[husky570]

Have had to add 1 quart of oil to my 2001 pathfinder with about 600 miles of driving what the heck is up with that?!?!?

[Simon]

Was it checked right after the oil change? Is it possible that not enough oil was put in at that time?

[NC95Pathfinder]

http://npora.ipbhost...showtopic=14826 Could this be the problem?

OK, it works now.

This post has been edited by NC95Pathfinder: 25 June 2007 - 06:04 PM

[husky570]

NC95Pathfinder, on Jun 25 2007, 06:42 PM, said:

Pinned Topic Could this be the problem?

The "Pinned topic" link does not seem to be functioning, havent changed the oil yet and was right at the "Full" line on the dipstick when I checked it last week after the engine was warm.

[Simon]

Stupid question, but the engine wasn't running, was it? If it was off, how long before you checked the oil? Remember, it takes a while for all the oil to end up back in the pan to properly check the level.

[husky570]

Simon, on Jun 25 2007, 06:52 PM, said:

Stupid question, but the engine wasn't running, was it? If it was off, how long before you checked the oil? Remember, it takes a while for all the oil to end up back in the pan to properly check the level.

I let the engine warm up , then shut off and maybe 2-3 minutes after shut off checked engine oil.

[Simon]

Should be alright. Any smoke coming from the exhaust? Any leaks? Get under there with a flashlight and see.....could just be that the drain plug wasn't tightened fully....

[husky570]

husky570, on Jun 26 2007, 05:08 AM, said:

I let the engine warm up , then shut off and maybe 2-3 minutes after shut off checked engine oil.

Doing some research, looks like the 3500 has a issue of burning around a quart of oil every 1000 miles or so, the issue seems to be in the design of the valve cover that has the PCV valve, the baffles in the cover trap oil and create a venturi effect with the PCV valve and suck the oil out . Looks like the only remedy is to find a valve cover that has different design of the baffles and install it. Ugh!!

[Simon]

How long have you had the truck? Did this just start happening?

[Trainman]

Simon, on Jun 26 2007, 05:33 AM, said:

How long have you had the truck? Did this just start happening?

My thoughts too.

I have put 60,000 km + on my 02 since buying used with 60,000 km on the odo and it has yet to burn any oil. I change every 5,000 km along with the filter.

[husky570]

Trainman, on Jun 26 2007, 07:56 AM, said:

My thoughts too.

I have put 60,000 km + on my 02 since buying used with 60,000 km on the odo and it has yet to burn any oil. I change every 5,000 km along with the filter.

Had it for about 2 weeks now. And no visible leaks anywhere.

This post has been edited by husky570: 26 June 2007 - 11:26 AM

[88pathoffroad]

This is actually a common problem according to a master tech at a Nissan dealership who posts on NissanHelp.com. They replace the one valve cover with a revised design one and it fixes the problem.

[husky570]

88pathoffroad, on Jun 28 2007, 07:28 PM, said:

This is actually a common problem according to a master tech at a Nissan dealership who posts on NissanHelp.com. They replace the one valve cover with a revised design one and it fixes the problem.

Im wondering if it can be fixed with the peice of foam in the PCV line to slow down and trap oil loss?

[Simon]

Will you not just end up with a clogged PCV valve, and line?

[husky570]

Simon, on Jun 29 2007, 06:34 AM, said:

Will you not just end up with a clogged PCV valve, and line?

Good question Simon, dunno, but definately wanting to consider some other alternative than replacing the PCV side valve cover , already been into the top of the motor doing the power valves, dont really want to go down in and replace the valve cover if there is some other solution to the problem.

[hoohaa]

husky570, on Jun 29 2007, 11:15 AM, said:

Good question Simon, dunno, but definately wanting to consider some other alternative than replacing the PCV side valve cover , already been into the top of the motor doing the power valves, dont really want to go down in and replace the valve cover if there is some other solution to the problem.

I have not heard of the oil baffle problem, but the first thing that came to mind when I read the thread was "stuck pcv valve". If your pcv valve does not open under positive pressure in the crankcase, the pressure will find another escape route, usually the crank oil seals or perhaps a valve cover gasket. Engines with lots of blowby will literally spray oil out of the crank seals at mid to high rpm.

Check PCV valve for proper operation (it'll only take 2 minutes) and then look into whatever problem these guys mentioned.

[vengeful]

Seems to me that the Valve Cover would be replaced under the Powertrain Warranty. Hope you're still covered!

[88pathoffroad]

Here's the link to NissanHelp.com on the same subject...read up!

http://x.nissanhelp....urning-oil.html

[coppcar]

I posted this on the 96-04 R50 forum and thought it might be helpful here.

I was wondering if I had a problem with oil consumption on an '03 Pathfinder I recently bought. Mileage is 87,000.

In researching this, I came across that NissanHelp thread mention above . Andre's explanation gave me hope, "Could it be this easy?!".

However, I could not get past the fact that this cover costs almost $200 from my dealer. I have since found it at nissanpartsdirect.com for much less. Regardless, I had to find out what breaks in the cover to cause the consumption. Andre said oil gets trapped in the baffles, but why??

After several hours of studying this today and making a valiant effort to clean my cover, I think I figured it out.

If you're interested, swing over to Nissan Pathfinder Oil Consumption for my write-up. If you think my conclusion is wrong, please let me know.

coppcar

This post has been edited by coppcar: 28 October 2008 - 04:36 AM

[flash45]

i do notice that if i refrain from slowing down by gearing down and use more of the brakes to do so my oil consumption isn't as bad. this never used to be a problem prior to 80,000km. i wonder if there is a big difference in this problem between MT and AT trannys..??