Oil Question

[DooDooBrown]

Hey guys,
Had a quick question, I have now put about 2450 miles on my Z, and at the gas station today, noticed that the oil level was a bit low. I know that the engine was hot, but it is lower than it used to be, even when it was hot. I waited until there was no reading on the oil temp gauge (about an hour) at my house, and I can see that the oil is low. I additionaly notice that during highway driving, the temp will creep up to the 220 mark (I have noticed it between 180 and 200 during highway driving). My question is what type of oil should I use to top it off with? I know the Nissan oil has some type of mixture in it, but will any other type of synthetic work? I talked to my friend who is a Nissan mechanic, and he says they use Mobile 1 Synthetic. Does anyone have any idea??
Thanks!

[VCuomo]

AFAIK, the factory fill from Nissan is a synthetic blend (part synth, part dino) - I used Castrol Synthetic Blend 5W30 to top off my Z's factory fill.

But, at 2450 miles, why not just do the first oil change and switch to 100% synthetic (Mobil 1, Redline, Amsoil, etc.)?

[Chupacabra]

^^ I second that motion.

for $60 you can do it yourself. and feel warm and fuzzy at night.

[kenchan]

^^ just got to watch out you dont fall asleep under the car.

it's cozy down there.

+1 on Mobil1.

[ZeeRay]

+2 On mobil1 Stuff has kept our 1,100HP blown small blocks looking like they are still fresh after a full season. (turning the same RPM might I add)

[DooDooBrown]

The oil changes are free for life at the dealership. The catch is, if I ever get any service done at any other facility other than that dealership, they void the deal, and I got to pay for everything. Additionally, they have an "engine lifetime guarentee" in that they will replace my engine for the life of the car if I get all the service done @ the dealership. So, my hands are kinda tied! The first change is at 3750 miles, and everyone thereafter is at 7500 miles.

[NotmyGTR]

I didnt wait till 3750. Did my first change at 1450. Went with the Mobile 1 filter and full synthetic. No issues at all.

[chief_Roka]

+3 on mobil1 its all I use for every sprts car n sedan I've owned.
There's a lot of newer stuff but mobil1 juz works that well.
N as the saying goes, "If it ain't broke... don't try 2 fix it".

[chief_Roka]

+3 on mobil1 its all I use for every sprts car n sedan I've owned.
There's a lot of newer stuff but mobil1 juz works that well.
N as the saying goes, "If it ain't broke... don't try 2 fix it".

[chief_Roka]

Oops I guess I'm +4... just kidding. Lol

[6MT]

Originally Posted by DooDooBrown

Hey guys,
Had a quick question, I have now put about 2450 miles on my Z, and at the gas station today, noticed that the oil level was a bit low. I know that the engine was hot, but it is lower than it used to be, even when it was hot. I waited until there was no reading on the oil temp gauge (about an hour) at my house, and I can see that the oil is low. I additionaly notice that during highway driving, the temp will creep up to the 220 mark (I have noticed it between 180 and 200 during highway driving). My question is what type of oil should I use to top it off with? I know the Nissan oil has some type of mixture in it, but will any other type of synthetic work? I talked to my friend who is a Nissan mechanic, and he says they use Mobile 1 Synthetic. Does anyone have any idea??
Thanks!

This question probably has had more play on this forum than any other topic. My suggestion to you is use the search function and do a little reading. There are many (and I mean MANY) opinions on this subject. If you're just topping-up, then I would buy a quart from Nissan. This is quite special oil that this engine requires. Then when you do your next oil change, you'll have gained some knowledge from the numerous threads on this forum to make your own decision.

Please don't flame me, I am trying to be as objective as I can (with the known history of oil threads). And that is why I no longer get involved with my views on oil.

[davidyan]

Originally Posted by VCuomo

AFAIK, the factory fill from Nissan is a synthetic blend (part synth, part dino) - I used Castrol Synthetic Blend 5W30 to top off my Z's factory fill.

The Castrol synthetic blend will be fine for your car. However, it doesn't have the Ester that is in the Nissan oil. People call the Nissan Ester oil a "blend" because it is dino base oil with esters. Esters typically don't come in motor oils (even synthetics) except in the most expensive of them all (Redline, Motul, to name a few). So, if you were using the Castrol syntec blend to get the Esters, its unlikely that you did. You might have gotten some of the PAO additives.

[NeedforZ]

Originally Posted by DooDooBrown

I additionaly notice that during highway driving, the temp will creep up to the 220 mark (I have noticed it between 180 and 200 during highway driving).

I think that 220 is normal for everyday driving. I've been through the factory fill, one round of Castrol GTX dino oil for 2k miles, and now I just switched over to Redline synthetic at 4k miles. It has the ester base oil. It seems to take a little longer to reach 220 now but that's still the normal operating temp for my car. YMMV

[Red370]

Originally Posted by VCuomo

AFAIK, the factory fill from Nissan is a synthetic blend (part synth, part dino) - I used Castrol Synthetic Blend 5W30 to top off my Z's factory fill.

But, at 2450 miles, why not just do the first oil change and switch to 100% synthetic (Mobil 1, Redline, Amsoil, etc.)?

Did everyone forget about RP? I've seen more high HP builds use it than any other. I've been running it in my cars for years, works great, you'll notice your idle will be much quieter, I swear by the stuff.

[VCuomo]

Originally Posted by davidyan

The Castrol synthetic blend will be fine for your car. However, it doesn't have the Ester that is in the Nissan oil. People call the Nissan Ester oil a "blend" because it is dino base oil with esters. Esters typically don't come in motor oils (even synthetics) except in the most expensive of them all (Redline, Motul, to name a few). So, if you were using the Castrol syntec blend to get the Esters, its unlikely that you did. You might have gotten some of the PAO additives.

Nope, didn't get the Castrol for the esters - I figured 3/4 of a quart to top off the factor fill wasn't going to dilute the factory fill to make any real difference.

And, IMHO, the "ester" thing is a little overblown - I switched to Amsoil at about 2900 miles and my engine runs quiet and smooth.