Two different service managers at 2 different dealerships have told me this was a requirement only for 1 or 2 model years (I don't remember which it was now), and not required for 2010-2011.

 

The diesel sound at startup seems to be normal among these cars - do a search for it.

 

Mine doesn't sound like a diesel when I start it up. The knocking comes and goes, I've discovered that if I do like a crazy rev and then brake really hard, it sometimes goes away. It really bugs me. I just want to see if an Ester-based Synthetic helps it. If not, then I'll just stick to PU.

 

No problem at all,

 

My car sounds like a diesel when it's warm, not just at startup. I'm not sure whether this nissan ester oil works that well for my car...or maybe what I'm hearing is normal.

 

Same here. I asked my dealer if they do an ester oil change for my car, they asked the year (2011) and said it wasnt a requirement for mine.

I get the loud tapping at first startup, but after 20 seconds or so it goes away. I usually dont put the car in D until that loud tapping goes away (it usually corresponds with the engine coming off high idle)

I understand why it does it, I understand Nissan says it doesnt cause any damage, so I just live with it. If it started making the noise ALL the time Id be worried, but at startup not such a big deal.

 

Not exactly true. "Nissan Ester" oil is the oil that is recommended, not an Ester based oil. The noise it was developed to stop is very different than "engine knocking".

 

For clarification purposes, the "Nissan ester" oil is just a regular oil with ester additives in it. Its not a true group 4 based oil like Redline and others. Its just called "Nissan Ester" oil to make people think its a high quality group 4 based oil, but its not. God bless false advertising. Should be "Nissan basic group 3 with a tiny amount of ester additive" oil.

The "nissan ester" oil breaks down and shears to a 20 weight oil after 3k miles, just like your normal cheapo 5w-30 that you can get anywhere else. The difference is the additive package.

Do a search or check out my UOA's on the Nissan Ester oil. Read the sticky's. All the information is there.

Ive been using Redline since I found out the "Nissan Ester" oil was just a basic oil with a small ppm of ester additives to help with lubrication. No issues whatsoever.

 

If you are happy with PU, stick with it. PU has shown great results on UOAs. The dealer doesnt use an "ester based" oil unless they are carrying a high end oil. Next time you are at your dealer, ask them what their ester based oil is. When they say "Nissan ester" oil, slap them.

As for switching, you can do it whenever. I did it early because the "Nissan ester" oil was shearing down to a 20 weight and I didnt want to constantly pay 100 bucks for an oil change.

Have you gotten a UOA with the Ultra? If not, id get one on your next oil change. If your engine looks good with the ultra, theres no reason to change.

 

just wanted to chime in a little...
the dealership at tustin offers an upgraded oil change package with PU... total job goes for like $120 lol. theres also rebate flyers all over the damn dealership.
PU maybe reliable after all? iono. ive ran it in my G since my first oil change, nothing bad so far. are you sure its the oil thats the problem?

pretty sure knocking is cause generally from the gasoline's compression ratio. right?

 

It's definitely the oil. I always use Shell V-Power 93, so that shouldn't be a problem.

The knocking/ticking is definitely the oil. I'll try to post a video of the sound soon.

 

I use Redline, but I think the Redline and Motul are both good oils overall. As stated, the Nissan Ester oil is just a regular oil with Ester and other additives. However, it is not necessarily the Ester additive that quiets the ticking sound in the VQ37VHR (more specifically the VVEL).

The ticking sound is caused by a part of the VVEL system (a reciprocating shoe) that only rocks back and forth across the cam followers to provide lubrication. This limits the amount of oil/lubricants supplied to the assembly. A traditional cam lobe rotates all the way around, and receives full lubrication on each rotation. So, what you are really hearing is caused by a lack of oil/lubrication between the shoe and cam follower in the VVEL assembly (they are slapping together).

Nissan was fully aware of this potential issue, and combated it in 2 ways:
1) Added a really "slick" hydrogen-free DLC (diamond-like coating) on the surface of the VVEL reciprocating parts since they knew lubrication would be an issue. This basically builds in some form of protection into the surface of the parts (which also makes it more difficult for traditional lubricants to adhere to).
2) Added an additive package to their own oil that promotes better adhesion to the surface of the DLC coating used in the VVEL assembly (Ester), but it also contains small nano-particles for better lubrication on those surfaces (think, really small ball bearings). Ester is a form of a hydroxyl compound. Hydroxyl compounds are polar hydrocarbons, and are attracted to the hydrogen-free DLC used on the VVEL parts (as they say, opposites attract).

It is really these small nano-particles and their attraction to the DLC coating that quite the engine down, and you will not get all this in Redline or Motul; even with the Ester additives. The Ester will only give you the attraction to the hydrogen-free DLC, but not the additional lubrication provided by the nano-particles.

So, what am I saying? If you are really concerned about the ticking noise from the VVEL system, use Nissan's Ester oil. While the oil is not as good as, say, Redline, Motul, or PU, it will quite the ticking sound. If you don't care about the ticking sound, use a good oil like Redline, Motul, or PU....

 

Revenge of the Nerd - Nissan in the sump with diamonds?

My $0.02 is I have heard too much about it shearing to 20w or less to want it in my engine.
I just changed to Mobil 1 extended performance from the factory fill and I see no difference in audible noise or fuel mileage.

 

Thanks. A lot the info in my above post came from a similar article on one of Mike Kojima's sites, but I could not link it here (it was on a 370Z site).

 

nice article

"The noise is harmless and doesn’t affect engine life; just some people find it annoying. "