Oil consumption---Need advice

[myother45isalesbaer]

Larz,

I did my research to find out why my M does eat synthetic oil. Like you, but opposite of your experience, I could find no clue why it eats synthetic and not regular. It seems the final conclusion of this matter is, use what works best for you. Its still a mystery to me why some cars (and I've talked to other than Infiniti owners) do well on synthetic and others don't. Good luck to all regardless of the oil you choose to use.

[obx2003]

Excellent comments by Larz and others.

I could use some informed advice. I have a 2007 M35 purchased new, now with 70K miles, and I have always used Kendall GT-1 5W-30 synthetic blend and Nissan factory filters. I always had almost zero oil consumption between oil changes, which I did myself and averaged every 5,500 miles (lots of hiway miles). I know--I pushed it some by using a premium oil. Last oil change I used my last 4 qts of Kendall and one qt of Quaker State Ultimate (full syn). No performance problems but after 3K miles it has used about 8 ounces of oil. Please don't laugh. What oil works best for the 2007 model, and do you I think I should go back to using Kendall? Kendall is harder to get and a little pricey, but my closest distributor carries 76 Super syn blend, also by Phillips 66. I was planning to go 100% QS Ultimate (5G jugs at Walmart for $22). Thanks for your opinions.

[cruzad3r]

so i checked my oil yesterday and the mark is about 1/8 of an inch away from the LOW. so i immediately added 1qtz of Castrol Synch Blend 5-30w because that's what in the car before. anyway, after letting the car sat over night, i checked again this morning and the oil is now little bit higher than half way mark.

this means the car is drinking oil at approximately 1qtz for 2.5k miles. i'm going to continue to use Castrol synch blend for about 6 months before swapping right over to the regular oil. Unfortunately for this car, it does deserve to have high end oil put in. My frikin 02 Audi TT with more than 120K miles does not consume a single bit of oil and i'm using Mobil 1 synch 5-30W since the day i bought it. I poured in 4.5 qtz, i get back 4.5 qtz minus some spillage here and there.

moral of the story, if your car is drinking oil, slowly or immediately (your choice) swap over to the non synthetic oil and change it at 3k miles mark.

[Larz]

Lots of great points made in this thread. This is what I take away form this thread:\

If your car drinks syn oil, try going back to a good quality reg oil. If you car drinks reg oil, try syn oil, then stick with whichever works best for your car, your driving habits, etc.
I don't believe syn oil has any effect on the car's performance and even if an oil maker tells me it does, I still won't believe it until somebody shows me scientific, clinical evidence. As was stated by somebody earlier, oil is there to lubricate and protect the engine. period. MPGs and HP are not influenced by the brand or type of oil used far as I can tell from my research. Just change it when it's due (or earlier LOL) and always change the filter when you change the oil. I also add about 30mls (one ounce for you yanks) of Seafoam after each oil change, but that's a whole different discussion and I have NO proof it helps in any huge way. I do it coz 30mls can't possibly hurt anything, a can costs $8, covers 10 oil changes, and it gives me peace of mind - real, or imagined.

[cruzad3r]

I also add about 30mls (one ounce for you yanks) of Seafoam after each oil change, but that's a whole different discussion and I have NO proof it helps in any huge way. I do it coz 30mls can't possibly hurt anything, a can costs $8, covers 10 oil changes, and it gives me peace of mind - real, or imagined.

more info plz... what are you trying to accomplish here?

[Larz]

There are some threads in here regarding Seafoam and it's uses. I use it in my gas tank for the injectors and fuel system maybe twice a year and add an ounce to each new oil change to liquify any varnish / gum deposits around the lifters and rings. The Ethanol added by the fuel companies leaves deposits in the engine that reduce the lubrication properties of any type of oil and promote moisture formation in the fuel tank and engine. Seafoam corrects this so the oil can circulate more effectively and moisture is burned off safely as you drive.

http://www.seafoamsales.com/sea-foam-motor-treatment/

[cruzad3r]

interesting - i never try any seafoam product. did try the marvel oil the red metal box one on a 84 Toyota Cresida though.

[myother45isalesbaer]

interesting - i never try any seafoam product. did try the marvel oil the red metal box one on a 84 Toyota Cresida though.

Don't want to be a bummer, but additives will not do dink. Yesterday it was Marvel and STP. Today it is Seafoam and a few others. None of them really do nothing. Yes, I will get beat up about my OP of these major cure alls. None are worth a tinkers damn. They may have great ads. Other posters will tell me I am full of it. I think after 40 years of tearing down engines I can truly testfy additives are just marketing BS. Never used them and never will. If they were so good why doesn't the manufacturer put them in their manual.

[atlM35]

By the way our 45s are designed, we will lose oil through the pcv system.
My preference, change with regular oil every 3,500 miles and top off a couple times in between.Many cars have lasted over a couple hundred thousand miles without synthetic and I prefer to not spend the extra money.

[myother45isalesbaer]

There has been a wealth of good information about oils and additives on this site by many posters. I have learned some things I didn't know. Thanks guys for the education. It seems the final conclusion is use what oil or additive you like best and forget the rest. Happy motoring!

[atlM35]

interesting - i never try any seafoam product. did try the marvel oil the red metal box one on a 84 Toyota Cresida though.

Don't want to be a bummer, but additives will not do dink. Yesterday it was Marvel and STP. Today it is Seafoam and a few others. None of them really do nothing. Yes, I will get beat up about my OP of these major cure alls. None are worth a tinkers damn. They may have great ads. Other posters will tell me I am full of it. I think after 40 years of tearing down engines I can truly testfy additives are just marketing BS. Never used them and never will. If they were so good why doesn't the manufacturer put them in their manual.

I agree, Additives have a risk of fouling plugs and causing buildup.
Nothing beats the occasional Italian tune-up.

[TXT]

This italian tune up with a can of seafoam in the gas tank (had less than half tank of gass + full bottle of seamoam = higher concentration) has recently helped get rid of a loud engine knocking sound I had. AltM35 is right on that one!

[szh]

Any Dino oil recommendations?

In a 5W-30 weight, Castrol GTX, Chevron Supreme, Pennzoil and Quaker State are fine dino oils.

If you change your oil and filter often enough (like around 3750 to 5k miles OCI), almost any good 5W-30 oil will be perfectly fine!

"New oil" is "good oil".

Z

[szh]

This italian tune up with a can of seafoam in the gas tank (had less than half tank of gass + full bottle of seamoam = higher concentration) has recently helped get rid of a loud engine knocking sound I had. AltM35 is right on that one!

An alternative is one (two max every 3k miles) treatment with BG-44K in the fuel tank and go for a long drive to clean out the injectors, remove carbon deposits, etc.

Do this about two tankfuls (600+ mile) before an oil change is due. Then do the oil change.

After 143k miles of driving my Y34, this has proven to work every time (till this last one) my engine starts getting a little rough.

This very last time though, it looks like the car is running lean and the BG-44k treatment did not help too much - the MAF sensor is acting up. I guess after 10 years, I am not totally surprised. So, I am having it changed this weekend ...

Z

[elee]

I have a 2006 M45. Got blue smoke during cold starts around Oct 2009 with 42K miles(changed oil every 3500 miles or every 3 months). Brought it in for oil consumption tests. After the 3 oil consumption tests(Feb 2010), the conclusion was: burning oil but within spec. The service manager told me this engine will burn more oil down the road so he suggested me to bring it in next year around the same time but DO NOT add any oil to it. Around Feb 2011, during one cold morning, engine started with lot of blue smoke and engine cranked with noise; checked the oil level it is extremely low. Brought it in for 2nd round of oil consumption test over the 3 month period(went back there every 1000 miles). After their 3rd round test, they concluded infiniti needed to replace the engine as the sealed valves failed prematurely. So, got a new engine in June 2011 at 53K. Have no issue after that. Just a FYI.