# 02 maxima burning oil



## altimanum1 (Jun 19, 2009)

Hey i had a quick question that i wish someone that's had experinece with maximas VQ could answer.

I belief that the maxima i bought is burning oil , It mainly burns oil when driven hard for example when doing burn outs.
But i belief its burning way to much oil, because last time i check the oil i had to add almost a full quart to it. An that was because of the burn out i did with it, i remember i had checked the oil that day before doing that burn out and the oil was at level it was good.

Now im thinking it might also be something else like a pcv valve.

Some info of the car, 126k, 6spd manual and is completly stock no mods at all.

I am planning on changing the sparkplugs since it has some cheap autolite sparkplugs, and also both valve cover and gaskets with the pcv valve.

My question is what else can be making the car burn the oil? I know many people will say stop driving it hard, But thats the main reason i bought it for to Drive it hard.lol 
An no car should burn oil just because its driven hard.


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## Outkast (Jan 29, 2006)

The early VQ35's are bad about oil consumption due to ring damage. You'll be replacing the motor or rebuilding it basicly


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

There have been a couple of things found that cause oil burning on these engines. A stuck PCV valve could cause it, of course, but I've heard of some bad PCV baffles (part of the valve cover) that have caused this, as well. Another reason has been due to the design of the cylinder bore, which has a slight taper to it, and poor sealing of the lower rings on the piston. Updated piston rings are supposed to fix this condition, but of course this means tearing down the engine. Of course, general lack of maintenance can attribute to oil burning, but you would have more knowledge as to the maintenance than I would. As far as the plugs, it's best to stick with the correct NGK platinum plugs, but the Autolites won't contribute to your oil problem.


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## altimanum1 (Jun 19, 2009)

Yea i heard alot about these VQ35 having bad rings but since i got it for a cheap price due to body damage i decide to take the chance and buy it.

Althought the car doesnt seem to burn alot of oil when driven normal. but im a hard driver i like stepping on it hard.

As far as sparkplugs i was planning on getting NGK IRIDIUM Plugs, and im planning on buying both rear and front valve covers from a 04 Maxima(i heard there suppose to be better then the 02&03's)

Lets say after replacing these parts the car is still burning oil due to bad rings/bad engine what will be the best oil to put in it? 
When i first got the car i put the valvoline MAx life 10w40 but its burning it, and a friend suggested to buy the valvoline 10w30 regular oil.
Also will any additives help or make it worse? I never used additives on my cars so i have no idea of the effects.


Thanks Guys for your responces.


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## Jeff (Oct 17, 2002)

Just to comment on using 04+ Maxima valve covers. Definitely a great decision as the 02/03 are prone to leak at the spark plug seal. (specifically the rear vc)
Also, the 04+ vc are less than half the cost of 02/03 vc. 

As far as oil keep the same in. You can try something heavier but if the rings are bad neither oil or additives will help.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

altimanum1 said:


> Yea i heard alot about these VQ35 having bad rings but since i got it for a cheap price due to body damage i decide to take the chance and buy it.
> 
> Althought the car doesnt seem to burn alot of oil when driven normal. but im a hard driver i like stepping on it hard.
> 
> ...


If you are considering the Irdium IX spark plugs, they are actually a 60000 mile spark plug. The correct plug would be the NGK Laser Platinums PLFR5A-11, which are a 105,000 mile plug. 
As far as oil, thicker oil would be the way to go if the oil pump was weak or the rings were worn. In the case of the VQ, the lower rings would get stuck and because of the tapered bore, wouldn't have sufficient contact with the cylinder bores for proper sealing. I don't really see much of a benefit of using a thicker oil, in this case. I've always used what the manufacturer recommends; Nissan recommends using 5W30.


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## altimanum1 (Jun 19, 2009)

I know this is a old thread but just as a update....

I decided to go with the laser ngk's and with the 04 maxima valve cover.... and while i was replacing this i decided to do a compression test.. results were front bank cylinders 1/3/6 had all 112 and rear 2/4/6 had 160.

Which meant i had a bad engine/rings. So i just finish fixing all the other issues with it an put it up for sale. I sold the car right away to a guy that had another maxima with huge body damage so he was going to replaced the engines.

From personal experience I wouldn't even think of buying another maxima from the yrs 02 an up since they have so many engine problems. Althought they are pretty nice cars, Nissan has let down many people with the newer model Nissans having so many issues.

For me this car was a pain, every time something went wrong i was like :wtf:
lol


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