Dealer's not properly maintaing your Rogue?

[rogueagent08]

okay so I got my Rogue on Halloween of '07. after my first oil change from the dealer, I noticed that there was a ticking noise coming from my engine at start up and on rapid acceleration. I brought up this sound to my dealer and they said that it was normal. so after 2 years of bringing the car in to the dealership to get service and dealing with this ticking noise, I decided that I will start doing it myself b/c I feel that they are not properly taking care of my Rogue. well after the first oil change I did myself a couple months ago, I noticed that the used oil barely filled up the 5 quart container. I put in my new oil and the ticking was no longer there, also noticed I had 6 copper rings smashed on my oil plug. I removed all the rings and filled the oil with 6 quarts of Castrol 5w-30 and removed all those rings and put back 1 crush washer. car has been running smoother since I've been doing my own maintenance.

I just did my 2nd oil change today and noticed that it now almost filled all of the used containers with no ticking noises. Dealerships wonder why ppl are going the DIY path, b/c they are not doing things properly.

Any other Rogue owners noticing that dealers are short changing you?

[philipa_240sx]

My dealer has been fine.

However, If I were you I would check your oil level ASAP! The Rogue's oil sump only holds 5 quarts (4.6l) at the most... you may be risking engine damage with that much oil!

From the owners manual pg 8-8:

CHECKING ENGINE OIL LEVEL
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and apply the parking brake.
2. Run the engine until it reaches operating temperature.
3. Turn off the engine. Wait more than 10 minutes for the oil to drain back into the oil pan.
4. Remove the dipstick and wipe it clean. Reinsert it all the way.
5. Remove the dipstick again and check the oil level.

If you are checking oil level immediately after turning the engine off, then it would explain how you fit 6 quarts and still had a seemingly correct oil level. I have personally seen wildly different oil levels between an engine that has just been turned off and waiting 10 minutes as Nissan recommends.

[philipa_240sx]

It appears the only thing the dealer did wrong was fail to remove the crush washer. They got the oil level correct as evidenced by the 5qts you drained.

[philipa_240sx]

BTW, the light ticking noise especially when cold is characteristic of this motor. I drove my Altima for over 147,000mi (245,000km) which had the same motor and always had some ticking noises.

One source of the noise is piston slap... especially at startup. This is due to the design of the engine and does not indicate a lack of oil or excessive wear. The other is valve train noise. The Rogue's motor does not have valve lifters and uses a timing chain. Both of these design features contribute to some valve train noise.

Read more here:

engine-noise-tapping-t392210.html

[casperfun]

I am speculating that when he meant barely filled, assuming he was describing a dealer who was shortchanging him, then I think he meant like maybe a quart or two was missing ( as if in surprise or slight sarcasm). Like when I complain to the fastfood cashier that you barely gave me any fries because it look way to empty, as they trying to shortchange my freaking fries!

Because later he states that after filling the oil himself, he then states it was now almost filled. I don't think he would feel shortchange if he was getting 5 quarts. Just a misundestanding of the facts folks.

I do remember when I was in my teens, I heard a grinding, not necessarily ticking when I was very low on oil. If this happened for 2 years, you better let your service manager know so they would be responsible for any potential oil related damage in the future. (if it's their fault)

Come on, 6 crushed rings!?!?!?!?! You need to let the service manager know their employees should be into more detail and clean up the extra rings. Or maybe I'm having a brain fart and this is the norm. I never used rings in the 16 years I had my nissan maxima. It did leak oil on the 16th year but thats understandable.

[philipa_240sx]

Because later he states that after filling the oil himself, he then states it was now almost filled. I don't think he would feel shortchange if he was getting 5 quarts. Just a misundestanding of the facts folks.

No, rogueagent08 stated he put 6 quarts of oil in... that's more than 1 full quart over the Rogue's 4-7/8 US qt capacity:

I removed all the rings and filled the oil with 6 quarts of Castrol 5w-30 and removed all those rings and put back 1 crush washer.

I have performed at least 50 oil changes on this motor.. my Altima and Rogue combined. I usually put in almost 5 quarts (4.75l) of oil on every change. I start the motor and let it run, shut it off, wait 10 minutes and it's bang on the full mark.

I strongly suggest rogueagent08 check the oil level. Overfilling a motor is just as dangerous as running low on oil. The reduced noise he's hearing could be due to excessive oil in the crankcase... the crank is now flinging way more oil around than it was ever intended to. Worse case, he could hydro-lock the motor... oil does not compress... engine parts will break first.

[kerrton]

The main point that I would make here is that if you think that the dealer may not be adding enough oil, there is no need to speculate or get paranoid that you're getting ripped off/short-changed on oil. All you have to do is check the oil level to see if it's at the appropriate level, and like Philip said, be sure to check the oil properly, waiting 10 minutes after turning the car off.