Oil Consumption PARANOIA?!?!?!?!?!

Originally Posted by ImportConvert

How did you break the car in and seat the rings? What driving method did you use? This business about the car already being broken in when you get it, I have found to be total BS based on my experience with my Z06.

Tail-pipes were sooty as hell for 2-300 miles, and I didn't check the oil from the factory (should have ) but when I finally did at 585mi, it was 1/2 qt low. By then I had seated the rings properly, changed the oil, and in 2000 miles since it hasn't burned an amount that could be seen on the dip-stick and even after hundreds of miles the tail-pipes are not sooty.

My method:

Gentle around-town stop and go driving until I got to the freeway.

On the freeway: Cruised up to speed limit, put it in 4th gear, let it drop town to 20 under (with noone around) and then accelerate strongly, but without flooring it, to 20 over (I don't advocate this...). Let it coast back down.

Anyway, I did that a good bit over a few hundred miles, passing people, playing with it, etc. and after a while began using 3rd gear, etc.

The main thing is to load the rings through acceleration and deceleration in-gear without going much over about 4-4500rpm or so. This is plenty sufficient to seat the rings.

Originally Posted by ImportConvert

Oil cools and contracts, collects in an oil-pan, etc.

I have adopted a method with my 'vette that is more strict than most because of the dry-sump.

I check the oil at EXACTLY the same temp/time after shut-off every time. If I do not, the variance can be huge. As in, a quart, easily.

With the regular cars I have owned, the difference was usually 1/4-1/2 quart or so.

I suggest checking the car 1 hour after shutting it off from running it with the oil at a certain temp.

Record temp and level.

Then next time you check it, make sure that you shut it off at roughly the same temp (+-5*) on a similarly ambient temp. day, and wait the same amount of time and check it.

Make sure you part in the same spot in the same orientation.

This should eliminate any variables attributed to anything but consumption/lack thereof.

*With a dry sump system, you are to wait 5-15 minutes, not an hour, but I presume your Z has an OEM oil system. I would wait 1 hour to let a decent amount of oil drain back into the pan.

Originally Posted by ImportConvert

How did you break the car in and seat the rings? What driving method did you use? This business about the car already being broken in when you get it, I have found to be total BS based on my experience with my Z06.

Tail-pipes were sooty as hell for 2-300 miles, and I didn't check the oil from the factory (should have ) but when I finally did at 585mi, it was 1/2 qt low. By then I had seated the rings properly, changed the oil, and in 2000 miles since it hasn't burned an amount that could be seen on the dip-stick and even after hundreds of miles the tail-pipes are not sooty.

My method:

Gentle around-town stop and go driving until I got to the freeway.

On the freeway: Cruised up to speed limit, put it in 4th gear, let it drop town to 20 under (with noone around) and then accelerate strongly, but without flooring it, to 20 over (I don't advocate this...). Let it coast back down.

Anyway, I did that a good bit over a few hundred miles, passing people, playing with it, etc. and after a while began using 3rd gear, etc.

The main thing is to load the rings through acceleration and deceleration in-gear without going much over about 4-4500rpm or so. This is plenty sufficient to seat the rings.

Originally Posted by FromG2Z

Thanks Import.

Yes, I will also record oil temps before I check the dipstick, and check it 30 mins to an hour after I park. And yes, I park the same way all the time, so no issue there.

As for the engine breaking-in period, I followed what the manual said, and tried not to rev about 4k rpm for the first 1200 miles. In fact, I set the rev limiter light at 4k rpm. Occasionally, it would jump to 5k rpm just because it's impossible to keep it under 4k ALL the time. I did that probably a handful. When I drove on the highways, I downshifted a lot, to pass, etc... so I let SRM do its magic. So the revs were varied throughout. Could I have done this MORE? yes... probably.... but I think for the most part, it was sufficient.

I also downshift when coming to a stop light/sign, so again, SRM does its magic. So I would *think* that my rings are seated pretty well, but since I only have 1800 miles, I'm sure there's still some "seating" going on in there. So I will continue to vary accel and decel / engine load as much as I can, and avoid using cruise control.

Any other suggestions?

Originally Posted by ImportConvert

Sounds like you did it right.

FWIW, the GM tech that took my car onto the rollers at Bowling Green got it up to 4400rpm, and he wasn't a weenie about getting it there, either. Got it up to 83mph, too, from what I recall (in my manual, some BS about 55mph=max for break-in).

You did all you can do to "do it right" it sounds like.

Don't forget though, perhaps even more than the engine, you are breaking in the axles, wheel-bearings, clutch surfaces, brake surfaces, rotor surfaces, flywheel surface, transmission internals, etc. This is all important, too. Whatever you do, do NOT "shock" the drive-line until it is worn in. My Z06's manual says "No HPDE's until 1500+ miles".

Good advice imo.

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If you determine that you are using too much oil for your taste, by all means, begin the process with Nissan.