Request: DIY Oil Change

semtex · 03-25-2009, 03:30 PM

^Correct.

wstar · 03-30-2009, 05:18 PM

I'm just gathering info here and getting ready to do my first oil change now... have some questions:

1) This copper crush washer... Is it just some standard crush washer I can pick up a bag of at the hardware store? Do anyone know the size so I don't have to pull it before I run down there?

2) I'm still baffled by the whole Nissan Ester Oil thing for the VVEL, and all of the conflicting recommendations about using synthetics. I'm not tracking the car, but I drive pretty hard for street driving. My last car I was using Mobil 1 and changing at 3k every time (this was an LS1 engine), and I was pretty happy with how the engine turned out at the 100k mile mark. My 370Z is closing in on 2K miles now and I'm overdue if anything for getting the factory break-in oil out of there. Am I going to get ugly valvetrain noise if I use a quality synthetic? Does the Nissan ESTER stuff matter for engine wear purposes or is it just noise-related?

semtex · 03-30-2009, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wstar

I'm just gathering info here and getting ready to do my first oil change now... have some questions:

1) This copper crush washer... Is it just some standard crush washer I can pick up a bag of at the hardware store? Do anyone know the size so I don't have to pull it before I run down there?

2) I'm still baffled by the whole Nissan Ester Oil thing for the VVEL, and all of the conflicting recommendations about using synthetics. I'm not tracking the car, but I drive pretty hard for street driving. My last car I was using Mobil 1 and changing at 3k every time (this was an LS1 engine), and I was pretty happy with how the engine turned out at the 100k mile mark. My 370Z is closing in on 2K miles now and I'm overdue if anything for getting the factory break-in oil out of there. Am I going to get ugly valvetrain noise if I use a quality synthetic? Does the Nissan ESTER stuff matter for engine wear purposes or is it just noise-related?

You should be able to pick up some new crush washers at any AutoZone type of store. They'll probably ask you what kind of car it is, so just tell them that it's a Nissan and they should be able to pull the right size (all Nissan's use the same sized drain plug and washer, I've been told).

The Ester oil thing. Ester does matter for wear, IMO. The thing about Ester is that it bonds to metal, thereby increasing the lubricity of the components especially at startup. My understanding is that Mobil1 Extended Performance has ester, but the regular stuff doesn't. I've also been told by my tuning mechanic that I shouldn't switch from conventional oil to synthetic until after at least 5000 miles. (I'm not necessarily vouching for his position on this, I'm just telling you what I've been told. You can draw your own conclusions.)

wstar · 03-30-2009, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

The Ester oil thing. Ester does matter for wear, IMO. The thing about Ester is that it bonds to metal, thereby increasing the lubricity of the components especially at startup. My understanding is that Mobil1 Extended Performance has ester, but the regular stuff doesn't. I've also been told by my tuning mechanic that I shouldn't switch from conventional oil to synthetic until after at least 5000 miles. (I'm not necessarily vouching for his position on this, I'm just telling you what I've been told. You can draw your own conclusions.)

So from what I read, the Nissan Ester stuff is conventional-based? So I should probably go pick up some Nissan Ester stuff at least for this first oil change I'm thinking.

semtex · 03-30-2009, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wstar

So from what I read, the Nissan Ester stuff is conventional-based? So I should probably go pick up some Nissan Ester stuff at least for this first oil change I'm thinking.

That's also my understanding -- the Nissan Ester oil is a conventional oil with an ester additive. I'm not aware of any other brand of conventional oil that has ester. There may be some, I'm just not aware of which ones (if any). I also plan to pick up 6 qts of Nissan Ester oil to do my first oil change later this week. I also plan to drain my MT and diff oil and switch them over to Redline, btw.

ChrisSlicks · 03-30-2009, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

That's also my understanding -- the Nissan Ester oil is a conventional oil with an ester additive. I'm not aware of any other brand of conventional oil that has ester. There may be some, I'm just not aware of which ones (if any). I also plan to pick up 6 qts of Nissan Ester oil to do my first oil change later this week. I also plan to drain my MT and diff oil and switch them over to Redline, btw.

Which gear oils are you going to use in particular?

semtex · 03-30-2009, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisSlicks

Which gear oils are you going to use in particular?

For the MT, I plan to use Redline MT-90.
Red Line Oil: Gear Lubricants

For the LSD, Redline 75W-90.
Red Line Oil: Gear Lubricants

If you do this, you'll need to pick up new gaskets for the trans and diff plugs. (They use little rubber gaskets instead of crush washers.) Each of these has a separate drain plug and fill plug, so you'll need four gaskets total.

03-25-2009, 03:30 PM	#1 (permalink)
semtex A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Behind enemy lines Age: 56 Posts: 5,995 Drives: People to drink Rep Power: 34	^Correct. __________________ "There are no small accidents on this circuit." -- Ayrton Senna 316.8whp & 248 ft/lbs (Dyno Dynamics) \| 319whp & 256 ft/lbs (DynoJet) (04/23/10) Stillen G3 CAI, CBE, Pulley / F.I. LTH / GTSpec Ladder Brace / Setrab Oil Cooler / UpRev-tuned by Forged Perf.

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03-30-2009, 05:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3596	I'm just gathering info here and getting ready to do my first oil change now... have some questions: 1) This copper crush washer... Is it just some standard crush washer I can pick up a bag of at the hardware store? Do anyone know the size so I don't have to pull it before I run down there? 2) I'm still baffled by the whole Nissan Ester Oil thing for the VVEL, and all of the conflicting recommendations about using synthetics. I'm not tracking the car, but I drive pretty hard for street driving. My last car I was using Mobil 1 and changing at 3k every time (this was an LS1 engine), and I was pretty happy with how the engine turned out at the 100k mile mark. My 370Z is closing in on 2K miles now and I'm overdue if anything for getting the factory break-in oil out of there. Am I going to get ugly valvetrain noise if I use a quality synthetic? Does the Nissan ESTER stuff matter for engine wear purposes or is it just noise-related?