M1 5W30, Infiniti G35 3.5L V6, 7,671 miles

[chinee]

Quoted from Blackstone:
We found high lead again in this sample, so it appears that when you run the oil this long, your bearings wear more heavily than normal. For this reason, we probably would not recommend extending your oil change intervals, as your bearings may wear out more quickly than you'd like. If the bearing wear doesn't bother you, then go for it. Then TBN read 2.6 so the oil still had some active additive remaining. The TBN read a little high (I think they meant viscosity), but we didn't find any contaminants that would cause a viscosity shift. Check back to monitor.

Before I act on their recommendation I'm considering one more variable. The oil level was allowed to drop significantly by the time I had gotten to the 7.5K oil change... I had only gotten about 3 3/4 quarts out of the engine (fill is 5qts.). I'm thinking if I could get a @%#$ good reading off the @$%# dipstick, and I topped off as needed, the extra oil may help control the fairly high lead wear I'm seeing right now.

But after thinking it through a little, if the oil level was low, causing the high lead wear, then the other wear metal readings should have been high as well. Unless the bearings are in a position that are susceptible to wear when the oil level is low.... at this point I'm a little confused.

Absent recommendations by others, here are the options I'm considering right now:
1. Continue using M1 to 5K with UOAs to support this interval. 2. Switching back to Castrol or Pennzoil dino and try a 5K mile interval. I want to keep the G for at least 200K miles, so I need to take excellent care of the engine.

Right now I've got 10W30 Mobil1 in the engine and will drain at 5K, so I've got a few weeks before I decide upon my next fill. I won't be sticking with synth (and the added expense) unless I can extend my ODI to 7.5K.

What's frustrating as well is that I'm using M1 5W30 in my wife's 4.7L V8 Sequioa and the analysis that came back was excellent... very low wear metals present, in fact Blackstone suggested I try a 9000 mile interval the next time around. Sequioa UOA

[ December 02, 2003, 12:12 AM: Message edited by: chinee ]

 

[DockHoliday]

Is there a typo in the engine miles?

You run up miles quickly. Are these highway miles?

 

[chinee]

I do about 30K miles a year... the reason why I wanted to utilize an extended ODI. The oil was not changed after the second analysis, just took a sample and topped off with 1/2 a quart, then ran for another 3K (or so) then drained... makes a little more sense now I hope.

 

[Santo Fontana]

If you compare per 1000 miles your lead doesnt look all that bad. I would give it another try.

 

[F1Crazy]

quote:

---

Originally posted by chinee:
Right now I've got 10W30 Mobil1 in the engine and will drain at 5K, so I've got a few weeks before I decide upon my next fill. I won't be sticking with synth (and the added expense) unless I can extend my ODI to 7.5K.

---

There are other oil choices than Mobil1, have you considered ACEA A3/B3 rated oil? If you can't easily find any in 30wt (there are a few out there)then you can certainly move up to 40wt, this should make your bearings happy.

 

[WeyounDS9]

Chinee:
For sure go to a thicker oil, like the GC 0w-30 (12,2Cst at 100C) or M1 0w-40 or 40 weights in general.

I think protecting bearings is more important than anything else, cuz they can't be replaced w/o a full rebuild, whereas something like rings can be done much cheaper.
Both of which of course are many many years in future.

Currently looking into a G35 myself, own a Q45t which I won't trade in if/when I get a G.

Fred..: )

PS: Please, look up "my" humble webiste
nissaninfiniticlub.net

[ December 02, 2003, 08:54 AM: Message edited by: rugerman1 ]

 

[Sin City]

I agree with F1Crazy and palmerwmd, use a thicker oil. I would try Mobil 1 0W-40 since it seems to be very easy to find. Any ACEA A3/B3 or A3/B3/B4 oil will reduce your oil consumption even if it is only a 0W-30 or 5W-30 motor oil since it must be thicker at high temperatures to meet the ACEA A3/B3/B4 requirement for high temperature high shear viscosity of >3.5 cP at 150 C.

 

[TooSlick]

You simply need to use a thicker oil in this engine - your oil pressure is borderline low, hence the accelerated bearing wear. ....I'd suggest finding a 5w-30 or 10w-30 that meets the ACEA "A3/B4" specifications.....

FWIW, I'd run the Amsoil 5w-30 (ASL) in this motor - it's about 15%-20% thicker than the Mobil 1, 5w-30. I've had good results with the 5w-30 in the older Nissan Maxima engine, which is an earlier version of this motor.

Tooslick
Dixie Synthetics

[ December 02, 2003, 07:51 AM: Message edited by: TooSlick ]

 

[chinee]

Great! I'm really enthused by the responses so far; I thought I'd have to go back to a shorter oil drain interval. Glad to knnow there maybe an alternative.

 

[Schmoe]

I don't know what it is with these 200 plus HP V6 engines and M1, they just don't seem to get along, at least my observations on UOA's. Iron isn't exactly super low either, an observed trade mark of M1 in V6 engines. I really don't think that a thicker oil will help, I'd jump ship and try something else like Castrol synthetic. On my V6 Honda, I had actually gotten better UOA's with Pennz. purebase 5W-20 than with M1 5W-30.

 

[Bror Jace]

Yep chinee, I'd try a thicker xW30 oil or possibly a 5W40 such as Rotella, Delvac or even Red Line.

Being in Florida, you might even get away with a 10W40 or *gasp* a 15W40!

It's not like cold pumpability will be much of an issue for you. You might lose something like 1% fuel economy but if you could get that lead and iron wear down to 10PPM or below in 7,500 miles it would be well worth it.

--- Bror Jace

 

[Quattro Pete]

I think these are pretty good numbers and we are just too anal about a few ppm here and there. I'm guilty of that myself sometimes.

But do give thicker oils a try just to see what happens. It can't get any worse.

 

[JohnBrowning]

You need to get some 10W40 Redline Synthetic! If 10W40 scares you then go no thiner the 5W40 Redline!! You might also try 10W40 Amsoil. Also consider Delvac1 5W40. All of these oil are availble from site sponsor and most should also be available in FL. over the counter at any Import Tuner or SPeed Shop!

You need to let the engine sit 15 minutes after shut down and then wipe dip stick and check oil. You need to be topping up as you go!

You might consider a mix 50/50 M1 10W30 and M1 15W50. THey can both be bought at Walmart and are resonably priced. I think that M1 15W50 is the best oil Mobil markets in their Super Syn line up!

 

[chinee]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I'll try the thicker oil, and will stick with M1 (10W40 most likely) because of availability (OTC).

The current fill of 10W30 will get an analysis at 5K, and I'll make the decision whether to drain or not after I get the UOA.

and...

"You need to let the engine sit 15 minutes after shut down and then wipe dip stick and check oil. You need to be topping up as you go!"
It's not my technique in checking the oil that's faulty, it's the dipsh*t who designed the dipstick... it resembles some sort of sacrificial knife that has to be bent and twisted half a dozen ways to re-insert in the hole.

With that said, if there are others who'd like to contribute some more, please do, this never bores me. Thanks again.

 

[mdv]

quote:

---

Originally posted by chinee:
Thanks for the suggestions guys, I'll try the thicker oil, and will stick with M1 (10W40 most likely) because of availability (OTC).

---

I know you'd prefer availability, but I agree with Tooslick. I've had excellent results running Amsoil's 5W-30 out to 8k intervals in a VQ30DE Maxima that saw lots of roadcourse use as well. Analysis results were great and I would have been comfortable running longer intervals next time, but I sold the car.

 

[John in the ATL]

I agree with Slick and mdv. I have gotten good results from Amsoil ASL 5w-30 in my 2000 Maxima. It does not burn off like the Mobil 1 that I used in the past. No oil consumption using 9-10 month/10,000 mile intervals.

 

[chinee]

See what I mean about never getting bored... I had all but decided to go the 10W40 M1 route when two VQ30 guys pipe in about Amsoil. I always told myself that getting anything that was not available OTC is too much trouble, especially oil.

I'm now somewhat considering to go the Amsoil route. Any Florida dealers, specifically Palm Beach?

 

[Spector]

Regardless of what your lab says about the lead values I will bet this engine will still go 150-200,000 miles. I have an engine that has shown high lead values its entire life (higher then yours) and now has 160,000 miles on it. It is all relative and the trend is much more important then one sample or even high numbers. What you are looking for is what is normal for your engine in your climate under your driving conditions, once you know that just look for the spikes to foresee problems. If the trend is basically the same UOA after UOA all is well in the world.

 

[Quattro Pete]

quote:

---

Originally posted by chinee:
See what I mean about never getting bored... I had all but decided to go the 10W40 M1 route when two VQ30 guys pipe in about Amsoil. I always told myself that getting anything that was not available OTC is too much trouble, especially oil.

---

I think finding Amsoil will be less troublesome than finding M1 10w-40 which does not exist.

 

[TooSlick]

The best way to find a local Amsoil or Redline dealer is to look in the Yellow Pages under: "Oils, Lubricating"

There are Amsoil dealers in even pretty small towns these days. It's not at all hard to find locally at retail outlets if you look around. The data I saw last year indicated that Amsoil was now being carried by > 1300 quick lubes (tied for #6 in sales), as well as numerous garages and auto parts stores.

I always encourage folks to look for a local dealer if possible, so that you can get specific product questions answered.

TS