01 Burning Oil

[WaarrEagle]

My sister bought an 01 Pathfinder 4x4 with 36,XXX miles on it. I changed the oil at 41k and put Mobil 1 synthetic in. I noticed then it had burned a little oil but nothing too significant. I just checked the level at it was below the low level on the dipstick. The car has 44k on it now. Is this something that needs to be checked out or should I just put dino oil back in it and see what happens. Is buring oil covered under the powertrain warranty? Thanks!

[Blizzardking]

:o Darn, look man, I don't want to spark a new debate here. God only knows how many times this subject has been discussed, not only at this site. I AM NO SCIENTIST, well UHUMMM not yet anyhow; but if you were to ask me, I would tell you not to use synthetics, because in MY own experience with MY previous vehicles, the problem you have stated, I had happen also. These are my findings, I understand some folks do not have any problems, and thats great, all i'm saying is that I have had that happen to me on my previous vehicles. This after being convinced time after time that syn's are better; I know how you feel, you want the best for your rig, and somehow, in your mind you try to find good things about it, and you figure well, their 5.00$ a qt, so it has to be good. At least this is the way I would always convince my self, I mean if you listen to the statistics and the commercials, one would conclude that the stuff is outstanding. When in fact (in my opinion) it does more harm than good.

 

Since I purchased my 97 Pathy, I have not, and will never introduce a synthetic based oil, to any part of my rig. To ME it's not worth the risk. As to wether or not it is covered by your warranty, I would not mention the fact you used a synthetic. Just act like you have no idea why it is burning oil. I do not know the warranty rules for Nissan, I believe some warrantys are voided if a synthetic is used, But don't quote me on that one, it sounds like something I might have heard somewhere. Just my OPINION.

 

Good luck,

 

Mike BLK

[NissanPerson]

I only use synthetic during the cold months because it makes starting A LOT easier and I've never had trouble with burning oil. But, after 3,000 miles (since you said changed at 41,000 and now 44,000) I would expect to have to add some oil to almost any car. I don't know about the '01's but I don't think it's uncommon for any of our 3 Pathy's (Mom's, Dad's, and mine) to be fairly close to the low mark, if not below it, especially if most of the miles are in town (after 3,000 miles). I do know that ours ('90's years) only hold 3.5 quarts, so burning even 1/2 a quart after 3,000 (which isn't abnormal at all) is going to lower the level quite a bit since that's a fairly high percentage of total oil in the vehicle. Anyway, I keep mine changed every 3,000-4,000 so if it's low I just change it! Good luck.

[WaarrEagle]

The 01's hold 5.25 quarts. I guess I am just spoiled by my 97 Maxima which has almost 100k on it, still runs 10W30 synthetic, and never burns a drop a 5k intervals. They both have VQ's so I thought the Pathfinder had a serious problem. I changed it back to regular oil and will keep an eye on it. If it burns another quart in 3k miles I will probably look into stopping the problem but I really don't think it will burn that much.

[87pathy]

Oh synthethic oils, I myself Have never used them for the simple reason of continual use. I have many many auto mechanic friends and every one of them has told me once you use synthetic you always have to use synthetic. one of the reasons being the problem you are seeing. This may not be true but its good enough for me.

[NissanPerson]

Never burns a drop? I know mechanic people too and they say EVERY car uses oil...there is always a little bit that gets past the engine parts and spit out the exhaust, usually just not noticeable until you get into a couple thousand miles on your oil change. So, if you aren't burning ANY after 5K I want YOUR ENGINE! Haha. Plus, I just Googled it and found NUMEROUS websites stating that if your car is using oil to use synthetic since it takes more abuse before it wears down. I suppose there's a difference between using and burning oil since burning would be actual blue smoke spewing out and using it just being normal "usage". Plus, my brother, being a mechanical engineer and knowing WAY too much about cars, has told me that due to the pressure that oil is put into engines at and due to normal wear and tear on an engine every car uses oil, it's just a matter of how much. So, don't worry if the car uses oil unless it is a massive quantity. If, after 3,000, you add 1/2 a quart, that isn't that bad, especially if your car has a moderate number of miles. If, on the other hand, your car uses a quart every thousand and it's a Nissan, then maybe it's worth looking into. Plus, my brother has told me that due to the increase in horsepower of many new smaller engines (I believe the 2001 Pathy has 245 or something out of a V-6) and the fact they are pushing the limits, oil has a tendency to be used more because of the heat and other effects that squeezing every last drop of power out of a small engine has on its components. This does make logical sense to me. So, if your car is using oil, I don't know how much it takes to bring it back up to where you had it when it was changed, it shouldn't be of concern unless it is A LOT of oil. Example: change the oil, remember EXACTLy where it is on the dipstick and then check it every once in a while. After 3,000 miles if it is down and takes 1/2 a quart, I really don't think that's a big deal. If, after 1,000 miles it needs a quart, then start worrying a little more. You can say "and never burn a drop" all you want, and I'm not going to argue, because I KNOW every car uses oil, it's just a matter of how much. And a lot depends on how you use your car...pulling trailers, highway miles, town miles, etc. So, if it is using what you believe to be excessive amounts, take it to a rebuild shop and have them rebuild it (or do it yourself). Good luck!

[WaarrEagle]

Well let me rephrase my Maxima's oil consumption. I put in exactly 4.25 quarts and have always gotten out almost exactly 4.25 quarts, depending on how much I spill, etc. So I guess it does burn some but not enough to notice. Most of my mileage is interstate which could help things. I will keep an eye on the Pathfinder and probably check back in 3-4 months depending on how much it uses. I do know that the VQ's operate at a higher temperature than most so that could be causing some burnoff. Thanks for everyone's help!

[Blizzardking]

WaarrEagle, I would not see it as a problem if you get back exactly what you put in on your Max. I expect nothing less when changing my Pathy's oil. I could understand the notion that small amounts of oil could be lost, but not in measurable quantities. The day I begin to loose measurable quantities of oil, I would just assume that their is some type of internal leak, and depending on the ammount, I would get it looked at.

 

One thing to try is, before you start her in the morning, have someone else start her for you and you stand by the tailpipe and look for any initial blue smoke, or if you know what burned oil smells like smell for it. Usually it starts out small and over time increases.

 

Also, altough Synthetic's "alegedly" don't cause oil consumption, most experts agree that it will increase the usage if a leak was already present...................

 

Good Luck,

 

Mike BLK

[88pathoffroad]

The deal with synthetics is that they generally tend to be slipperier than dino oil, which allows the synth to be pulled past the piston rings into the combustion chamber and burned more easily. If a leak was present before using synthetic oil, then it will probably leak more when using it because of the same physical characteristic, it's slipperier on a molecular level and can seep past already-leaking seals easier than dino oil ordinarily will. Using a thicker weight synth oil can help on the leakage and consumption without hurting anything on start-up or longevity. Synthetic gear oils and transmission fluids have been proven to last longer and lubricate better than dino oils. That's something to consider...

 

On the topic of having to always use synthetic oil after putting it in once, I call bullshyte. I've used both kinds of oil in three of my vehicles and there's no discernable difference when using dino oil afterwards. I never noticed them running differently, using more oil, leaking more or anything else. Is there some sort of fact or reason for this notion?

[87pathy]

I believe (but don't quote me) it is because of the addatives and antifriction properites of the different oils. the dino oil won't penetrate past the synthetic residue. Like I said, don't quote me on this. i work with hydraulic systems for a living and i do know that some oils can't be used after others unless the system is flushed. excpecially in some piston pumps.

[Grumpy]

Consumer Reports did a very lengthy test on motor oils using a fleet of NYC taxis with mic'd & matched engines they installed. They came up with some interesting results, including the fact that modern name brand petroleum based oils will actually work well as far as 7500 miles between changes, and that all of the popular snake oils, such as Slik 50, do nothing to enhance engine wear, and that synthetics do nothing that is physically measurable to reduce any engine wear when compared to petroleum based stocks, but yet they felt that synthetics are likely a good choice in extreme cold. CR isn't always the bible, but it was a good article, IMO. Your mileage may vary. When an engine is still tight, I've had good luck with Mobil 1. I use it in the Winter in my wife's Mustang GT, as the car sits for long periods of time in the cold. Mobil also offers a 0W-30 (or 20?) viscosity oil that I like in the cold. Even though I'm only as far north as NW CT, we had one morning of 26.6 F below here last Winter. Brrr.

[WaarrEagle]

Update: I put regular oil at my last oil change and have gone 4800 miles. I changed it today and it burned 3/4 quart. Is this something I should be worried about?

[Precise1]

Hey WaarrEagle. 3/4 Qt to 4.8k... I wouldn't worry. You drove almost a 5th around the equator of the earth and used 24oz of oil. I forgive you. Same principle I used with with my mother when she complained about new brake pads at 75K. I said "Hmm, you drove around the world 3 times and the car needs brake pads ?". My dad had a 77 dodge with a 318, and it burned 1Qt every 1k like clockwork. Ran great till 180k when the kid next door bought. Don't worry unless it increases (steadily or significantly).

Synthetics or dino, I'm not sure... From what I understand, I agree with 88. Leaks and blowby are more common and it makes much more sense in your gear cases (unless you drown them a lot) than in your engine.

One thing to consider is that if you have some oil blow-by from the valves or rings, you have gas/exhaust blow-by in equal measure. That is what breaks down oil the fastest under 'normal' conditions. The more oil usage you have, the more often you MAY want to change the oil. I shoot for 3k-4k per change(dino), allowing for convenience and oil age. If someone ran their Syn oil 6k-8K (no thanks) they would save the cost of a filter. Oh, have we considered not changing an engine filter for 6k-8k ? Ok, talking in circles now

 

Bernard