LOL, Ian. My Ford Laser KQ SR 1.8L has now done 340+ and out of curiosity I did a cold compression test on it and it's still high compression (WOW, thinking it might be on it's last legs by now) also, overall, the vehicle is as tight as. No oil burning. On 3rd timing belt now and first water pump @ 340k and have replaced struts and brake rotors and nothing else. If they are well maintained and driven with respect and with the occasional fang and use 98oct fuel, they should last a very long time. The VG30 is a workhorse of an engine and plenty of power for fun around the twisties!
I agree with this, I do the occasional pull but nothing past 5.5k rpm and its well warm. Only 98oct, did do 95 for a couple thousand km's when I was a extra broke high schooler after spending all my life savings on the car and a lot of maintenance, but now she's on 98. Plus I found I that the extra range I got from 98 meant that I was only spending 5-10 bucks more than I would with 95 if you looked at cost/range ratio. Intresting find as I know 98 does give you some extra range, but this was ALOT extra, maybe its a NA thing?
Contrary to what seems to be of popular belief that there's no benefit in using 98 for daily use, I beg to differ and use it in all my cars 3x, I too experience less fuel consumption with it and the engines run like clockwork. 95 is OK, temporarily, when the price of fuel goes up to a ridiculous 2.15+/L My sister and kids also use 98 riligiously and we all have no issues with our cars whatsoever. Nil, ZERO and some are from 1998-2003! 1998 Pulsar SSS SR20, 2003 Golf MK4 1.6L twin cam version, for example. That's why we keep them for so long! Also, overfilling the engine with oil is a massive no, no. Best to slightly 'underfill', this will ensure there will be no seal leaks in the long run and has no impact on engine life/turbo life whatsoever! Quality over quantity, for the win!
Not sure how I feel on underfilling, with this car I do what Nissan recommends and with the old British cars my mum has I often overfill by 100ml for smaller engines and up to 300ml on larger engines as it'll slowly piss it out anyway. Was recommended to do it by a old mechanic who's famous in my state for being the guy to go for in those things. The zed is the youngest car in the garage but the only one that doesn't leak!
Underfilling is a big no, the oils two main jobs are to lubricate and control temperature. Underfilling reduces the thermal mass and increases the risk of starvation under high g-force/load applications. Filling to the correct level or over-full will not increase the chance of oil leaks. Oil leaks occur due to failure of the seal (ie. age or contamination from debris) or positive pressure in the crank case (ie. blocked pcv's, worn rings or a hole in the piston) Overfilling won't cause leaks, however it will risk causing aeration of the oil from crankshaft rotation, which in turn fills the oil with tiny air bubbles that reduces the oils ability to lubricate. Probably less of an issue on older cars with deeper, higher capacity sumps, but not a good idea on a Z32. In short, do not overfill or underfill. As long as there is oil on the dipstick between the low and high marks you're fine for street and light track use.
