Going to do a UOA on a 425,000 mile car & Question

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au201

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Hampton Roads, Virginia
I am planning on doing a UOA on my 89 Nissan Maxima in a few thousand miles...Recently changed the oil using Pennzoil conventional...will be very interesting to see what shows up after 5k miles...What do you think I will see? - Also, should i keep running conventional? Or switch to a high milage synthetic...Want to keep this car running great for a few more years...It burns maybe 1/4 of a quart every 5k miles so not much at all...im afraid of introducing a synthetic after 425,000 miles on conventional. (CarQuest conventional, nonetheless) She runs great though, engine pulls hard with no miss, although its hard to get a smooth ride because if you take your foot off the gas in gear (stick), it jerks back and fourth constantly, anyone know why that is? Other than that theres nothing wrong...clutch only replaced once. Like i said, will be interesting to see what the UOA shows...

Edit: One other thing...Should i be concerned that it take about 5-10 seconds to build oil pressure on a cold start? The light stays on along with a loud, fast ticking...Everyone says "oh its old what do you expect"...is my oil pump on its way out? Should i be using something heavier than 5w30?
 
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Check the engine and trans mounts. Broken or otherwise deteriorated mounts can contribute to bucking.
 
In order to get a more accurate UOA it should be done after the second run of PYB. Then you won't get results that are possibly skewed by the oil you used prior to PYB.
 
I would stick with conventional oil and not start using synthetic. After 400K there is no reason to start experimenting, IMO.
 
Originally Posted By: pbm
I would stick with conventional oil and not start using synthetic. After 400K there is no reason to start experimenting, IMO.


I agree.

Congratulations on going so long with this car! Only one clutch is great.

Could you list repairs you have made, would be interesting for us?

Your bucking while coasting could be a dirty throttle plate/body or carburetor, some fuel cleaner and/or spray may help. Also could be EGR valve, vacuum leak, or clutch/u-joints, transmission.
 
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Originally Posted By: 95busa
Why question yourself at nearly a half million?


Clearly what you've done thus far is a winning combo! Keep it going!
 
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With that many miles who cares


If he depends on the car daily, and has no backup vehicle knowing the health of the engine could be important.

I'd like to know in advance if a newer vehicle might be warranted. JMO.
 
No need to go full synthetic, but most high mileage oils are a syn-blend and would do great in your application. I like Valvoline MaxLife. But Quaker State Defy is good if you want an oil on the thicker side of its listed weight. Mobil, Castrol, and Pennzoil all have good HM offerings also.

Mobil 1 High Mileage claims it can do some cleaning, as does Pennzoil Platinum. If going synthetic, those would be my choices...

I wouldn't use anything heavier than a 5w30 if you're not experiencing much consumption. I think the transmission and cooling system are actually your bigger worries honestly...
 
If longevity is an issue, you may just want to look up a replacement engine/transmission on car-part.com .

I have been down this road before on a 91 Volvo 740. I wound up never using either powertrain and giving the seats for this vehicle to a fellow Volvo enthusiast.

A replacement engine for this model should only be around $200 to $250 and installation should run $250 to $300. I would just save your money on the UOA.
 
Slow oil pressure build is generally related to oil drainback from the filter, so the pump has to refill it at each start after setting for a few hours... A quality filter may reduce that issue...
 
Thanks everyone. Looks like I will stay with conventional...I dont know if i will be doing PYB again...It was a special, 5 quarts of PYB with a filter for 20 bucks
laugh.gif
. And i am sorry if i led on that it was my only vehicle...it isn't, i've also got a 1997 Toyota Tacoma (100k miles) and my pride and joy, my 2010 2LT RS Camaro
smile.gif
- she's a garage queen with only 10k miles...but my son will be driving the Maxima for a few years. Funny enough, when we bought it, the salesman said "This car will last your forever" We didnt know he was serious
shocked.gif
. Does anyone know whether or not i should be concerned about the oil pressure taking 5-10 seconds to build along with what im assuming is lifter tick? Will it be super damaging to the engine? I can't seem to remember all the repairs. I know plugs every 100k, umm I had an injector replaced (port injected) at about 300k...around 250k i lost compression in cylinder 4 had to replace a seal (think that was the biggest repair)...at 400k i had a compression test done, all the cylinders are holding great pressure
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The front shocks need replacing along with the CV joints currently. Before i give it to my son im gonna give it a tune up and get some new tires and fix the A/C (just gave out for the first time at 400k
frown.gif
) Thats all i can remember for now...
 
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Originally Posted By: au201
Does anyone know whether or not i should be concerned about the oil pressure taking 5-10 seconds to build along with what im assuming is lifter tick?


What type of oil pressure gauge do you have? Is it the factor dash gauge or is it a mechanical gauge? I'd hook it up to a good oil pressure gauge and see how long it takes to build pressure on a good mechanical OP gauge. Then I'd look at the shop manual and compare cold and hot oil pressure to the specs they call for in the manual. Then report back your results. That will take the guess work out of the equation and tell if the oil pump and bearings are still good.
 
no gauge...im going off the fact that im seeing an oil pressure light along with the lifter tick for 5-10 seconds - other than start up it never comes on. - I'll have a video in about 45 minutes of the startup so you all can hear it.
 
That a high price for the oil and filter combo together at Walmart they would be cheaper.

If the purolator filter doesn't have a silicon anti drain back valve, you could try one that does it could help.
 
Ok, here is the video - ignore the odometer, it stopped working for about 100k miles...and ignore the tach as well..that stopped working at like 350k...(its weird though if you rev it past what im assuming is about 3k rpm it pops up to 6k and the more you rev the closer to the actual speed it goes...) the password is "BITOG" - Video - and the actual video is not upside down...
 
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