I have a 2004 FX35 with 111,000 miles that has been meticulously maintained. I had no trouble with this car until I hit 100K miles and the thing needed major repairs all at once. I had more than 1 dealer tell me that it was a stroke of bad luck and that they had never seen this before. At any rate, the car is burning oil completely out every 2K miles. The dealer is doing an oil consumption test currently after I have driven 1K miles. They are telling me that the engine is potentially bad. How can this be? The car has had every service and repair when required. Infinitis only last 100K miles??? Curious if anyone has experienced this or if there is a professional mechanic on this forum to provide input?

Thanks,
Michael

Oil consumption on the 4.5 liter engine is common and doesn't have a permanent solution. Many people simply keep a close on oil level every 1500-2500 miles to ensure the level doesn't become low enough to cause engine damage. However, oil consumption on the 3.5 engine isn't as common on the FX, but is common on the G35. Oil consumption on the G35 engine typically occurs early on and burns 1-3 quarts of oil every 3-5k miles. The situation you described seems to be a very serious matter and the cost of the repair will probably range from $5k-$10k causing you to simply sell the FX. Just a heads up, Infiniti hasn't been very willing or quick to replace engines due to oil consumption within a vehicles B2B warranty, extended warranty or after all warranties have expired. If you're lucky Infiniti Infinit may offer a good will warranty, if you have a stellar service record, or Infiniti may offer a small discount on new engine.

Change the PCV valve. If it's bad, it can contribute towards oil consumption.

my 2005 FX35 hit 105K miles and the cats all of a sudden needed to be replaced and the dealer told me i was down 2.5 qts when i took it in. i've had all the services and changed oil regularly - never noticed it below the low end of normal until then. you have to wonder if these engines do start to consume after hitting 100K miles.

my 95 Maxima didn't use a drop and had over 160K on it when the car was totalled as a comparison. when i replace the cats i'll keep up with the oil consumption a little closer.

Michael,

How often did you change the oil? Did you buy it new? You never know how the previous owner treated it or serviced it.. My dad has 186k on his FX that he bought new and it doesn't use a single drop of oil between changes (7-7500 mile changes). He drives about 24k a year so he is changing his oil 3-4 times a year.

Are you leaking any oil? To loose that kind of oil you either have an extreme case of blow by (take the oil cap off and see if you feel positive pressure coming out the fill hole while the engine is running or you have a serious leak.

I have a 2004 FX35 and it consumes a terrible amount of oil. I have been running Amsoil in it since the vehicle was about 5 years old. I change the oil every 12,500 miles. Seems like a lot of miles between changes, but the oil is rated for 25,000 miles if the filter is changed at 12,500 (the filter is rated for 15,000 miles). Well, I just changed it less than 3 months (and about 3500 miles) ago, put a new filter on it. I didn't give it a thought to check the oil until my wife said the oil light was coming on. It was 3 quarts low. How is this possible??? No leaks at all. When I changed the plugs about 6 months ago, the number 6 plug (rear left cylinder because #1 is on the RH side for the 3.5L engine) chamber had a LOT of oil in it when I pulled the spark plug boot off. I sopped the oil up with a screwdriver with a rag on the end of it and then pulled the plug. All of the plugs looked fine. I have meticulously taken care of the vehicle and have replaced WAY too many parts because of failures. Most repairs are documented in an Excel spreadsheet and I have the receipts as well.

I was wondering if the valve cover gasket is leaking around the #6 spark plug hole in the head and then burning off because of the heat of the engine? I have noticed the oil consumption has been going up since about 50,000 miles on the car. I have to constantly check it. I haven't had any problems with the Amsoil in any of my other vehicles. I have been running it in all of my vehicles for 25 years. If anyone else has had this issue, I'm curious as to the fix. I was thinking about replacing the valve cover gaskets and seeing if the problem subsides. Until then I will check the oil a lot more frequently. Some oil consumption is expected, but a quart a 1,000 miles??? Come on Infiniti!!! Overall, my wife and I love the car and she doesn't want to get rid of it, but for the price of the car, and the luxury vehicle status, I have had to replace far too many parts for the cost of the vehicle!!!