Help me! Engine oil problem!!

nogoodname

where do these elements come from:

Iron: Comes from cylinder liner, camshaft, oil pump, and timing chain wear
Chromium: Comes from piston ring wear
Copper: Comes from bearings, valve guides, and bushings wear
Lead: Comes from bearing wear
Aluminum: Comes from piston and piston thrust bearing wear
Silver & Tin: Comes from bearing wear
Silicon: dirt ingestion, sometimes used as an anti-foamant
Molybdenum: anti-wear additive and friction reducer
Boron: anti-wear additive and friction reducer
Calcium: common additive with many functions, primarily a detergent
Magnesium: common additive with many functions
Phosphorous: anti-wear additive and friction reducer, shear stabilizer
Zinc: anti-wear additive and friction reducer, shear stabilizer

Link to this massive write up

nogoodname

it's true......when a car gets old..sometimes you just have to stop paying up for repairs and maintenance....that's what i did


it was a '90 Grand-AM btw


it was still able to run, it got so bad that the dip stick was rusty...

NIZMOZ

LOL! Love it.

__________________
SOLD: 2007 NISMO 350Z #0044 Silver Alloy
New DD: 2010 Titan Pro4X CC

nogoodname

well, from all this...i'm sticking with Castrol....

what r u sticking with?

ZforMe

Just curious what it is on the graphs posted on the previous page that proves Royal Purple is one of the worst oils you can get. Seems like it did just fine to me.

I mean come on, worst oils you can get??

__________________
13.369 @ 102.73 Bone Stock. BERK HFC's installed 5/14/09 @ 1490miles, 13.212 @ 106.15. Cobb Post MAF Hoses installed 3/20/10 @ 5,043miles, future: FI exhaust with 18" res and s/s cans.

Robert_Nash

It would seem the subject of what oil to use is as controversial a topic as whether the automatic or manual transmission is "better" and the number of opinions and favorites seem almost endless.

For me, I'm going to continue with Nissan Ester oil.

I know there are a lot of good wrench turners and "engineers" out there withe their own various opinions and reasoning, but I figure that if Nissan engineers recommend using the Nissan Ester oil, there is probably a good reason for it - plus my 370 does seem to run quieter and the engine oil a bit cooler since my last oil change with the Nissan recommended oil.

__________________
Robert
-My Basset Hound Is Smarter Than Your Honor Student and Barack Obama -

nogoodname

once the engine knocks start coming, then it's good to use Nissan Ester oil.

a few G37's had knocking issues and that fixed it.

Old Chuck

Looking at the post by 007 it seems that the TBN of Mobil 1 7500 is really low for an extended change oil. Also, several folks have commented that Nissan ester must be the best because Nissan recommends it. It may be however, just because a company recommends the oil they sell does not mean it is best. Nissan's only concern is that the engines make it through the warranty period. I am not saying that it is not the best but we just don't know yet and I don't always trust companies that are buildiing for a specific price point in the market. If the engineers were giving you the best info on the 370 then we would not be having issues with oil temps because they would come with a cooler whether some think they need it or not...This is a sports car.

Robert_Nash

There are threads on this and other sites explaining why an ester based oil it needed for the 3.7; it would probably be a good idea for you (and everyone else) to look them up. The reason the oil is needed has to do with the softness of the metals in this engine and the bonding properties of the ester based oil....in other words, it isn't simply because Nissan sells the oil.

__________________
Robert
-My Basset Hound Is Smarter Than Your Honor Student and Barack Obama -

Old Chuck

I have read numerous posts here and on bobistheoilguy.com however, there are not any tests I have read that compares Nissan ester with other top group IV or V synthetics. As I said, it may be the best but would like to see long term wear tests which, it is too early to assess. I understand the logic about the bonding of ester with the coatings in the parts but not sure if any other top rated Group IV or higher would do as well. There are many different ways to skin a cat and just looking at one factor may be short sighted. I agree with the logic that Nissan uses but just not convinced that something else might not do as well or better. I guess I would like to see the ester compared with other oils long term however, in the meantime, it may seem prudent to use the ester.

nogoodname

You can call me NoGood instead of 007....lol


There is a reason why some ppl use ester oil. It prevents and stops knocking sounds the engine will get. Has to do with the VVEL actuators.....something like that.

NIZMOZ

JobbersWorld Online

Quaker State Publicly Challenges Castrol, Valvoline and Mobil 1


For those who picked up USA Today, you may have noticed that Quaker State ran a full page piece (page 8A) challenging Castrol, Valvoline & Mobil 1. In large type, it says:

"HEY CASTROL, VALVOLINE & MOBIL 1: IF YOU CAN PROTECT AGAINST WEAR BETTER, PROVE IT. "

The challenge is followed by a letter from Steve Harman, President, Americas delivered today to the executives responsible for Mobil 1, Valvoline and Castrol. Click here to read letter.

Interestingly, when you consider Pennzoil's position in the story that follows regarding "statistically indistinguishable" differences in Sequence IVA wear test, it would appear Quaker State may already know that outcome of its public challenge. That outcome being Valvoline, Castrol, and Mobil 1 can't prove it with "good science."

At the same time, the Quaker State challenge will likely increase pressure on ExxonMobil to respond to what both Valvoline and Castrol have publicly stated are very significant differences in Sequence IVA performance when comparing their synthetic 5W-30 engine oils with Mobil 1


Shell Says the "Xs" in Sequence IVA Are Bad Science and Misleading


First it was Valvoline. In July of 2008, it claimed the company's SynPower motor oil provides 4X better wear protection than Mobil 1 in the Sequence IVA wear test. Then Castrol literally jumped into the game with an advertising campaign rolled out during the SuperBowl saying that Castrol EDGE offers 8X Better Wear Protection Than Mobil 1 in the same test.

With Valvoline and Castrol making such bold claims, one of the big questions asked is, "How much better its Pennzoil Platinum when compared to Valvoline, Castrol and Mobil 1? To get answers, JobbersWorld decided to put this question directly to Shell. Here is what we found.

According to Selda Gunsel, Manager, Lubricants Technology Group, Shell Global Solutions (US) Inc., "Although Pennzoil Platinum performs exceedingly well in the Sequence IVA wear test, the battle of the "Xs" comparing oil against oil rather than oil against spec is one we are staying out of." And Gunsel says, the reason they are is because it's "bad science" and could be misleading.

To understand what Gunsel means starts with an understanding of the Sequence IVA wear test.

The Sequence IVA is an engine test designed to evaluate the performance of engine oils in preventing camshaft lobe wear in an overhead camshaft engine. It's a 100-hour test of 100 hourly cycles. When completed, each of the 12 cam lobes in the test engine is measured for wear at 7 points. An average is calculated based on the total wear from the 12 cam lobes. In short, test results with a higher number means higher wear.

For an engine oil to qualify for API SM/ ILSAC GF-4 rating it must pass the Sequence IVA with an average wear of 90 micron maximum.

Now for the part about "bad science."

According to Gunsel, "considering that one standard deviation from the mean in the test is 12.5, there is no statistically significant difference for test results within 35 microns of each other."

Based on data published by Valvoline, whereas Valvoline SynPower showed an average of 20 microns in the Sequence IVA wear test, Mobil 1 5W-30 averaged 180 microns. If Valvoline's data is correct, Gunsel says, "This is certainly a statistically significant difference." Moreover, it speaks to the basic pass/fail threshold of 90 microns or less required to meet SM/GF-4.

But moving beyond the issue of does it or doesn't it when it comes to Valvoline's claim about Mobil 1's score in the Sequence IVA, Troy Chapman, Marketing Management Team Leader Pennzoil Brands with Shell says the comparisons move to another level when you look at the Sequence IVA tests results for Shell, Valvoline and Castrol in the Sequence IVA. Troy notes, "you are no longer comparing a result of 180 microns with 20 microns. Instead, the comparison is being made between three brands each with less than 20 microns of wear in the test." This moves the comparison into and area where differences are "statistically indistinguishable." (See Graphic that follows)

Chapman adds, "This is why it would be bad science for Shell to add its bar to a chart, or say X times better when comparing Pennzoil Platinum with Mobil 1, SynPower and Castrol EDGE." Not because their average in the Sequence IVA (which Gunsel says is less than 20 microns) would not comparable very favorably with what Valvoline claims is Mobil 1's average. "Instead," Troy says, "it's because consumers may get the message that the comparison is also between Pennzoil Platinum, SynPower, and Castrol EDGE. And that would be a mistake." First, it would be misleading since there is no statistical difference for test results below 35 in Sequence IVA. Secondly, by spending time with statistically insignificant and misleading comparison, consumers may lose focus on such issues as cleanliness and others where there are true performance differences in engine oils.

__________________
SOLD: 2007 NISMO 350Z #0044 Silver Alloy
New DD: 2010 Titan Pro4X CC

davidyan

Could you post a picture of the black powder maybe by rubbing the dipstick on a clean white paper towel? Almost every new car will have some minor silver / black color residue- Back in highschool, i used to work at one of those quicklube places and have seen the oil come out of 1000+ cars. Virtually every car with less than 10,000 miles will have that.

However, even if the black powder isn't due to your oil overheating, in your case, I would suggest an oil cooler anyway asap. 250F is very high for regular daily driving compared to most other 370Z's espescially if it happens all the time.