JonnyOzero3

Can someone show me where it's written down that ester-based oil is now required? What specifically are the oil grades/specifications that are required now?

notalk

Not at all. Please see thread in Engine section.

The Nissan Ester oil is NOT ester based synthetic, but is 5W-30 conventional with an ester additive.

notalk

See ITB08-028a. The "a" is the revised version which adds an oil change with the 5W-30 Nissan Ester oil.

Staples

iTrader: (9)

Does anyone know if this actuator fix will alleviate the humming noise coming from the engine? It happens to me especially in 2nd and 3rd gear.

shabbo

300v, Amsoil, Royal Purple, Mobil-1 etc are all good oils imo, but I'm not sure if this alone can fix the VVEL tapping issue.

I'm having oil consumption issues that appear to be linked to the quaker state semisyn oil the the dealerships insisted I use until now.

In my case it should prevent burning. In the VVEL tapping issue it should help maintain better oil pressure at the cams.

shabbo

the VVEL needs some WD-40

Buddy Revell

iTrader: (2)

Can you post a link to the revised TSB? Thanks.

patmsb1

So far the TSB has got rid of the noise but i don't know if the oil is making that much of a difference. My oil change used to cost me $55.00 and now it's about $95.00 with out filters. Ouch!

07BlackG35Stud

iTrader: (1)

Feedback:

This TSB was performed on my car this morning and I gotta say that the idle/engine sound seems to be quieter/more stable. While most people claim that this noise happens after warm up and during idle, my car always made a slightly louder ticking noise in the morning during startup, and it would go away completely after 30-40 seconds or so - only when the car was cold.

I asked the dealer about the difference in what most people describe and what I was experiencing with my car and they explained both were of similar nature. The 2 mechanics that I always request to work on my car are extremely knowledgeable and experienced, therefore I trust them blindly.

Again, good TSB to have performed if your car requires it!

JonnyOzero3

Good to know - thanks for the words. I'm definitely bringing up this TSB when I bring my car in next.

notalk

I am happy the software update worked for you. Just to clarify, the mechanics you spoke with may be excellent "wrenches", but I would venture they do not truly understand the background of the TSB. After the car has been driven a while and the valve lifters/cams "move" to a "more advanced" positioning, the problem is the original software does not allow "them" to return to the correct position at idle and very low rpm's. The software update cures this. Therefore, whatever you were hearing at start-up was not likely the problem encountered with the original software. Getting the new software can not hurt and, certainly, should alleviate any possibility of the warm engine "hang up".

The two problems shouldn't be of similar nature as the "out of sync cams" should not occur when the engine is cold and then go away when the engine warms up. The going away after 30 seconds is the reason why the manual says to let the car idle for 30 seconds before driving off. Apparently, these engines need about 30 seconds of idling after start-up for everything to sort of fall into place. This start-up ticking is within the "letting everything fall into place" phase, rather than the VVEL being out of sync at idle after the car has been driven a while.

07BlackG35Stud

iTrader: (1)

What you explained makes sense and I did not see the connection between the 2 problems either, however, the TSB helped. How or why? Not sure, but I'm not complaining. I agree to an extent with what you explained, however, out of sync cams will be more noticeable at higher rpms than idle, since the problem would be recurring more regularly. These guys are more than just excellent wrenches. They are father and son, and the father has been with nissan/infiniti for over 10 years...he's one of their top notch guys.

Car ECU's have rather fast processors (or microcontrollers) these days....these things operate in the milli/micro/nano seconds range, and I highly doubt an ECU would need 30-40 seconds for things to "fall into place." In a computerized world, a full second of time is an eternity The main reason you would not want to get moving right away is to provide a slight warm up process with the purpose of lubrication/oiling. Startups take the biggest tolls on engines.

notalk

Correct; if you were dealing with a purely mechanical function or situation. Here, however, the problem is not mechanical. Because everything is "variable", the software is required to make sure everything operates properly throughout the entire rev range. The cams/lifters are in sync at higher revs by the software. It is only at idle that the original software did not allow the cams/lifters to be or remain in sync. That's why the fix is a software update.

akochman

iTrader: (3)

I took my car in today with a knocking noise coming from the engine when it was in idle. They said that there is some special oil and a reflash of the ecu that they have to have me come back in tomorrow morning to do.

fkane

I brought my G37 to the dealer for a routine oil change this morning, and they wanted to charge me $199 for ester oil! They claimed I might experience knocking if I didn't do it.

At the time I figured they were just trying to make some extra money, but after reading this thread I'm wondering if I made the wrong decision by refusing. $199 for every oil change going forward isn't an idea I'm really happy with though. It sounds to me like the software update may be enough without the oil.