Nissan Ester Oil

wstar · 04-15-2009, 02:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCal 370Z

Oil arguments will go on until there is no more oil. I've following them for decades now, and probably the best answer I've read consistently is to use a good quality motor oil and change it often, along with the oil filter. Regarding any upper-end sounds, if you are hearing those noises after the engine has warmed-up then the upper-end is simply not receiving the proper lubrication as the oil circulation is in play. Having to use clinging additives to prevent these is a design flaw. You'd be better off simply adding a preoiler.

The VVEL's design is pretty unique, I'm not gonna knock Nissan for saying it has special oiling requirements. As far as "having to use XX additives to prevent Y", this is something that's been going on with oil and engine forever. That's why API SA-grade oil is a no-no in anything made after 1930, it doesn't contain even the additives needed back then (probably wasn't very well refined either).

We're up to SM now for better or worse. All along the way, all kinds of additives have been added to better protect all kinds of engines, some of which are necessary for modern engines. Good quality API "SF" oil from a quality manufacturer (if you happen to have some stashed from years ago) should not be used in a 2009 car from any manufacturer and it comes down to necessary additives for newer engine technologies.

So if Nissan comes out with some new engine tech and says "hey this requires better oil than what a lot of mfgs are asking for (and a lot of what you'll find on the shelf) today", I don't see that as a big problem, they're just running a little ahead of the curve.

SoCal 370Z · 04-15-2009, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wstar

So if Nissan comes out with some new engine tech and says "hey this requires better oil than what a lot of mfgs are asking for (and a lot of what you'll find on the shelf) today", I don't see that as a big problem, they're just running a little ahead of the curve.

Nissan states the following in the Owners Manual (see pict below); there is no reference to Nissan's ester based oil in the Service and Maintenance Guide; there is reference of a "recommendation" in Service (shop) Manual, but owner's are not expected to purchase a shop manual. I feel if Nissan is supposedly ahead of the engine design curve then such an ester precautions would not be necessary and the Nissan stated API rating should suffice as this is a mass produced vehicle for the masses to be serviced by standard dealerships and not some esoteric engineering prowess to be serviced by the few who have the qualified fluids to do so. That defeats the premise of the Z from its very origins. Hey, but that's just me.

Isn't the oil used on the GT-R from the factory Mobil1?

wstar · 04-15-2009, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCal 370Z

Nissan states the following in the Owners Manual (see pict below); there is no reference to Nissan's ester based oil in the Service and Maintenance Guide; there is reference of a "recommendation" in Service (shop) Manual, but owner's are not expected to purchase a shop manual. I feel if Nissan is supposedly ahead of the engine design curve then such an ester precautions would not be necessary and the Nissan stated API rating should suffice as this is a mass produced vehicle for the masses to be serviced by standard dealerships and not some esoteric engineering prowess to be serviced by the few who have the qualified fluids to do so. That defeats the premise of the Z from its very origins. Hey, but that's just me.

This whole Ester thing started with the G37 when they released our engine and people were hearing bad sounds out of the cylinder heads. First Ester oil was the fix, then they did a software update to make sure it ran with less noise even when using normal oils. I don't know the details on what they did w/ the software update, but I presume we have it as well. I'm quite sure that API SM oil of any brand and type is considered appropriate for our engine now, and won't void any warranty. That's probably why they didn't include it in the owner's manual, and why they're not making a big deal of it for our cars: it's expensive (looks bad for them) and it's not really necessary.

But they still reference it as recommended in the Service Manual, and the warranty is a lot shorter than I plan on keeping this engine running. There's a lot of question marks in there, and I wish we had straight answers, but we're not really going to get them, ever. I'd rather waste a few bucks and err on the side of caution.

Quote:

Isn't the oil used on the GT-R from the factory Mobil1?

Yes, but it's a different engine, although it does apparently have VVEL (can anyone confirm that it does, and they're also this same DLC coating?). Factory fill on our cars is Nissan Ester oil, which is more relevant to us.

semtex · 04-15-2009, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCal 370Z

Nissan states the following in the Owners Manual (see pict below); there is no reference to Nissan's ester based oil in the Service and Maintenance Guide; there is reference of a "recommendation" in Service (shop) Manual, but owner's are not expected to purchase a shop manual. I feel if Nissan is supposedly ahead of the engine design curve then such an ester precautions would not be necessary and the Nissan stated API rating should suffice as this is a mass produced vehicle for the masses to be serviced by standard dealerships and not some esoteric engineering prowess to be serviced by the few who have the qualified fluids to do so. That defeats the premise of the Z from its very origins. Hey, but that's just me.

SoCal,

While it is true that there is no mention of Nissan Ester Oil on page 9-5 of the Owner's Manual, I just want to point out that this is on page 9-2 of the Owners Manual:

So while I agree with you that owners are not expected to purchase a Service Manual, one doesn't actually have to go to the Service Manual to find a reference to this oil. But in any case, it is indeed just a recommendation, not a requirement, so I also agree with you that any oil that meets or exceeds the stated API rating on page 9-5 should suffice.

- Semtex <- Contrarian feather ruffler.