What's with the low oil?
 

I have a 09 370Z and recently it just cutoff while I was driving. I took it to the dealership and they told me quite nonchalantly there was engine motor damage because the car was low on oil and it will cost me 13k to repair. Should this be happening in a car with 33k miles on it? The oil and filter change schedule has not been strictly kept over say the last 5-6months or so but the oil has been changed during that time period. And shouldn't the check oil light or engine light come on before the car just cuts off like that? I received a second opinion and was told that the car needed a MAP sensor. Honestly I'm not sure what the problem is however I have read that the Z does burn oil and Nissan is telling me that they will not repair the car under the manufactures warranty. What are my choices and what are some recommendations.

There is a tech bulletin on this. You should be totally covered. Follow the link:

http://www.the370z.com/370z-technica...level-low.html

First off if the cars oil got so low that it destroyed the engine its your own fault. The oil level should be checked often on any car to avoid a problem like you are having. Some 370's do have oil consumption issues and if you notice your Z suffering from it (by checking the oil) you bring it to Nissan they run some tests and determine if you need a new engine. As for the oil light it is just an Idiot Light. Sometimes when it goes on its to late. Good Luck with whatever happens.

I noticed a funny sound in the mornings and wondered what it was. I checked the oil and it was down one quart. About 1,000 miles since oil change. The sound only occurred after morning start up and during the first mile or two. Sort of a slow, soft whoop.

^ so what happened after that? Was your engine one of those that consumed oil permanently? Did you end up with a new engine under warranty?

After reading the TSB posted above:

"APPLIED VIN / DATE: Vehicles built before: JN1AZ4FH(*)AM303670 / 05-Apr-2010 Vehicles built before: JN1AZ4EH(*)AM503778 / 05-Apr-2010"

I guess mine falls in this category. Are there others that fall in the above category with no issues at all? I'm all paranoid now... lol... I've been checking, all seems fine.

Mine does, but i took an extra precaution and installed AAM oil pan spacer + oil cooler = No problems so far and oil consumption is very low:bowrofl:

just recently took my car to Nissan and did all the Oil Consumption work....they charged me $9.57 just because my car was too low and they had to manually lift my car up....go figure. Anyways they said it was covered by warranty....just have to go back at 500mi so they can see how much its burning :shakes head:

Good information. :tup:

Im in the process right now of trying to get the dealership to honor the warranty. According to Nissan Customer relations I would have to provide all the oil change receipts since the car has been in my possession (aug 09). The car only has about 33k miles on it.

Thanks for the info! I'm not sure however exactly how I'm supposed to interpret this TSP and what is the TSP acronym represent? Again thanks

You take it with you to the dealer. They may not know about it. At any rate, the dealer needs to perform the oil consumption test.

Now what happens if you do the oil changes yourself?!?!?!? Nissan won't honor it? That's dumb and BS. Nissan better honor the warranty. I mean I can save my old filter and old oil if that's what they need. Or do they want to see a receipt of the oil / filter purchases from walmart??? lol

When checking oil what temp do u do it? Do u check oil hot or cold or both?

You should keep your receipts for everything you buy for the car -- maintenance and modification parts/supplies alike. You should also have a log book in which you write everything you do to the vehicle -- what, when, mileage, etc.

Always check oil level when the engine has been sitting for a while. If you have an oil cooler, wait longer because it can take soem time for all of the oil to drain into the pan. Always check your oil at the same time of day/condition. To make it simple and consistent, I check oil levels in the morning, after the car has been siiting over night and before I start the engine.

I will do that now for sure. I figured for oil and oil filters though, I didn't need to keep my walmart/autozone, etc receipts. But I guess I will now. I don't think I have my Wix filter receipts anymore, nor my Invidia exhaust receipt... lol. I guess if they just SEE it there, that's proof enough.

As for the log book, yes, I have that log book in the glove box. I note all the gas, mileage, oil changes, mods, everything... date, and miles done.

I can see your point of view. And I guess you're right the oil engine light is a bit of a idiot warning system but to me a car needs oil just as much as it needs fuel and to be quite honest i find it rather ridiculous that Nissan doesn't have a properly functioning check oil light on the vehicle. That would be equivalent to having a fuel light that does not working properly coming off the manufacturing line. Nissan knows that in some 370's there is a serious situation with the car drinking alot of oil. The car only has 33k miles on it. I check the oil on a regular basis however recently the car went in for some body work and was held for like 6mths because an electrical part was on back order so maybe that had something to do with this. Thanks for your feedback

Ok so I'm a first time Z owner only had mine for a little over a month got it used with 10k on it and just learning about the consumption and temp oil issues. Maybe I am freaking out a little bit bc my last car was an S2000 and drove it hard everyday shifting at 8k on a regular basis bc that's what the motor was designed to do and would never 2nd guess the quality of the F22C1. So I'm confused why people take this matter so lightly. High oil temps and consumption simply should not happen especially when people are just daily driving. There's no excuse IMOP. I've read multiple threads where people are saying Nissan is giving them crap about fixing it! Also the TSB narrows it down to certain dates, to me that means Nissan recognized an issue an fixed it for 2011 right? So what was the cause of the consumption and what was changed in the short block that no longer causes consumption? These are questions I have and won't even dare ask the dealership bc I also read many people reporting their dealer not even aware of the TSB. So anybody go through getting their short block replaced and receive a logical answer from their dealer? I don't know but if You make a car with 332hp shift at 7400rpm and have the first rev matching 6MT something tells me you should be able to drive the car hard without thinking, oh maybe i should check my oil every morning bc i may have lost some even though i change my oil every 3k. Sorry for my rant I just don't think we should have these worries. Now I'm going to check my oil and pray I don't have this problem.

Not everyone who has a Z that fell into the TSB build period has been affected. I'm one (Knock on wood) Also most of the high oil temps people are talking about are not hitting limp mode. Who knows how high the oil temps got in your S2K, since that little gauge is there people tend to get more paranoid. Every car has its problem, I'm sure the S2K was not perfect.

It's TSB not TSP. It stands for Technical Service Bulletin.

No it wasn't perfect but most mechanical problems can be layed at the feet of the owner through modification that the car wasn't designed to handle, like blowing the rear or something from increased power and 1/4 Mile drag racing. So I can't fault Honda for that. But some people with the consumption issue are not even modified or track their car. I just have an even harder time on trying to figure out the reasoning on why some experience it and some don't. You would think it would be something you could pin point with a cause. Like an issue with burning oil maybe through piston rings or valve seals, head gasket, ect. Typically if you service your car properly and drive "normal" and lost oil you would look for the why? So I guess it's not so much the issue is there for some but I've read no explanation on why it's happening. Sorry im just nervous lol this just Isnt the stuff you want to see after dropping 28k on a used car haha. Plus I looked for recalls and TSB's before I got it and didn't see this one anywhere. Oh well I'll just keep my fingers crossed bc I don't even want to think about having the short block replaced I feel like the car is never the same kind of like after an accident and you get it back from the body shop it just doesn't feel right haha

It's the variable cams system they use

I wasn't sure myself but I didn't think the 370Z should be having those kinds of problems either under regular driving conditions. I don't track my car nor have I made any mods. I've only had the car since aug 2009 and it sat still for 8 of those months. Nissan is kinda giving me a hassle about covering the repairs even though my car is under warranty.

If it's the VVEL what would replacing the short block do to fix it?

Has anyone actually gotten Nissan to repair the short engine assembly in connection with the oil consumption TSP on the 09, 10 370z's?

It sounds like you have a big problem alright.
Some have had oil burning issues and high oil temps also..
imho i think has a lot to do with how the car is driven.....
if you drive it like you stole all the time and never check the oil at each fill up
your asking for trouble.....

i've had some fun with my car if you can catch my drift and have never had any
problems from day one. now sitting at 25,000 miles.

I'm not saying thats what you did. But there was one guy who drove his 370
from day one until it locked up. When he had it towed in it had one quart of
oil in it. Nissan wanted 13,000 for a new motor and he acted like it was nissan's
problem... anyway good luck i hope they replace it for you............

I was talking about the high oil temp. Modern cars run oil above 200F a lot of times, I don't think most people need to worry about it.

THe crazy thing is I was able to get to the engine motor and manually see if the engine had locked up. I figured if their was engine damage it would be locked but I was able to manually turn the crankshaft (not easily but it did turn).

Nissan does not send out a TSB to anyone!! If they can not produce an engine that last over 200k miles they should sell all its stock to mexico or toyota. THINK?? I just bought my wife a new nissan (Im sure she will check the oil on a weekly basis??). I'll change the oil every 4 to 5k with a good synthetic. Wrong? As far as this engine and oil consumption it is an epic fail and no one can justify it. Period...... WTF why do we have an oil temp guage and not oil pressure..

No kidding... :iagree:

My Z does not suffer from oil consumption or high oil temps (before oil cooler) and I'm at 12K.

I'm sitting in the waiting room at my local stealership while my Z is getting the oil consumption test done on it (the first phase anyway). Oil changed at 2500 miles, sitting at 4000 miles and I'm around 3/4 of a quart low. The car's been fairly babied since birth.

Well see what happens...

Let us know how it turns out.

Of all these I have read about what has been the actual cause for this? Piston rings or what?

Rings.

How did the test go?

"We agree that you are burning some oil, and started documenting your oil level. Bring it back in 1500 miles and we'll check it again. There's a couple more steps in the process, but you may need engine work. There was a slight amount of associated engine noise as well. Drive it normally and check the level." -Service Writer at the dealer

I asked them, (just in case), if they had rebuilt a 370 yet. "So far, only one" was the answer.

I'm a little more than pissed about this. I rarely rag on my car...upper revs every once in a while. IT'S A ******* SPORTS CAR THOUGH!! Why should I have to worry about how much I baby it. Hell, my Maxima has been beaten on for 12 years and 150,000 miles and not one single problem (God bless the VQ30DE).

Mostly, I'm worried about the engine rebuild if needed. I'd rather the thing was built completely in Japan and sent over instead of using a mix of new and old parts. It'll never be the same. I'd almost rather they sent me the money for a new build, and I'll replace everything including a new GTM TT setup and forged internals. Might as well, right? (End rant)

To be continued in a few months...I guess.

If you fail the consumption test you get a new short block, not rebuilt. This is in accordance with the TSB on oil consumption. FYI.

Thanks onzedge, I had read that. That still uses all of my manifolds and everything above the head gasket, (not a big deal I suppose). I'm just not very enthusiastic about any dramatic engine work on my car.

I just drove 450 miles on a weekend trip to the mountains though, and the oil level is still stuck on high. Maybe there's still hope.:D

Results Coming soon
 

First of all I would like to say this forum rocks! I originally thought this would be such a waste of my time and it has been the absolute opposite. So I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has posted or contributed any information or opinions to is thread. Also, special thanks to ONZEDGE (your a beast).I'll be updating this post on last time after I am finished with this process which should be very soon no later than next week. I will say this now though. Please everyone (make sure to document your maintenance activity thoroughly). I just wanted to let you all know that I am still working this situation out with Nissan and the results should be coming soon. I sincerely appreciate the feedback and information

Monopolis-:bowrofl: