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2006 350Z OIL CONSUMPTION problems

343K views 932 replies 119 participants last post by  millenium 
#1 ·
UPDATE:

Since this thread was originally started, Nissan North America has released a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) regarding this issue. TSB NTB07-088 was issued on November 27th, 2007 to specifically address the abnormal oil consumption experienced on some 2005-2006 300HP RevUp engines.

In brief, the TSB lists specific guidelines, and amount of oil consumption required, for a complete engine replacement with a newly revised unit. More specific details are provided in this thread beginning here at post #505. There you will find information regarding the process and procedure for diagnosing, and remedying this issue.

350Z-Tech Moderating Team


Does anyone have an engine oil consumption problem on a 2006 Z besides me?

I have a 2006 Touring 6-speed model. I added full 5 quarts of Mobile 1 synthetic oil at around 3500 miles. When I changed my oil again yesterday at 7000 miles, I found that only 1.5 quarts of oil was drained out from the oil pan even with the oil filter removed. The consumption rate is like 1QUART per 1000Miles or more. The oil was very dark and looked like it has been burnt to ****. There were definetly no leaks from the gasket or oil pan as I check
I took the car to the dealer right away and they said they have never heard of this problem before.... and told me to start a oil consumption test next time my oil change is due. Has this oil consumption problem been around for a while? I wonder why no one made a big deal out of this on the 350z-tech forum.
Is there anything else I can do beside just going and sticking to the slow and long process of famous Nissan "oil consumption test"?? Any feedback is greatly appreciated
 
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#5 ·
A friend is having the same problem with his 06 base model Z. He's also using Mobile 1 synthetics and also going through a oil consumtion test. I only notice my exhaust tips were really dark, hopefully it's not from the oil.
On my 2006 Touring 6-speed, I am still running on dyno oil. But I notice that so far its using about 1/4 qt of oil every 3k miles.
 
#7 ·
I have the same problem on '06 base model and I have about 2,700 miles. I read the oil consumption problem in the forum and a couple of days ago I noticed my oil pressure gauge is so low even when I accelerated. Surely enough, the next day I checked, it was really low and luckily I have a couple qt. of mobil 1 that I saved.
 
#9 ·
ok well i have no idea as to how common it is for the z or anything such as that but i do have so questions..

as one person stated he was noticing a really dark exhaust tip, if this is the case and it is in fact blow by try checking out ur head gasket, that would be the problem possibly if there is blowby, have any of u done a compression test on the cylinders? followed then by a wet test? this is to eliminate the possible issues

as i said i am not sure what exactly is going on with the z's but these r common things to try testing out
 
#11 ·
Today I sent in my vehicle to get a NEW ENGINE! Under Warranty!

she only has 10K miles on her and she's already eating 2 quarts every 3K miles.

The dealership ordered my engine today and took my car. Should be done in less than a week!

Hopefully all will go well and this pestering problem will be solved. I'll keep you updated with what happens
 
#12 ·
Today I sent in my vehicle to get a NEW ENGINE! Under Warranty!

Hopefully all will go well and this pestering problem will be solved. I'll keep you updated with what happens
Did they give any inclination as to whether this is a reported large-scale issue or only isolated incidents? I'd be interested in the explanation of the inherent defect.
 
#14 ·
Did they give any inclination as to whether this is a reported large-scale issue or only isolated incidents? I'd be interested in the explanation of the inherent defect.
My "educated guess" is his motor was probably either built on Monday when someone was hung over and missed a seal as it passed, or on Friday when someone just cashed their check at lunch and had a few "Sakes" if you know what I mean....nudge, nudge, wink, wink, ....we'll see though.
 
#15 ·
MT equipped cars are known to burn oil when driven under high rpm/low load operation (I.E cruising around in 2nd and 3rd gear all the time b/c your lazy ass wont up-shift). GM has had this issue with LS1 equipped cars, but there are also other reasons for that.
 
#16 ·
Said it once, I will say it again. Mobil 1 30 weight oils thin down to 20 weight spec within a few K miles and are thin as **** to begin with (barely 30 weight spec to begin). Penzoil PLatinum or the Mobile 1 extended performance 15K mile formula are good alternatives.
 
#17 ·
MT equipped cars are known to burn oil when driven under high rpm/low load operation (I.E cruising around in 2nd and 3rd gear all the time b/c your lazy ass wont up-shift). GM has had this issue with LS1 equipped cars, but there are also other reasons for that.
you're exactly right STANGER.

i just got my car back last night. they had a nissan engineer check it out. i didn't get a new engine just yet. apparently the 06 rev-up is known to burn oil up until 15K miles :headshake:

also, letting the revs fall @ high rpms is what's causing the oil to leave the engine.

FYI- i was running Mobil 1 Extended 5w30 for what it's worth and apparently it's very thin.

SO...i'm on an oil consumption test right now. they topped her off w/ Elf Synthetic so yeah.

now it's another waiting game. we'll see in 3K miles if i get a new engine...
 
#18 ·
you're exactly right STANGER.

i just got my car back last night. they had a nissan engineer check it out. i didn't get a new engine just yet. apparently the 06 rev-up is known to burn oil up until 15K miles :headshake:

also, letting the revs fall @ high rpms is what's causing the oil to leave the engine.

FYI- i was running Mobil 1 Extended 5w30 for what it's worth and apparently it's very thin.

SO...i'm on an oil consumption test right now. they topped her off w/ Elf Synthetic so yeah.

now it's another waiting game. we'll see in 3K miles if i get a new engine...
Check my other posts in oil slurping threads...STAY AWAY FROM MOBIL 1 30 WEIGHT OILS!!!
 
#21 ·
We had the motor replaced on our 06 M/T Z at approximately 5500 miles. I've been monitoring the new engine and it appears to be burning oil too although not as bad as the original engine. We even took it back to the dealer once before my wife took a trip out of town. We just wanted them to do an "official" oil check before the car took a trip. Turns out it was 1.3 quarts low already. It's getting low again. We'll be going back to the dealership soon.
 
#22 ·
We had the motor replaced on our 06 M/T Z at approximately 5500 miles. I've been monitoring the new engine and it appears to be burning oil too although not as bad as the original engine. We even took it back to the dealer once before my wife took a trip out of town. We just wanted them to do an "official" oil check before the car took a trip. Turns out it was 1.3 quarts low already. It's getting low again. We'll be going back to the dealership soon.

1.3qts low after how many miles?
 
#23 ·
About 1,000 miles when the dealership added 1.3 quarts. We had them document it.

I was hoping maybe that's normal for a new engine being broken in. But since then it seems it's burned a noticeable amount. It'll be going back to the dealership very soon. I'm curious what they'll have to say this time.

Still not as bad as the original engine. My wife had the oil topped off at a Nissan dealership in Little Rock Arkansas while she was on a business trip and it was pretty low by the time she got back to Fort Worth. That was when the dealer agreed to replace the engine. What's strange is that we could never detect any smoke from the exhaust even though it seemed to be consuming oil like crazy.
 
#24 ·
About 1,000 miles when the dealership added 1.3 quarts. We had them document it.

I was hoping maybe that's normal for a new engine being broken in. But since then it seems it's burned a noticeable amount. It'll be going back to the dealership very soon. I'm curious what they'll have to say this time.

Still not as bad as the original engine. My wife had the oil topped off at a Nissan dealership in Little Rock Arkansas while she was on a business trip and it was pretty low by the time she got back to Fort Worth. That was when the dealer agreed to replace the engine. What's strange is that we could never detect any smoke from the exhaust even though it seemed to be consuming oil like crazy.
Check your intake/PCV valve. It could have been a PCV issue. Did the car have hesitation/detonation issues too?
 
#26 ·
No noticeable hesitation/detonation.

Is a faulty PCV valve a common issue on Zs?

A PCV is a PCV. Any car could get one that somehow got stuck open and allowed oil to be sucked into the intake in copious amounts. Us LS1 guys have a crappy entire SETUP, hence why a couple of companies make catch cans specifically for our cars. We use .5-2qts per 3K miles due to our PCV system (LS1 guys, not you Z owners) and due to our low tension oil rings and short skirt pistons. I PERSONALLY have noticed about 1/3-1/2 qt of oil loss in 2,000 miles.

Your 1.3qts per 1000 miles is rediculous. The PCV was a long-shot. Someone needs to fix your problem I agree!
 
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