Dirty gritty drained oil when I did the oil change today

dlmartin81 · 03-11-2010, 10:03 AM

AK,

Should we make a separate thread about this and move all related posts there?

dlmartin81 · 03-11-2010, 05:16 PM

So I had a scheduled visit to my dealer today to get my rear hatch lift-springs replaced. While I was there I brought up my situation about the oil. They said that from what I described, they've never seen or heard such a thing. They asked if I had an oil sample (like many of you had asked). I said no because I did two oil changes on the same day...mine and my wife's. And mine was last. So the oil that I have in the pan is mixed. Then they asked if I used Nissan's oil, because it contains the ester additive. I said "no, but I used Red Line, which also contains ester." Then they said, "well, we can't really do anything for you at the moment. Next time you do the change, if you see the same thing, bring in a sample...OR...have us do the next change so we can see it first hand." So, I was like "ok."

Oh but when I was describing the oil, they said that copper/brass fragments could be from some bearings. But again, to determine that, they'd need a sample.

So I think I'll do my next change in three months instead of five or six, and see how it looks then.

semtex · 03-11-2010, 05:32 PM

Or you could drain some out right now for a sample and then just top it off to bring it back to proper fill level. If there's a chance your bearings are disintegrating, do you really want to wait three months and risk your engine grenading on you in the middle of a freeway?

dlmartin81 · 03-11-2010, 05:54 PM

I hear ya. Maybe I'll do that. However, I won't be able to get to it till next weekend. I'm gonna be away for this one. Damn it....ugh....well, if something does go wrong, I'm hoping that it's covered under warranty.

semtex · 03-11-2010, 06:02 PM

That's not such a bad thing. Let it run for a week so that the oil 'represents' what's going on better. If you do it too soon, there's a chance the oil would be too clean and wouldn't accurately represent the problem.

dlmartin81 · 03-11-2010, 06:14 PM

Yeah, I agree. Actually, I wonder if even at two weeks is too soon. Maybe at three or four? What do you think. Looking at my dipstick earlier, it still looked pretty clean.

semtex · 03-11-2010, 06:17 PM

Were you able to see the flecks on your dipstick before? If so, wait until you see them there again.

dlmartin81 · 03-11-2010, 06:33 PM

Semtex -- Nah, before this issue, I haven't been checking the DS on a regular basis. Just every now and then. It's a new car. In my mind, I felt like I had nothing to worry about. But I will try to monitor it while I wait till the next change.

semtex · 03-12-2010, 03:27 PM

You know, if you weren't checking your dipstick on a regular basis, I wonder if you were actually low on oil, which in turn led to metal wear. You said you had this oil in for 6k miles, right? I checked my dipstick at 2700 miles and was down about a 1/2 qt.

dlmartin81 · 03-12-2010, 05:25 PM

Hmm...yeah I don't know. I hope that wasn't the case. You probably don't know this but at what oil level would the sensor warn you?

semtex · 03-12-2010, 05:29 PM

Well, what scares me is that I've seen some other threads where some guys have actually had their engine seize because it ran bone dry and there was never any sensor warning.

LaSeeno · 03-12-2010, 05:53 PM

That is a lot of copper. To me, it looks like you're losing bearing material. I would be concerned that your motor is toast.

I would run a quick 50 miles on it then bring the car to the dealer for inspection.

Paul_S · 03-12-2010, 06:15 PM

I'm no expert but that looks really bad to me. If the oil is 'milky' then it would suggest there is water in there too. Personally I would take it back to the dealer now with this evidence and not run it any more until they have had it inspected.

Flushing the engine might get rid of the mess but also the evidence if you need to make a claim. I don't think your engine will last that long judging by the pictures.

Sorry man

dlmartin81 · 03-12-2010, 06:33 PM

Well, there was still quite a bit of oil when I drained it. I'm not saying that it wasn't low but it was definitely not severely low...like now where near bone dry.

I really can't believe this is happening. I'm so carefully with my cars. I never had such a thing happen before. But it is my fault I guess for not checking the dipstick on a regular basis. I honestly only thought you had to do that when a car gets older as it has a tendency to consume more oil. But anyway, if my car is consuming that much oil and it's still less than a year old, then there's gotta be something wrong with it to begin with and assuming (praying) that it's covered under warranty.

Ugh...

dlmartin81 · 03-12-2010, 06:34 PM

Semtex -- did you hear back form your mechanic?

03-11-2010, 10:03 AM	#31 (permalink)
dlmartin81 Track Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Chalfont, PA Age: 43 Posts: 923 Drives: 09 370Z Rep Power: 607	AK, Should we make a separate thread about this and move all related posts there? Last edited by dlmartin81; 03-11-2010 at 10:27 AM.

03-11-2010, 05:32 PM	#33 (permalink)
semtex A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Behind enemy lines Age: 54 Posts: 5,995 Drives: People to drink Rep Power: 32	Or you could drain some out right now for a sample and then just top it off to bring it back to proper fill level. If there's a chance your bearings are disintegrating, do you really want to wait three months and risk your engine grenading on you in the middle of a freeway? __________________ "There are no small accidents on this circuit." -- Ayrton Senna 316.8whp & 248 ft/lbs (Dyno Dynamics) \| 319whp & 256 ft/lbs (DynoJet) (04/23/10) Stillen G3 CAI, CBE, Pulley / F.I. LTH / GTSpec Ladder Brace / Setrab Oil Cooler / UpRev-tuned by Forged Perf.

03-11-2010, 06:02 PM	#35 (permalink)
semtex A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Behind enemy lines Age: 54 Posts: 5,995 Drives: People to drink Rep Power: 32	That's not such a bad thing. Let it run for a week so that the oil 'represents' what's going on better. If you do it too soon, there's a chance the oil would be too clean and wouldn't accurately represent the problem. __________________ "There are no small accidents on this circuit." -- Ayrton Senna 316.8whp & 248 ft/lbs (Dyno Dynamics) \| 319whp & 256 ft/lbs (DynoJet) (04/23/10) Stillen G3 CAI, CBE, Pulley / F.I. LTH / GTSpec Ladder Brace / Setrab Oil Cooler / UpRev-tuned by Forged Perf.

03-11-2010, 06:17 PM	#37 (permalink)
semtex A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Behind enemy lines Age: 54 Posts: 5,995 Drives: People to drink Rep Power: 32	Were you able to see the flecks on your dipstick before? If so, wait until you see them there again. __________________ "There are no small accidents on this circuit." -- Ayrton Senna 316.8whp & 248 ft/lbs (Dyno Dynamics) \| 319whp & 256 ft/lbs (DynoJet) (04/23/10) Stillen G3 CAI, CBE, Pulley / F.I. LTH / GTSpec Ladder Brace / Setrab Oil Cooler / UpRev-tuned by Forged Perf.

03-11-2010, 06:33 PM	#38 (permalink)
dlmartin81 Track Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Chalfont, PA Age: 43 Posts: 923 Drives: 09 370Z Rep Power: 607	Semtex -- Nah, before this issue, I haven't been checking the DS on a regular basis. Just every now and then. It's a new car. In my mind, I felt like I had nothing to worry about. But I will try to monitor it while I wait till the next change. Last edited by dlmartin81; 03-11-2010 at 06:47 PM.

03-11-2010, 05:16 PM	#32 (permalink)
dlmartin81 Track Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Chalfont, PA Age: 43 Posts: 923 Drives: 09 370Z Rep Power: 607	So I had a scheduled visit to my dealer today to get my rear hatch lift-springs replaced. While I was there I brought up my situation about the oil. They said that from what I described, they've never seen or heard such a thing. They asked if I had an oil sample (like many of you had asked). I said no because I did two oil changes on the same day...mine and my wife's. And mine was last. So the oil that I have in the pan is mixed. Then they asked if I used Nissan's oil, because it contains the ester additive. I said "no, but I used Red Line, which also contains ester." Then they said, "well, we can't really do anything for you at the moment. Next time you do the change, if you see the same thing, bring in a sample...OR...have us do the next change so we can see it first hand." So, I was like "ok." Oh but when I was describing the oil, they said that copper/brass fragments could be from some bearings. But again, to determine that, they'd need a sample. So I think I'll do my next change in three months instead of five or six, and see how it looks then.

03-11-2010, 05:54 PM	#34 (permalink)
dlmartin81 Track Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Chalfont, PA Age: 43 Posts: 923 Drives: 09 370Z Rep Power: 607	I hear ya. Maybe I'll do that. However, I won't be able to get to it till next weekend. I'm gonna be away for this one. Damn it....ugh....well, if something does go wrong, I'm hoping that it's covered under warranty.

03-11-2010, 06:14 PM	#36 (permalink)
dlmartin81 Track Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Chalfont, PA Age: 43 Posts: 923 Drives: 09 370Z Rep Power: 607	Yeah, I agree. Actually, I wonder if even at two weeks is too soon. Maybe at three or four? What do you think. Looking at my dipstick earlier, it still looked pretty clean.

03-12-2010, 03:27 PM	#39 (permalink)
semtex A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Behind enemy lines Age: 54 Posts: 5,995 Drives: People to drink Rep Power: 32	You know, if you weren't checking your dipstick on a regular basis, I wonder if you were actually low on oil, which in turn led to metal wear. You said you had this oil in for 6k miles, right? I checked my dipstick at 2700 miles and was down about a 1/2 qt. __________________ "There are no small accidents on this circuit." -- Ayrton Senna 316.8whp & 248 ft/lbs (Dyno Dynamics) \| 319whp & 256 ft/lbs (DynoJet) (04/23/10) Stillen G3 CAI, CBE, Pulley / F.I. LTH / GTSpec Ladder Brace / Setrab Oil Cooler / UpRev-tuned by Forged Perf.

03-12-2010, 05:25 PM	#40 (permalink)
dlmartin81 Track Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Chalfont, PA Age: 43 Posts: 923 Drives: 09 370Z Rep Power: 607	Hmm...yeah I don't know. I hope that wasn't the case. You probably don't know this but at what oil level would the sensor warn you?

03-12-2010, 05:29 PM	#41 (permalink)
semtex A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Behind enemy lines Age: 54 Posts: 5,995 Drives: People to drink Rep Power: 32	Well, what scares me is that I've seen some other threads where some guys have actually had their engine seize because it ran bone dry and there was never any sensor warning. __________________ "There are no small accidents on this circuit." -- Ayrton Senna 316.8whp & 248 ft/lbs (Dyno Dynamics) \| 319whp & 256 ft/lbs (DynoJet) (04/23/10) Stillen G3 CAI, CBE, Pulley / F.I. LTH / GTSpec Ladder Brace / Setrab Oil Cooler / UpRev-tuned by Forged Perf.

03-12-2010, 05:53 PM	#42 (permalink)
LaSeeno Base Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Mars Posts: 129 Drives: NA Rep Power: 16	That is a lot of copper. To me, it looks like you're losing bearing material. I would be concerned that your motor is toast. I would run a quick 50 miles on it then bring the car to the dealer for inspection. Last edited by LaSeeno; 03-12-2010 at 06:01 PM.

03-12-2010, 06:15 PM	#43 (permalink)
Paul_S Enthusiast Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: England Posts: 258 Drives: UK Yellow 370Z Rep Power: 16	I'm no expert but that looks really bad to me. If the oil is 'milky' then it would suggest there is water in there too. Personally I would take it back to the dealer now with this evidence and not run it any more until they have had it inspected. Flushing the engine might get rid of the mess but also the evidence if you need to make a claim. I don't think your engine will last that long judging by the pictures. Sorry man __________________ In the UK? Check out nissansportz.com - 350Z, GT-R, 370Z and more... 2004 Sunset 350Z to 2009 Limited Edition Ultimate Yellow 370Z

03-12-2010, 06:33 PM	#44 (permalink)
dlmartin81 Track Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Chalfont, PA Age: 43 Posts: 923 Drives: 09 370Z Rep Power: 607	Well, there was still quite a bit of oil when I drained it. I'm not saying that it wasn't low but it was definitely not severely low...like now where near bone dry. I really can't believe this is happening. I'm so carefully with my cars. I never had such a thing happen before. But it is my fault I guess for not checking the dipstick on a regular basis. I honestly only thought you had to do that when a car gets older as it has a tendency to consume more oil. But anyway, if my car is consuming that much oil and it's still less than a year old, then there's gotta be something wrong with it to begin with and assuming (praying) that it's covered under warranty. Ugh...

03-12-2010, 06:34 PM	#45 (permalink)
dlmartin81 Track Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Chalfont, PA Age: 43 Posts: 923 Drives: 09 370Z Rep Power: 607	Semtex -- did you hear back form your mechanic?

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