25/07 43420 miles add 1/2 qt oil14- 12/8/07 44520 miles oil change & filter 1/4 qt low 12/14/07 45042 miles new air filter

Early oil consumption was one quart per 1000 miles. I now use about one quart every two thousand miles. As I change oil every 3k to 3.5k miles this is not a problem for me. There is a lot of controversy over which oil to use but I do not believe in using synthetic because 1- I'm too cheap to spend that much on oil that I'll only use for 3k miles and2- I do not believe that it does anything for day to day driving. Perhaps it helps and makes a difference in racing but I'm not into that. There is also an issue over engine seals?

With fourteen oil changes thus far at $40 each that the dealer charges, I've saved $560 just on oil changes by doing it myself. When you add in the Air filter, Cabin filter and tire rotation work I figure I've saved well over $1000.00 dollars in maintenance charges. I did spend $300 for the Factory Shop Manual paper edition in four heavy volumes. Well worth it in my opinion.

Also in my opinion why not just buy a new one?

Good luck with whatever you decide

Telcoman

[W661335PF]

There is considerable debate about which oil and which oil filter is best, on this and other forums; however, much of the debate is largely borne from people's theories, lack of knowledge, too little knowledge but just enough to be dangerous, and rarely from fact based thinking (I include myself in these groups, of course).

IMHO, the solution is to educate yourself and read material by chemical and petroleum engineers, chemists and others deemed experts in the filed. You know you've got troubles when 5 distinct Infiniti dealers give you completely opposing views of synthetics, or 10 different mechanics give you 10 diverse views on which oils are best! You'll find much less disagreement in the literature since the information is based on known principles of petroleum engineering and engine mechanics.

I've used synthetic oil without adverse effects on my G (now at 42K), and I've also owned many cars with mileage exceeding 350K (3 Volvos, 1 Mercedes, 2 Toyotas, 1 VW fastback)-- all done with good ole dyno oil. I've used Pennzoil and Castrol GTX for years and have had several engines exceed the 350K limit with ease, sold the cars and saw them running years later. I've also rebuilt many engines and IMHO, it's immaterial which API approved oil is used (as evidenced by my >350K models) and more critical when you change it, how you drive the car, how often you stop and start it, and where you live (e.g., desert windy setting, sea air, highly mountainous regions, etc.).

There is also debate over whether some of these oils are true synthetics or not; however, for our purposes, synthetics have been used by many folks here on on other Infiniti models (I own a G35) without incident for a long time. For a less passioned discussion, folks may want to read:http://www.carcraft.com/techar....htmlh ... am...shtml

Hope this adds to the discussion. Good Luck!

[G_whizz]

Way to help out boys!!

[telcoman]

"I've used synthetic oil without adverse effects on my G (now at 42K), and I've also owned many cars with mileage exceeding 350K (3 Volvos, 1 Mercedes, 2 Toyotas, 1 VW fastback)-- all done with good ole dyno oil. I've used Pennzoil and Castrol GTX for years and have had several engines exceed the 350K limit with ease, sold the cars and saw them running years later. I've also rebuilt many engines and IMHO, it's immaterial which API approved oil is used (as evidenced by my >350K models) and more critical when you change it, how you drive the car, how often you stop and start it, and where you live (e.g., desert windy setting, sea air, highly mountainous regions, etc.)."

I agree with you. I also use Pennzoil and have gotten 246k, 210k, and 110k on my past three vehicles all purchased new. I've always changed my oil every 3k miles or so without resorting to expensive synthetic oil.It is clear to me that moisture, and other impurities build up in a crankcase as the engine heats up and cools. Over time if not replaced regularly this results in a sludge buildup that can eventually destroy an engine. Any dealer performing warranty work on an engine can tell if regular oil changes were performed simply by dropping the pan & having a look in the crankcase.

Telcoman

[gwoods]

I used Mobil 1 for 57,869 miles on my Hemi Ram before I broke piston #3. During the rebuild I had the head and oil pan off.

I was able to inspect crank bearing, piston rings, cylinder bore ect. I saw no visable wear anywhere on any part.

Infact the crank bearings Dodge sent me arrived scored due to their lack of packing so I was forced to reuse the old crank bearings.

I used Mobil 1 and went 6,000 miles between changes. I will continue to use Mobil 1. I think conventional oil can provide the same protection just not for as long a period of time.

On the G35 I use Mobil 1 but let the dealership do the changes every 3750miles.

Jeff

[ianh]

ok looked at the dataCant paste excel chart in here so will look at doing it in text form.Thanks Ian.

Took fitted line and formula then calculated Oil consumption vs mileage. Linear fit was as good as quadratic fit.Removed one flier data point.

Miles Oil consumption0 133510000 199420000 265330000 331240000 397150000 4630

Modified by ianh at 11:45 AM 12/28/2007

Modified by ianh at 11:47 AM 12/28/2007
Modified by ianh at 11:47 AM 12/28/2007

[telcoman]

ok looked at the dataCant paste excel chart in here so will look at doing it in text form.Thanks Ian.

Took fitted line and formula then calculated Oil consumption vs mileage. Linear fit was as good as quadratic fit.Removed one flier data point.

Miles Oil consumption0 133510000 199420000 265330000 331240000 397150000 4630

Modified by ianh at 11:45 AM 12/28/2007

Modified by ianh at 11:47 AM 12/28/2007

Modified by ianh at 11:47 AM 12/28/2007

So What are you saying?

Math was not one of my best subjects but I asume there is some sort of formula and a graph that can show mileage vs oil consumption from the data that I provided? If you graph it you can always take a digital photo of the graph,upload it to photobucket & then paste it here. I'm not sure if seeing that is better than seeing some of the hot girlfriends of other members?

Whatever you are figuring out it is much appreciated. I never knew we has such geniuses on this site?

Linear fit, quadratic fit.....

Telcoman

[SupraBoy]

Hi everyone...

I really do not know anything about the VEQ motors, (Other than they can not make any real power without being built.); but this oil consumption issue concerns me. Why are they consuming so much oil?

To give a bit of perspective to this thread, my 143,000 bone stock Toyota 2JZGTE motor has made over 600+ rwhp for over 100,000 miles, and still I burn about 1 qt of oil ever 3000 street miles, or 1 qt per day if I am at the track; and that is making well over 800rwhp.

To give further perspective:

My 2006 GTO burned a total of 1.2 qts of oil in it's first 10,000 miles, and my 04 Armada burns less than a qt of oil every 4500 miles (my oil change interval on the Armada).

I do not think this oil consuption issue is a small thing, and engines do not just burn oil unless something is wrong, so what is defective?

PS. NEVER EVER use a POS Fran oil filter... They are complete crap. I have seen many a good engine blown due to those filters...

[gwoods]

I guess the real question is how is the oil getting into the combustion chamber. Is it through the valves or the rings. I doubt a 11-1 compression motor has slop in the piston rings. It must be the valves then right? The damn motors red line at 7500 RPM and don't cut fuel until what 8200 RPM?

Burning oil doesn't necessarly mean something is wrong. It could mean that either valve guide or piston rings are not tight enough to keep oil out of the combustion chamber. If you progressively burn more and more oil that is a sign that something is wearing out.

Although if oil can get into the combustion chamber carbon from the combustion chamber probably can get into the oil. That would make the oil break down quicker and fill the filter quicker.

Why don't you like fram filters? How do they make an engine blow up? I always read about people saying one brand of filter is bad. On the side of the filter box it says what % of particles in the oil the filter can trap only fram says Tough Guard filters say they can filter 99% on multi-pass. Next time your in the parts store read the box on all the brand filters.

Jeff

[SupraBoy]

Start by reading this:

http://minimopar.knizefamily.n....html

be sure to hit the FAQ page.

FRAM filters are crap (Penzoil & Quakerstate oil filters are also Fram filters, so aviod those also.), They allow dirty oil to drain back into the oil pan, they have restricted flow, cardboard end plates, and the elements are paper garbage.

I personally have seen:

The element come apart, blocking the oil pump and blowing the motor. The Can blow off the base plate, and blow the motorThe internal elements collapse and oil starved the motor.

You spend 35k+ on a car, what is a few dollars for quality filters going to matter?
Modified by SupraBoy at 5:29 PM 12/28/2007

[telcoman]

I guess the real question is how is the oil getting into the combustion chamber. Is it through the valves or the rings. I doubt a 11-1 compression motor has slop in the piston rings. It must be the valves then right? The damn motors red line at 7500 RPM and don't cut fuel until what 8200 RPM?

Burning oil doesn't necessarly mean something is wrong. It could mean that either valve guide or piston rings are not tight enough to keep oil out of the combustion chamber. If you progressively burn more and more oil that is a sign that something is wearing out.

Although if oil can get into the combustion chamber carbon from the combustion chamber probably can get into the oil. That would make the oil break down quicker and fill the filter quicker.

Why don't you like fram filters? How do they make an engine blow up? I always read about people saying one brand of filter is bad. On the side of the filter box it says what % of particles in the oil the filter can trap only fram says Tough Guard filters say they can filter 99% on multi-pass. Next time your in the parts store read the box on all the brand filters.

Jeff

Oil, Oil Filters, grade of gasoline sure seem to get many riled up.My G35 oil consumption has been slowly reducing as mileage has increased. Although I was originally surprised at the early oil consumption I decided that I was not going to waste my time going back & forth to the dealer for them to do oil consumption tests & place seals on my engine.Oil in still inexpensive compared to the cost of a new G. Getting rid of the oil every three thousand miles has worked well for me & I no longer give a crap where the oil is going. As long as it is not leaking its fine with me. I check my oil weekly & add when its a 1/2 qt low.

Happy New Year to all

Telcoman

[telcoman]

Start by reading this:

http://minimopar.knizefamily.n....html

be sure to hit the FAQ page.

FRAM filters are crap (Penzoil & Quakerstate oil filters are also Fram filters, so aviod those also.), They allow dirty oil to drain back into the oil pan, they have restricted flow, cardboard end plates, and the elements are paper garbage.

I personally have seen:

The element come apart, blocking the oil pump and blowing the motor. The Can blow off the base plate, and blow the motorThe internal elements collapse and oil starved the motor.

You spend 35k+ on a car, what is a few dollars for quality filters going to matter?

So far I've only used Nissan Oil Filters

[gwoods]

Start by reading this:

http://minimopar.knizefamily.n....html

be sure to hit the FAQ page.

FRAM filters are crap (Penzoil & Quakerstate oil filters are also Fram filters, so aviod those also.), They allow dirty oil to drain back into the oil pan, they have restricted flow, cardboard end plates, and the elements are paper garbage.

I personally have seen:

The element come apart, blocking the oil pump and blowing the motor. The Can blow off the base plate, and blow the motorThe internal elements collapse and oil starved the motor.

You spend 35k+ on a car, what is a few dollars for quality filters going to matter?

I paid $28 K for my G35.

-1 The Fram Tough Guard is $6? I think its as exspensive as any other filter.

-1 The elements are a blend of synthetic glass and cellulose not paper.

+1 for the card board end caps though.

-1 for dirty oil drain back they do have a anti syphon valve that keeps the dirt in the filter and some oil in the filter so you don't have a dry start.

Which filter do you use? I'm not going to pick it apart I'm just curious.

Jeff

[gwoods]

Hey I read that study!

THANKS for sharing that it was very interesting! I would use the Mobil 1 filter if I could find them but that study said they had a high fail rate?

The Fram Tough Guard was on their list of good filters?

Check out this oil life study

http://neptune.spacebears.com/....html

Thanks,

Jeff

[ianh]

ok lets try this..

[ianh]

So What are you saying?

Math was not one of my best subjects but I asume there is some sort of formula and a graph that can show mileage vs oil consumption from the data that I provided? If you graph it you can always take a digital photo of the graph,upload it to photobucket & then paste it here. I'm not sure if seeing that is better than seeing some of the hot girlfriends of other members?

Whatever you are figuring out it is much appreciated. I never knew we has such geniuses on this site?

Linear fit, quadratic fit.....

Telcoman

Ok it worked.So yes this is your data. I threw out one flier at about 6,000 miles/qt and 10,000 miles.Yes it clearly shows steady linear improvement.So what does this mean ?I think the fact that the improvement is linear and relatively slow this is bedding in of a hard material, and I suspect the rings and or bores.I personally have never seen valve guides get better with time.We know that the spring tension on the rings is now a lot lower than it used to be, and that harder materials are used and take time to bed in i.e. Chrome / Moly rings vs cast ironhigh density spun iron liners or even steel vs cast iron bores.just my 2c...

Modified by ianh at 5:57 PM 12/28/2007
Modified by ianh at 6:00 PM 12/28/2007

[gwoods]

I like your explination!

[SupraBoy]

I paid $28 K for my G35.

-1 The Fram Tough Guard is $6? I think its as exspensive as any other filter.

-1 The elements are a blend of synthetic glass and cellulose not paper.

+1 for the card board end caps though.

-1 for dirty oil drain back they do have a anti syphon valve that keeps the dirt in the filter and some oil in the filter so you don't have a dry start.

Which filter do you use? I'm not going to pick it apart I'm just curious.

Jeff

I paid $28 K for my G35.

-1 The Fram Tough Guard is $6? I think its as exspensive as any other filter.

-1 The elements are a blend of synthetic glass and cellulose not paper.

+1 for the card board end caps though.

-1 for dirty oil drain back they do have a anti syphon valve that keeps the dirt in the filter and some oil in the filter so you don't have a dry start.

Which filter do you use? I'm not going to pick it apart I'm just curious.

Jeff

The Fram tough gaurd is not the same filter as the orange one show in the add above...

only the tough gaurd uses the blended element, the orage can filters use paper, and the anti-syphon valve presses against the cardboard end cap which often leaks.

Not really trying to get into any flame wars, just pointing out that the "oil change special" frams are terrible, and have caused many engine failures.

I did use the Toyota TRD filters, but soon upgraded to a Canton oil filter. I wanted a non by-pass design so that all the engine oil is filtered all the time.