10th May 2007, 17:16
Abnormally high oil consumption on the QR25DE is typically due to the precat falling apart and scoring the cylinder walls. It can also be attributed to a blown head gasket, but that's less common with the QR25DE. There is no cheap fix for the former problem.
2 ways to ensure your SE-R/ SE-R Spec V lasts as long as possible is to get a header which will remove the precat and to loctite your butterfly screws on the pre-'06 models. These 2 fixes are cheap and will avoid about 80% of all common issues with these cars. The other issues are primarily issues any car can have, such as: blown head gasket, wheel bearings failing, etc etc.
I have only had one wheel bearing fail, one bent OE 17" wheel, the fan switch fuse blow, one exhaust hanger snapped off, front and rear rotors needed replacement due to rust, and that's about it in the 50+k I've owned my 2002 spec v. I'm not saying I take better care of my car than people with problems, and as always YMMV... just adding a different perspective to all the negatives about the QR25DE engine and the B15 Sentra chassis.
3rd Sep 2007, 16:01
I own a 2002 Sentra SER Spec-V with 70,000 miles, and it was the biggest piece of crap also.
Everything first started when I noticed that I also was burning oil like crazy, so I looked up info and found that those motors were known for the intake screws falling out and getting sucked into the motor.
So I called Nissan, and went around and around with them forever. Finally I took it in and got it checked, at Nissan's request. They said that if it was the problem, that it would be fixed and I wouldn't have to pay for them diagnosing it. So I said OK and drove 100 miles to the nearest dealership. They tore it apart and it was the problem, the screws fell in from number one cylinder and the plate had got sucked in too, and had gotten lodged just before getting into my motor. So the dealership calls Nissan headquarters and oh all the sudden I have to pay for half of everything! Half to get it diagnosed, even though they said they would pay for it, which was $200, which I had to borrow cuz I didn't have enough money on me. And I would have to pay for half of a new engine, which was $3,000 - just for half!
Well I said screw that, and put my car back together myself, so Nissan couldn't suck anymore money out of me, and went home and took everything apart and put loctite on all my intake screws.
Then a few weeks later my car started to have acceleration problems. I could only go 10-20 mph. So I tested it and had crank sensor and mass air sensor codes, so I replaced both with no luck. Then tested it again and a friend from a mechanics garage suggested the gas pedal. Replaced that and yup no luck either. The only thing that I haven't replaced is the ECU. So I go to take it off and what do I find? The idiots at the Nissan dealership disconnected my moisture hose that keeps the moisture out! My ECU is wet and shorted out. But good luck getting Nissan to do anything. I have the same problem now, my blood just boils whenever I hear anything about Nissan. They're a joke and I will never buy anything or recommend buying anything Nissan. People really need to do research before they buy cars, I wish I had.
11th Sep 2007, 17:26
I have a 2002 Sentra SER Spec V (the first one ever sold in the state of Rhode Island) and I gotta say I've been pretty fortunate compared to everyone else here. I pretty much do all my own maintenance on the car (oil changes, fluids, and tire rotations). I'm at 60,000 miles now (RI's pretty small so everything is close by) and just started experiencing my first real issue... head gasket. For those who don't know, the block and the head are kept at two different temps, the block lets in coolant at 175 degrees F and the head at 200. This allows the gasoline to vaporize faster for better fuel economy. It wouldn't be that bad if they were two different materials, but it's all aluminum, so they expand at different rates. All that rubbing wears out the head gasket, allowing coolant to drip into the cylinders and through the IRON header and exhaust, rotting it all out.
Other than that, issue free. Changed my tires twice (the first time because Nissan ships these with summer only tires), brakes once, transmission fluid once (MTL, just to see if it would get rid of that "stick in a bag of rocks" feeling... it didn't), and spark plugs once (they didn't need to be I found out. All that coolant sitting in my cylinders makes for a very rough start). Every 3000 miles I drain out 4.5 quarts and I put in 4.5 quarts.
Still, the build quality on this car is garbage compared to other cars. I WILL buy another Nissan. I will NOT buy another car made in Mexico. Every car I've seen made in Mexico falls apart. My girlfriend's Jetta was a POS too (made in Mexico). My mom's Maxima is solid, no issues, even the paint looks about as good as when she bought it (brand new in 2000). Made in Japan. I'm keeping my eye on the new Altima Coupe. Made in the USA and every single part on the car is either made in the USA, Japan, or Canada.
2nd Dec 2007, 20:04
I own a '02 SPEC-V and noticed the heavy oil consumption since spring of this year -- nearly a quart every week. There is no burning (no blue smoke), no oil drip on my driveway, and my head gasket is fine cause I had a pressure test. If I buy an aftermarket header, will that help at this point? Or are my supposedly 'scored' cylinders the problem to fix?
10th Apr 2007, 18:13
I just wanted to amend this review of what Nissan did about the oil consumption test. I took it back about 2 weeks after the computer was replaced - 1 quart low, and I had already added half a quart in the mean time just to get it there. Dealer confirmed it needed a new engine because it was not leaking oil, but rather "Consuming" oil. Nissan first told me they would not replace the engine, but there was a 2nd option they would try. I had to gather up nearly 5 years of oil receipts and fax them to Nissan. (and I came up only a couple receipts short) They took them all,took a MONTH to review them, just to tell me they were not going to do anything! I hate Nissan with a PASSION, and I hope to GOD that Nissan ends up having to give their cars away just to get them off the lots. Maybe they'll have do like Kia and give a Versa away with every Altima or a Sentra free with every Maxima. I hope the worst for them, and I will NEVER EVER own another one! The Sentra as of March 21st was traded for a Mazdaspeed Miata which is built 20x better, drives 100x better, better performance, and has cheaper insurance rates! (and its convertible)
DON'T BE A VICTIM OF NISSAN MOTORS!
As I said, my FIRST AND LAST NISSAN!