Welcome Me!

[Dachristianman]

So......I owned a 02 Q45 back in 06 and really liked the car. Didn't like the fact that every now and then it would blow smoke at start-up for about 3 seconds, but hey, that's life I guess. Sold that car after owning for a few years. Never did like the fact that it smoked as bad as it did at startup.

I just picked up an 03 Q45 Premium, loaded with every option including an automatic trunk opener. Started it up for the first time yesterday and got some smoke out of the tailpipe. Not as bad as the 02 I owned, but not good. With 95K on the clock and all maintenance accomplished at the Infiniti dealer, one would think the engine would be better than this. Other than the smoke at startup, it seems to run perfect.

Is smoke at startup normal for these engines? I'm batting 1000 on it, so it makes me wonder. It's oil smoke (blue tint) btw, not white smoke. What is the fix?

Tom

[BCC93QT]

The first generation VK45DE in the earlier Q45 and M45 were known to burn oil. I think at is the case and is normal. Just keep an eye on your oil level and add as you need it. Unsure if this is a fixable issue. Oh, and "Welcome"

[SurfinGator]

I have a 2005 with around 70k. I don't have any visible smoke coming out of the car. however It magically loses about a qt of oil every oil change. because of that, I would also recommend check your oil levels every fill up.

[Q451990]

These engines tend to burn oil because Nissan chose to design them loose to milk every ounce of horsepower out of them. Some people have had some success using a catch can to reduce the smoke... lots of engines were replaced in the early days, and it was hit or miss in terms of getting a "good" one that didn't consume oil.

Heath

[Dachristianman]

Thanks for the replies. Once I put insurance on it and start driving it, we'll see how it acts. Worst-case, I'll find a low-mileage motor out of an 04 or 05 and see if that solves it. I do not like cars that leak anything and/or smoke.

I once pulled a transmission to replace a seal because it left a drop in my garage every few days. I guess I'm just weird that way. Having a Flagship Infiniti smoke cannot be good for their image.

[BCC93QT]

Infiniti dropped this "flagship" like dropping a baby on cement. Replacing an engine for a smoke issue.... Be my guest keep us updated

[elwesso]

IMO people make this a bigger deal than it really is. In BMW land, especially with the older ones, it's considered "normal practice" for an engine to use a quart or so during an oil change interval (3000-5000 miles).

If the car was babied, you could also go try beating the crap out of it, perhaps it got some carbon on the rings and they're not getting a good seal. If it just smokes a tiny bit on startup I wouldn't worry about.

In any event, welcome to NICO!

[BadQ45t]

I cring in horror when I think of burning a quart of oil like that, my 84' Z doesn't burn a drop in a year between Amsoil extended internals....but it does seem to be the new norm. Bottom line check your dip stick at least once per month.