Engine oil

Engine Cooling problem
1998 Nissan Maxima 6 cyl Automatic 160000 miles

This is my first car and I was just wondering what type of oil I should use.

Nissan maxima 2004 j3 ti v6 automatic

I change my own oil in my 2004 Maxima. The manual says to use 5w30 grade, but I've been using 10w30 and I change the filter every time. Had no problems with engine noise or operation.I add a bottle of Lucas fuel injector cleaner every 3000 to 3500 miles. You can stretch it to 3700 if you want. Just check your dip stick for proper levels every so often.

Hello, I have been having a leak on this car for a long time and got it fixed recently (oil pan and crankshaft seals). Now the engine oil light comes on when the car is in drive but stopped (like at a red light), but when moving it goes off. There seems to be no leak around the oil pressure switch. The oil is slightly more than full. I had the wheel bearings (front) replaced and am noticing my steering wheel wobbling a bit when slow and when going fast the car vibrates. But then the other day, I noticed that, if I let loose on the brake pedal very slightly to let the car roll like a few inches, the car seems to have a slight wobbly jerk forward but it disappears when running. I also noticed that the car seems to have a slight vibration when completely at a stop but engine running and in drive. My friend says it might be the crankshaft bearings that are shot that cause the oil pressure light to go on and off like mine. Any idea what it is?

Hello, Thanks for the reply. I recently changed the oil pressure switch. The guys also added some additives to the engine oil (to make it thicker they said). The car seems to be a little smoother but the oil pressure light flickers bad (as if short circuit) when idle (in gear or not) and goes off when running. They also said that the oil screen was cleaned when they fixed the oil pan and crankshaft oil leaks. I am not too sure about the idle. When I first start the engine for a while it stays above the 1500 rpm mark and once it is put into gear, it drops down to 500 or so and then goes up depending on the acceleration. There is a whirring sound (no rattling I guess) when the engine is turned on fully. After that I dont hear that. I also hear a wheezing sound for the last several months as if air is escaping out from the engine (probably from the passenger side of the engine. The guys also said that if the crankshaft bearing was worn out, the engine would have persistent knocking when idle or running which I think makes sense. Any idea what is causing the oil press. Light to turn on when at very low speeds or idle. Also could you explain me the idle part properly so I could check. Thanks again.

I am not sure. They had given me 3 or 4 quarts of 10W-30 oil bottles earlier when they had a delay in fixing the oil leak and had asked me to check the oil level and pour in a little each time it goes low. So I am thinking it is 10W-30. They also had mentioned that there is rear valve cover leak which drips a little ( a few drops every day. But I havent noticed a significant drop in oil level at all and hence havent used their oil yet. I am yet to fix that. And about the tires the guys said that the tires were worn uneven. I also came to see that one of the tires had an uneven thread level on one portion. I havent checked the others. I havent doen any alignment or balancing either. But if I could figure out this oil pressure light problem, I could decide on fixing it or not. The guys showed me that it did not turn on when the car was in park with engine running and no added acceleration. But now I see that again. Only difference is that now the light goes off as soon as I give even slight acceleration. Any idea? Thanks for your help.

Hi,

I am in Ghana, west africa to be pricise. Please tell me the recomended engine oil that will be ok for my car.

Please also suggest to me what I should do to keep my engine for a very long time

Regards

Michael

Hello, I could find a way to check the oil pressure yet, but when I did an oil change they put 10W-40 and now the light hasnt come on at all.

I also now notice a clattering sound somewhere close to the timing chain area or the passenger side front of the engine block. It can be heard only after the car has run about 15 minutes or so. It comes on and goes off and is heard on idle. Someone said its a heat shield loose. But some say its the rod bearings.

I rotated the tires and balances the front two tires and the steering wheel wobble and vibration is now gone. But the whole car vibrates bad at about past 65 or 70 mph.

Thank you very much and sorry for the delay in replying. I got tied up with some major work at home and stuff.

Is there any special type of oil that should be used when you change the oil and filter other than regular in a Nissan Maxima?

First, check the Owner's manual. My guess is that for most areas in the US, the typical recommendation is 10W30 (regular oil, not synthetic). Also, the SAE grading should be equal or higher 2-letter combination from what the manual says. If you have high mileage and no longer under warranty, then it might be worthwhile to get to a slighly higher weight (20W50) to compensate for engine parts wear.