# 02 altima 3.5se w/major oil consumption problem



## nicebarr (Nov 24, 2006)

I bought my 02 altima last year used from a dealer with 45K on it. In the first 3K I put on it, I ran out of oil. Took it to dealer, they did an oil consumption test, said I needed some seals replaced. (pardon my layman terms, I am not an expert) Haven't had any problems until 2 months ago, I started running out of oil again after only 1,000 miles. After another consumption test, and various other tests by two different dealerships, I was told that I needed a new engine. The after market warranty company refused to pay for it unless the engine was torn down, and then if the cause was not covered by them they would stick us with the cost of re-assembly (nice). Nissan also declined to pay for the engine. One of the mechanics told us that oil was building up in the forward catalytic converter, and that it was possible that there was some cylinder wall damage, causing the oil consumption problem. (extended warrenty won't pay for this) Is there anyone who has any knowledge that would be helpful, such as laws or contact numbers, anything really, to get the engine replaced without having to pay $6,000 for it? Has anyone heard of this happening, maybe I got a lemon. Do you think I shoud get a lawyer or would I just be wasting money I could put into the new engine?


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## Chrysty (Oct 24, 2006)

Well, join the club! I have an 02 2.5s with the same problem. If you look through others, this problem is very common. My car is sitting at the dealership and has been since April. Nissan refuses to pay because the vehicle has 101,000 miles on it. The dealership at first backed me up and tried to get Nissan to pay and they refused, I contacted Nissan and they refused again, I filed a complaint with the states attorney generals office and now they say that it was due to my neglect of the vehicle. (A work order from an outside mechanic stated that the vehicle was low on oil) Funny thing was that the car had been sitting since Jan and was towed to that mechanic and the dealership. I have sent a packet of info to an attorney that specializes in class action lawsuits. Will see.....


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## Spddracer (Jan 31, 2003)

*You need to take it to another dealer.*



nicebarr said:


> I bought my 02 altima last year used from a dealer with 45K on it. In the first 3K I put on it, I ran out of oil. Took it to dealer, they did an oil consumption test, said I needed some seals replaced. (pardon my layman terms, I am not an expert) Haven't had any problems until 2 months ago, I started running out of oil again after only 1,000 miles. After another consumption test, and various other tests by two different dealerships, I was told that I needed a new engine. The after market warranty company refused to pay for it unless the engine was torn down, and then if the cause was not covered by them they would stick us with the cost of re-assembly (nice). Nissan also declined to pay for the engine. One of the mechanics told us that oil was building up in the forward catalytic converter, and that it was possible that there was some cylinder wall damage, causing the oil consumption problem. (extended warrenty won't pay for this) Is there anyone who has any knowledge that would be helpful, such as laws or contact numbers, anything really, to get the engine replaced without having to pay $6,000 for it? Has anyone heard of this happening, maybe I got a lemon. Do you think I shoud get a lawyer or would I just be wasting money I could put into the new engine?


1st thing is to have a compression test or better yet a cylinder leakage test perfromed. There is no way of 100% knowing what is wrong without it. 

2nd there are problems with the Valve Covers on the 3.5 sucking oil thru the pcv system and making them use a lot of oil. There are updated valve covers for this. 
Hope it helps.


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## stevek (Jan 5, 2007)

nicebarr said:


> I bought my 02 altima last year used from a dealer with 45K on it. In the first 3K I put on it, I ran out of oil. Took it to dealer, they did an oil consumption test, said I needed some seals replaced. (pardon my layman terms, I am not an expert) Haven't had any problems until 2 months ago, I started running out of oil again after only 1,000 miles. After another consumption test, and various other tests by two different dealerships, I was told that I needed a new engine. The after market warranty company refused to pay for it unless the engine was torn down, and then if the cause was not covered by them they would stick us with the cost of re-assembly (nice). Nissan also declined to pay for the engine. One of the mechanics told us that oil was building up in the forward catalytic converter, and that it was possible that there was some cylinder wall damage, causing the oil consumption problem. (extended warrenty won't pay for this) Is there anyone who has any knowledge that would be helpful, such as laws or contact numbers, anything really, to get the engine replaced without having to pay $6,000 for it? Has anyone heard of this happening, maybe I got a lemon. Do you think I shoud get a lawyer or would I just be wasting money I could put into the new engine?


I have jost received the news that my cat converter went bad and part of it was sucked into the engin causing major oil consumption. I have 86k on my 02 altima, 38k when purchased. I also purchased the security plus vehicle protection plan for $892, suposevely covering me until 7/30/2010 or odometer reading of 98,447. but nissan says the cat converter caused the engine problem and is not covered therefore neither are covered. what if anything can I do?. I still owe 15k on this car and repairs will be about 8k
please help if you can.


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## stevek (Jan 5, 2007)

*please help*



Chrysty said:


> Well, join the club! I have an 02 2.5s with the same problem. If you look through others, this problem is very common. My car is sitting at the dealership and has been since April. Nissan refuses to pay because the vehicle has 101,000 miles on it. The dealership at first backed me up and tried to get Nissan to pay and they refused, I contacted Nissan and they refused again, I filed a complaint with the states attorney generals office and now they say that it was due to my neglect of the vehicle. (A work order from an outside mechanic stated that the vehicle was low on oil) Funny thing was that the car had been sitting since Jan and was towed to that mechanic and the dealership. I have sent a packet of info to an attorney that specializes in class action lawsuits. Will see.....



I have just received the news that my cat converter went bad and part of it was sucked into the engin causing major oil consumption. I have 86k on my 02 altima, 38k when purchased. I also purchased the security plus vehicle protection plan for $892, suposevely covering me until 7/30/2010 or odometer reading of 98,447. but nissan says the cat converter caused the engine problem and is not covered therefore neither are covered. what if anything can I do?. I still owe 15k on this car and repairs will be about 8k
please help if you can


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## LONDONDERRY (May 19, 2004)

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong.
I believe that the exhaust flow is from the engine to the exhaust manifold, to the converter. So I don't see how your converter was sucked into the engine. 
It might be less expensive to find a new engine and having a reputable mechanic do the labor, instead of having the engine disassmbled, at least that what I would compare in costs.

Frank


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## rps180 (Aug 20, 2005)

There have been issues with the cat material breaking apart. The back pressure of the exhaust will suck some of the material back into the engine causing damage to the cylinder walls.
As for extended warranty not covering, you guys need to seriously talk with the warranty company and get a good reason why they won't cover it. Sounds like someone is screwing with you guys or not doing their work.


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## nissanowner5150 (Jan 15, 2007)

I have the same problem. I have a 02" Altima 2.5S with 95,000 miles. I took my car into the dealership because my "check engine soon" light came on. They told me it was a bad 02 sensor and fixed the problem. A week later there was black smoke coming out of my exhaust and "check engine soon" light came on again. I took it back to the dealership and
they told me that my catalytic converter had broken off and was sucked into the engine.
The dealer wants $4300 for a new engine even though I am under warranty until 100,000 miles. They refered me to Nissan Corp. and said they were the only ones I could talk to 
about the having the damages repaired under my warranty. I have been waiting 3 work days (calling and emailing every day) and they have yet to contact me at all. I have made a request to talk to a supervisor and was told it will take another 48 hours (ya right!) I feel Nissan knows there is a problem and now refuses to even talk to customers at all about the problem hoping they will just give in and pay for the damages themselves.


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## rps180 (Aug 20, 2005)

Do you still have the paperwork for the warranty? There should be contact numbers on that paperwork. Try that as well. It sounds like you are trying to contact the wrong department and getting the runaround. Try asking about contacting a local regional director.
Also, remember that different dealerships use different warranty companies, so coverages are different. Read over and understand your own contract. Alot of service departments do not know what is supposed to be covered, so educate yourself and be prepared to show the service department where it is written in the contract. Keep in mind that if they (service department) make a mistake and repair something not covered, they have to eat the cost, so it shouldn't surprise you if they say no. They have to cover their own asses as well.


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## nissanowner5150 (Jan 15, 2007)

The warranty is a Security+Plus Vehicle Protection Plan from Nissan. The only contact
information on the paperwork is the dealership. The dealership is the one that refered the matter to Nissan Corp. I have been told by 3 different customer service agents that the matter can only be handled through my local regional director. It is actually the regional director that I've been waiting for a phone call from (4 days now). I still have not heard from this person (Marsha, Ext. 57907). I have since had my car checked by an independent mechanic who has told me that there is nothing wrong with the engine, only the catalytic converter and O2 senser. I find it rather odd that the dealership says I need a new engine, but refuses to talk to me about my warranty that should cover the repairs.


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## rps180 (Aug 20, 2005)

Well, if it did get to the point of the engine consuming oil, and they find cat material in the oil as well as metal particles, then that would indicate internal engine damage. Did they replace the oil in the engine at the time they diagnosed the cat? If not, then you might want to check the oil yourself and see if you can see a sort of pearly metal sheen in the oil. This is assuming you haven't driven the vehicle since the diagnosis. If you are still driving it around, then just check it by draining it into a drain pan and looking at it under a strong light.


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## jasonsBLKser (Jan 22, 2007)

ummm... not to be off subject.. or sorta. But I have a 2006 altima ser and my oil is going really fast as well.... i had to put in 2 quarts between oil changes last time... the only thing is I have put aftermarket headers/exhaust/intake on it and could it be the o2 sensors telling the engine it is running to rich/lean because it isnt use to the flow and it is sending more oil to the engine? or is it just screwed up? and if so would the dealership try to say my headers did something to it to mess it up and make it do that so it is my fault and not covered by warranty?


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## NPath (Dec 12, 2004)

jasonsBLKser said:


> ummm... not to be off subject.. or sorta. But I have a 2006 altima ser and my oil is going really fast as well.... i had to put in 2 quarts between oil changes last time... the only thing is I have put aftermarket headers/exhaust/intake on it and could it be the o2 sensors telling the engine it is running to rich/lean because it isnt use to the flow and it is sending more oil to the engine? or is it just screwed up? and if so would the dealership try to say my headers did something to it to mess it up and make it do that so it is my fault and not covered by warranty?


I could be wrong, but it may be the valve cover and PCV that's not working right. I've heard the PCV sucks in oil into the combustion chambers. The only to correct the problem is change the cover and PCV completely. For some reason, I don't know, the cover cannot be reused as it's somehow part of the problem.


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## jasonsBLKser (Jan 22, 2007)

Ill tell the dealership and let them check that mess.. haha thanks


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