Increased oil consumption at ~65K miles?

JARblue · 05-15-2019, 10:25 AM

A good MAF and Throttle Body cleaning might help with the rough/low idle issue. I've had mine shudder a bit when the idle dropped really low and cleaning the TBs solved the issue. But serious shaking is not a good sign.

I would put a few miles on it and do another oil change and get an oil analysis asap to determine possible internal engine damage. Trip to Baltimore might be a good opportunity to put those miles on it. But if you're really concerned or can't risk the possibility of something happening, then you may want to cancel and take it back to the shop.

Also, if you have any issues with your airbags show up in the near future, it's likely from rain getting in when the windows weren't up.

BettyZ · 05-15-2019, 10:40 AM

Yeah.. about that rain.. I know the OP said she likes the shop but I take leaving a car outside with the windows cracked as a general sign of IDGAF.

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JARblue · 05-15-2019, 10:51 AM

Agreed.. perfect example of an incompetent shop.

Misnomer · 05-15-2019, 10:51 AM

If there is follow-up work to be done, I'll use the same place (for continuity and so I don't get charged anything more). But I've already started researching other shops.

BettyZ · 05-15-2019, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misnomer

If there is follow-up work to be done, I'll use the same place (for continuity and so I don't get charged anything more). But I've already started researching other shops.

Smart move on both counts. Sorry this is happening to you.

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bunk · 05-15-2019, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misnomer

Yesterday afternoon I was 10 min early to an appointment, so I hung out in my (running) car for a while. After 5-6 minutes, the idle got rough/low and the car shook a few times. Like, if I'd had a drink it would have spilled. It nearly stalled but didn't, then it smoothed out and went back to a normal idle. I've had some times in traffic when the idle would get a little low for a second or two, but never the shaking thing -- that was new.

A (different) guy from the shop called yesterday to check on things, but I wasn't able to call back before they closed. I'll be calling him today, and asking about the possible engine damage thing, mentioning the curbside shaking, and asking about the other guy's comment that this car starts needing more oil at 65,000 miles.

(Oh, and did I mention that when I picked her up there was a washer fluid hose sticking out from under the hood? I had to wait for them to put that back where it belonged. And they hadn't bothered to reset the automatic windows, so they had her parked in the rain with the windows not all the way up. *sigh*)

The shaking episode made me a little nervous; between that and the concern about possible engine damage, I'm wondering if I should scrap plans to take my nephew to Baltimore this weekend (50 miles away; I don't want to have a problem on I-95/with him in the car). I might need to take my Gray Lady back to the shop instead.

I'm also wondering if I need to start thinking about getting another car...ugh.

Is the SES (check engine light) on? Id ask them to check for any codes. Try to do the throttle body/MAF cleaning like Jar mentioned, and get that oil analysis done.

Misnomer · 05-16-2019, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bunk

Is the SES (check engine light) on?

Nope. I've only ever seen that light twice, and both times it was because I hadn't tightened the fuel cap enough.

vtec to vvel · 05-17-2019, 03:24 PM

OP, as others have stated, I would do an oil analysis before jumping to conclusions. Though I don’t know the entire story/history behind your car, based on what you have said, I don’t think the engine itself is damaged, but do know there is some maintenance work to be done to it. You’d be surprised how tough Japanese engines are and can take quite a bit of abusive and still run like a champ.

Misnomer · 05-20-2019, 02:20 PM

I'm much calmer now.

I talked to the shop, didn't need to bring the car back, and did some solid driving both Friday and Saturday with no problem (including some significant idling in hot weather). I think last week I was maybe having a little PTSD from my RX-8 experience. I'll get the next oil change a little sooner than usual, and will have a used oil analysis done then -- just to know. But I'm not worried about my car at the moment, and am hoping to get many more miles out of her.

Misnomer · 05-25-2019, 08:37 AM

The idle issue returned yesterday, at a drive-thru. I was in neutral, right foot on brake, left foot not touching the clutch. Suddenly the idle got super low/rough with shaking, and she nearly stalled a couple times, and I noticed the battery voltage went from the usual 14 down to 12 (I don't know if that also happened last time). Lasted only maybe a minute or so, but she was so close to stalling that I didn't wait to see if the issue self-corrected: I goosed the gas a little, and as soon as I did the engine smoothed out and the voltage went back to 14.

I'll bring it back to the same shop next weekend; I can't get there today/sooner. Again, both for continuity and because if they didn't tighten something properly (or whatever) I won't pay for the fix.

*sigh*

bunk · 05-25-2019, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misnomer

The idle issue returned yesterday, at a drive-thru. I was in neutral, right foot on brake, left foot not touching the clutch. Suddenly the idle got super low/rough with shaking, and she nearly stalled a couple times, and I noticed the battery voltage went from the usual 14 down to 12 (I don't know if that also happened last time). Lasted only maybe a minute or so, but she was so close to stalling that I didn't wait to see if the issue self-corrected: I goosed the gas a little, and as soon as I did the engine smoothed out and the voltage went back to 14.

I'll bring it back to the same shop next weekend; I can't get there today/sooner. Again, both for continuity and because if they didn't tighten something properly (or whatever) I won't pay for the fix.

*sigh*

Sounds like your alternator is failing. Autozone can test this for free. And have them check your battery while theyre at it.

Misnomer · 05-29-2019, 03:56 PM

Yeah, the voltage/idle thing definitely seems to be connected. I'm paying close attention this week. Instead of driving it back to the shop (22 miles away), I'll probably just bring it to the local NTB and ask them to take a look.

Cyer6 · 06-16-2019, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JARblue

Make sure you trust the shop or at least tell them you need to keep the empty oil container. That way you can at least be pretty sure they used the actual oil you provided. I've heard of the shop guys keeping the Mobil 1 for themselves and just tossing in whatever oil is cheapest.

So glad dad showed me how to work on cars. This is why I refuse to let anyone do routine maintenance work (like oil changes) on my car. I'm worried they'll not put in the right oil I requested, put in too little or too much, forget to tighten the drain bolt or over-torque it, forget to change out the oil filter or put the wrong one in and then not tighten it properly. That kind of **** would keep me awake at night and I would end up doing it all over myself the next weekend just so I could sleep again.

BettyZ · 06-17-2019, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyer6

So glad dad showed me how to work on cars. This is why I refuse to let anyone do routine maintenance work (like oil changes) on my car. I'm worried they'll not put in the right oil I requested, put in too little or too much, forget to tighten the drain bolt or over-torque it, forget to change out the oil filter or put the wrong one in and then not tighten it properly. That kind of **** would keep me awake at night and I would end up doing it all over myself the next weekend just so I could sleep again.

I started changing my own oil after some numbnuts at a Midas put my 350Z dipstick in the wrong hole, leaving an open tube. Went for a roadtrip and saw I had 0 oil pressure.

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Quicksilvers · 06-17-2019, 04:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BettyZ

I started changing my own oil after some numbnuts at a Midas put my 350Z dipstick in the wrong hole, leaving an open tube. Went for a roadtrip and saw I had 0 oil pressure.

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Everyone here should be doing their own oil changes it’s very easy and there are write ups here on how to do an oil change on a 370Z. Definitely avoid bringing your 370Z to places like Midas, Jiffy Lube,or any quick oil change shop because a lot of these people how work at these places don’t know much about our cars and can quickly screw up your 370Z. I know one person that went to Jiffy Lube to get his oil changed on his STI and the lube technician drained the motor oil but,never changed the oil filter or refilled the motor oil. One day later his engine catastrophically failed and his turbocharger failed as well.

Get your oil changed by anyone but you at your own risk!

05-15-2019, 10:25 AM	#31 (permalink)
JARblue A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Austin, TX Age: 43 Posts: 36,450 Drives: 11 Z34, 98 E36 M3 Rep Power: 2684440	A good MAF and Throttle Body cleaning might help with the rough/low idle issue. I've had mine shudder a bit when the idle dropped really low and cleaning the TBs solved the issue. But serious shaking is not a good sign. I would put a few miles on it and do another oil change and get an oil analysis asap to determine possible internal engine damage. Trip to Baltimore might be a good opportunity to put those miles on it. But if you're really concerned or can't risk the possibility of something happening, then you may want to cancel and take it back to the shop. Also, if you have any issues with your airbags show up in the near future, it's likely from rain getting in when the windows weren't up. SouthArk370Z likes this. __________________ 2011 370Z 6MT Sport Gun Metallic \| ARC \| CJM \| Ecutek \| FI \| Fujimura \| R2C \| SPL \| Stillen \| TWM \| Z1 \| ZSpeed \| Last edited by JARblue; 05-15-2019 at 10:27 AM.

05-15-2019, 10:40 AM	#32 (permalink)
BettyZ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Chicagoland Age: 38 Posts: 5,261 Drives: A Garage Queen Rep Power: 2684371	Yeah.. about that rain.. I know the OP said she likes the shop but I take leaving a car outside with the windows cracked as a general sign of IDGAF. Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk SouthArk370Z likes this. __________________ '14 MB Nismo \| Boost Lab 6870 1.32 AR 553 HP / 471 ft.-lbs. Betty Mods

05-15-2019, 10:51 AM	#33 (permalink)
JARblue A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Austin, TX Age: 43 Posts: 36,450 Drives: 11 Z34, 98 E36 M3 Rep Power: 2684440	Agreed.. perfect example of an incompetent shop. __________________ 2011 370Z 6MT Sport Gun Metallic \| ARC \| CJM \| Ecutek \| FI \| Fujimura \| R2C \| SPL \| Stillen \| TWM \| Z1 \| ZSpeed \|

05-15-2019, 10:51 AM	#34 (permalink)
Misnomer Base Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Falls Church, VA Posts: 95 Drives: 2020 BMW M240i Rep Power: 12	If there is follow-up work to be done, I'll use the same place (for continuity and so I don't get charged anything more). But I've already started researching other shops. JARblue likes this.

05-17-2019, 03:24 PM	#38 (permalink)
vtec to vvel A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: 813 Posts: 3,915 Drives: 13 Z Rep Power: 502909	OP, as others have stated, I would do an oil analysis before jumping to conclusions. Though I don’t know the entire story/history behind your car, based on what you have said, I don’t think the engine itself is damaged, but do know there is some maintenance work to be done to it. You’d be surprised how tough Japanese engines are and can take quite a bit of abusive and still run like a champ. Misnomer likes this. __________________ Don't like what I post? Too bad. I really don't give a sh!t

05-20-2019, 02:20 PM	#39 (permalink)
Misnomer Base Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Falls Church, VA Posts: 95 Drives: 2020 BMW M240i Rep Power: 12	I'm much calmer now. I talked to the shop, didn't need to bring the car back, and did some solid driving both Friday and Saturday with no problem (including some significant idling in hot weather). I think last week I was maybe having a little PTSD from my RX-8 experience. I'll get the next oil change a little sooner than usual, and will have a used oil analysis done then -- just to know. But I'm not worried about my car at the moment, and am hoping to get many more miles out of her. Rusty and BettyZ like this.

05-25-2019, 08:37 AM	#40 (permalink)
Misnomer Base Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Falls Church, VA Posts: 95 Drives: 2020 BMW M240i Rep Power: 12	The idle issue returned yesterday, at a drive-thru. I was in neutral, right foot on brake, left foot not touching the clutch. Suddenly the idle got super low/rough with shaking, and she nearly stalled a couple times, and I noticed the battery voltage went from the usual 14 down to 12 (I don't know if that also happened last time). Lasted only maybe a minute or so, but she was so close to stalling that I didn't wait to see if the issue self-corrected: I goosed the gas a little, and as soon as I did the engine smoothed out and the voltage went back to 14. I'll bring it back to the same shop next weekend; I can't get there today/sooner. Again, both for continuity and because if they didn't tighten something properly (or whatever) I won't pay for the fix. sigh

05-29-2019, 03:56 PM	#42 (permalink)
Misnomer Base Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Falls Church, VA Posts: 95 Drives: 2020 BMW M240i Rep Power: 12	Yeah, the voltage/idle thing definitely seems to be connected. I'm paying close attention this week. Instead of driving it back to the shop (22 miles away), I'll probably just bring it to the local NTB and ask them to take a look.

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