Hmmm . . . I have checked on a couple of other G sites and this excessive oil consumption problem is a bit more common than I thought. Others are going through oil consumption test and others have had their engines replaced, as well.

 

Yup. Seems a small percentage of the VQ engines encounter this problem.

 

This is a well documented problem on the 350Z forums. Our cars should not be consuming oil between oil changes. However, some G35 and 350Z's have bad engines. I know this from first hand experience. I had a 2003 350Z Track model which at 1200mi had consumed about 2 quarts of oil. At 3000mi it had consumed another 2 quarts. The dealer didn't believe it at first and blamed me (since I changed my own oil). They subsequently performed an oil consumption test and found that it would lose about 1-2 quarts every thousand miles. The dealer called Nissan North America who quickly said to replace me engine with a brand new one and to ship my defective engine back to Nissan for teardown. There have been several posts on this and a few people have been able to get Nissan to buy back their cars. If you have excessive oil consumption, you more than likely need a new engine. My replacement engine did not lose any oil between changes. I ended up selling the car and purchased 2004 G35 Coupe 6spd which also has not lost any oil between changes. The interesting point is that Nissan, upon hearing about my engine's oil consumption, immediately authorized the dealer to swap my engine with a new one. This makes me think that there is potential problem with our engines that they aren't telling us about. Anyway, my 2 cents...

Gregg

 

Okay, I'm feeling better about my current situation, now. Yes, I read about some 350Z's with problem, as well. Well, time will tell at this point.

Hmmm . . . If I do recieve a new engine . . . Will the warranty of the new engine start fresh or will it pick up where my existing engine left off? Cru, what was your experience with regard to your new engine's warranty?

Thanks for everyones' input, thus far. It has helped me tremendously to hear of everyone elses experiences.

 

The way I understood it is the warranty remains the same.

Since my engine will have 30k less miles than the odometer reads, I'm guessing maybe my resale value may be a little better?

 

Okay, that will work for me, if it gets to that. Yes, I would say with documentation, your ride is definitely worth more. Especially with a 30k mile differential.

 

my oil is on half way point on the dip stick. Am I consuming a lot of oil? so far I have about 2300k miles on this oil change with 12,700k total miles on the odometer.

 

When did you check it? Right after you drove it?

 

One thing I forgot to mention to all the people dealing with this problem. Document EVERYTHING. The names of ppl you spoke with, dates, times, what was said, etc. I actually created a spreadsheet on my PC and logged everything after it happened. I can't begin to tell you how many times I referenced that document when they were trying to deny my warranty. It helped me keep events in order.

 

on a cold engine. no start for 8 hours.

 

Add oil and watch that dipstick like a hawk! Get a little flashlight, 'cause trying to insert that sucker in there without a light SUX!!!

 

Yeah, no chit . . . This is one of the more difficult dipstick configurations, which I have dealt with. A flashlight definitely helps while reinserting the dipstick.

 

Doubt it. Just mentioning the fact that it has a new engine brings up concern and will scare potential buyers away. 30K miles less on the engine, but every electrical connection, every part, and nearly every nut and bolt under the hood has been removed and reassembled, by a service tech. Not bashing techs at all, but they don't install engines every day like an assembly line would. Never the same. No car would be.

 

Actually, if it gets to a new engine replacement, your comments are exactly what I am concerned about. However, I have no plans on selling my G. It's just the thought that the replacement engine may not be installed as would have been from the factory. Just pondering any potential future issues, which I might need to deal with.

Since it is a freebie, they may just jamb that sucker in there without much care or concern. Hmmmm . . . Warranty Hell?

 

I too had an oil consumption problem in my 03.5 Sedan. I was using a quart every 1,000 miles. In talking with my service advisor about this I was told that this particular dealership had never replaced an engine because of oil consumption and I was also warned about all the half truths floating around on the internet with respect to G35's using oil. Needless to say I walked out with less than a favorable opinion of this service advisor. Anyway, based on some things I had read, I decided to replace the PCV valve on my own and to my surprise my oil consumption problem went away.