Yeah, any 2x4 will be good. I think my wood is too thick (no perverted thought please :icon17:) so anything slightly thinner will do the job.



NO, I never installed the front chin spoiler.

Did my fifth oil change on 09.25.10
 

Sorry I have been really busy so I didn't get a chance to post this. I did my 5th synthetic change on 9.25.10 at 24,928 miles( heck I just looked at my odometer, it's more than 27xxx now :eek:) Used this oil for about 5650 miles. I know I could have gone to 6-7K but this is the "hot summer used oil" so I wanted to drain it (also it's getting chilly out. Not sure how convenient it would be to do oil change in 30 degree weather :ugh: )

As I have mentioned before, I'm going to stick with the Purolator Pureone PL14610 for the future oil changes. I had two filters given to me by K&N. So I wanted to use them first. I switched the filters for last few changes to find any difference and guess what? nothing. The difference is VERY negligible. The ONLY reason I am going with Purolator is because

a. It's slightly bigger.

b. It's about half the price of the K&N. AND

c. All my local auto store has it on their shelf (no shipping/wait time).

I have done oil analysis WITH ALL my oil changes. However, I do not share it on the forum as my driving habit and condition (my cars condition) is different than yours. There's no point in comparing the data. However, if anyone want to just look at it, I can email it to you. Though, keep the copy to yourself. No need to post it on the forum. Also, if anyone just stumbling upon this post, all my oil changes I used Redline 5W 30.

Here are some pics:

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...e/DSC04913.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...e/DSC04918.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...e/DSC04919.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...e/DSC04920.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...e/DSC04924.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...e/DSC04925.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...e/DSC00411.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...l-analysis.jpg

BTW, their previous suggestion was 6000-7000 miles. I CAN even go longer now but it's okay. I do two oil changes a year (about 6500 miles each) and it works out perfectly. :tup:

If you have any question, please don't hesitate to ask :tiphat:

Hey guys,
If anyone want to use the PUROLATOR Puro 1 oil filters, here's a GREAT offer. Check it out:
5x Purolator PureOne Oil Filters - Slickdeals.net

I have just bought 5 of these for only $15. :tup: Please note, if you use the vehicle identifier, it'll select the smaller oil filter which PL14612. Just search PL14610 (slightly bigger) and you can still get 5 of them for the same price.

Goodluck :tup:

AK, will the filtermag work on either model number? i have the one that fits the K&n

It should. If the filtermag works on smaller K&N (which I have tested), it should work on the smaller model PL14612. As for PL14610, pictures are above. It def fit. :tup:

whats better about having a larger filter?

Not really big advantage over the regular one but I think larger filter gives you more filtration area, which in turn keeps the oil cleaner longer. It also reduces restriction. By using a larger oil filter, you HOLD more oil. So, when you're driving aggressively or at the track, your oil may take a little longer to heat up than lets say car with a less oil. Again, the difference on the Purolator filters are VERY little. There are people in chevy truck forums or such that use larger oil filters. In some cases, difference between filters are half a quart (or more)!

However, with the 370Z, difference is little. So with the choices above (14612 vs 14610), it's up to you what you want to use. :tup:

I believe Nissan uses bypass filtration, i.e. not all the oil goes through the filter each time. The bigger the filter, the lower the pressure drop, so theoretically more oil should get filtered each time. The larger surface area can also hold more particulate matter.

You can actually get a bigger discount if you want to purchase additional items. I played around with it for a bit and found out...
$50 off of $200 is the max amount.

Best deals are BIG25, BIG30, BIG35, and BIG40. They all avg approx 40% off.

It's not worth it IF you can not pickup at a store. For instance anywhere in Northern CA, because they have NO stores located there.

So..... the 5 filters with the BIG10 promo code totals 15.00
Shipping totals .................................................. . 9.06
Total delivered to home........................................24.06
Divide by 5 filters totals........................................ 4.81 per filter......NOT a good deal.

Would rather buy them one at a time at K-Mart or Sears for 5.00 each and they are located everywhere.

It might be a good deal for those that have an Advance AutoParts near them, but not for us Nor CAL folks.

The larger filter will not load up as quick as smaller filters. After about 2.5k miles on a smaller filter you may hear a different pitch, it could be a sign of the filter loading up. It takes a keen ear to tell the difference, but if you listen when the filter is new to the sound of that first start in the morning and notice the pitch change after 2.5k miles on the oil filter, it's possible that the filter is loading up. Loading up is the filter has reached it's max filtration. Larger filters can go more miles before loading up. For what it's worth there is my 2 cents on larger filters versus smaller ones.

From expereince I found out from using Amsoil EAo oil filter before Amsoil updated their website and they DID NOT have listed the EAo filter even though it was cross referenced for the G37. Maybe the G37 oil system is not the same as the 370Z. Check back on my earlier post on this thread for the story on Amsoil. After a used oil analysis (UOA) my tribolgist commented on the filter loading up and to dump the Amsoil ASAP and go with PurOne Puolator. This larger filter can go 5k mile oil intervals.

You cannot go wrong with the larger PureOne Purolator PL14610.

Like I said earlier. Only really useful for us on the west coast if purchasing other items. I figured I'd pickup some drop-ins since they're sold out at all my local Kragen's and it would be the same wait time to get shipped from Advanced Auto.


I used BIG40 and got $40 off $100. Also got free ship since I spent over $75
Item Description
QTY
Pick Up or Ship?
Price
Total
Oil Filter
Purolator PureONE Oil Filter
Part No: PL14610
Warranty: 30 DAY REPLACEMENT IF DEFECTIVE
1
Ship
$5.00
Discount: -$1.68
$3.32
Replacement Air Filter
K&N Replacement Air Filter
Part No: 33-2399
Warranty: LIMITED LIFETIME REPLACEMENT
2
Ship
$56.99
Discount: -$38.32
$75
Review Order Summary

Product Subtotal: $118.98
Discounts: -$40.00
Shipping Charges: $0.00
Tax: $7.70
Total: $86.68

Great info, just curious having seen the photos of the oil changes, most of the vehicles are up on ramps, just the front end. The car is not level. How much oil is still left in the drain pan at that angle?

I just completed my 5th oil change today. I did it at 1000,3000, 5000, 10000, and now 16000 miles. I stared with penzoil yellow bottle at 1000 and 3000 then switched to amsoil.

I bought the 67" race ramps XT. BEST money I ever spent. It saved me an easy 30 minutes of dealing with jacking up the car from the side then the front to get it on jack stands.

I now complete an oil change in 30 minutes instead of one hour and worrying if the car is going to fall on me.

I just did my first oil change. Used my homemade ramps best $50 I ever spent. Undid the 4 bolts in the back and just bent the plastic piece ( has crease meant for that ). Filter was a little tight but I just put a laytex glove over the filter for added grip and it came off. Didn't have to use a screwdriver. I read in the owners manual that the capacity is 5.2 quarts. I put in 5 quarts and it reads high. I know some of the old oil is still going to remain in the engine but how much should I have put in? I thought I would be safe with 5 quarts. But its high, right at the high mark. Should only 4.5 quarts go in during an oil change ? I gotta take some out tomorrow, wonder how much. And the filter is tiny! my motorcycle filter is bigger.

Can you post a picture of your homemade ramp? The amount of oil left in the system MAY depend on that. I can ALWAYS put 5 quart without any issue. I never tried to put 5 1/8 because I do know that a VERY small amount is left in the system due to incline.

i added 5.3 and was 3/4 of the way up on the dipstick. weird

How big is your filter?


PS: OG don't get any perverted ideas! :ugh2:

Be careful, there is a bit of a delay for the new (cold) oil to reach the bottom of the sump. Wait 10 minutes and the reading will be a bit higher.

:iagree:

I usually put 5 quarts of oil. Start the car. Bring the engine to operating temp (5-10 minutes). Then, turn off ignition. 10 minutes later, check the dipstick and add as needed. :tup:

late response from me but i use the purolator pl 14610. (the big one)

Anyone here get their NISMO off the ground using a floor jack???? Where's the front /center jack point? Jack stand locations?

Just wanna say thanks to all that have contributed to this DIY, I just finished up my first oil change, it went surprisingly smooth, I went with Mobil 1 (5W-30) synthetic, and did it at approximately 1300 miles.

Would 5W50 be better for me if I'm in a warmer climate?
Red Line Synthetic Oil - Motor Oil - 5W50 Motor Oil

5w50 is only going to be a better choice when running at continually elevated oil temperatures of 240+ were the viscosity of W30 oil drops off.

So is there any negative effects of using that instead of the 5W30? I'm occasionally at 240 but not continually

Our engines have an ideal oil viscosity of around 10 cSt at 100C (212F), a W50 oil is going to be closer to 18 cSt at that temperature (and thicker at startup). By having the viscosity too high for too long you do risk not properly lubricating all the tight tolerance parts.

I'll run 5W30 on the street, it does fine for short bursts up to 240F. For track weekends I usually switch over to 5W50 or 15W50 where the oil is going to be in its prime.

Awesome, thanks for the info man, greatly appreciated :tup:

awesome diy AK370Z, i just changed my oil using redline and the pureone filter following your tips, it does seem a bit more calm with redline during idle. im glad i ran into this diy, otherwise i'd be taking it to nissan every 3.5k :mad:

Second oil change done today with Castrol Syntec Full Synthetic and Bosch distance plus filter for $27.99

Anyone admire the engine like I did, once I removed the plastic panel, I was amazed by how the engine was put together. Its like a damn Picasso.

My first oil change was done at the dealership for free at around 2K miles. Now i'm at 5K miles and about to do my first oil change.

I've decided to go with Mobil 1, instead of Redline. I purchased KN filter and the filterMagnet online.

My question is if i use Mobil 1, and for some reason in the future, is it possible to switch back to OEM oil. Will it damage the engine? Dont worry, i'm just asking a question.

No

awesome write up!

Not only was this write up perfect visually and textually for when i begin changing my oil myself but a rat died in my engine bay and i think he is sitting on my skid plate smelling things up so the pics on the removal were perfect.

Thanks Ak for the write up, I have changed my own oil on all my previous cars, and this is a great write up to make it easy for us 370z owners. I live in Hawaii most days my average temp is 190 that's with 20 to 30 minutes of regular driving on factory oil in 75 to 85 degree weather, the island is small so really not more than an hour of driving here, I have went to 220 in traffic a few times, I am currently at 3100 miles and going to do my first oil change on the Z this sat, or Sunday for sure. I rarely drive hard but occasionally do like to get a good feel of the Z. I have everything on the list 6 quarts Redline 5w30 $69 with Military discount at Redline Napa Store, only one Napa on island that is an authorized Redline distributor which I thought was a pretty good deal considering Hawaii is really expensive to begin with, Titek Magnetic Drain Plug Ebay $15 shipped, FilterMag $30 shipped from LC motorsports, Pure One Filters x3 ($5.89 a filter) for $17.99 at kmart, I would have purchased more but they only had 3 in stock, KN Filters here are $12.99 plus tax, so I think I did good, and kmart and sears are the only two places on island that carry Puralator Filters. I didn't buy the redline oil online because shipping alone was going to be $35 to Hawaii, would have paid 96 dollars for 6 quarts and had to wait a few extra days! I have everything drip pan oil filter etc etc,....but I forgot Jack stands or ramps SMH, will pick up this weekend, oh and my Z is lowered like really lowered, I was thinking about maybe I could get Rhino ramps and use my low profile jack to raise the car and place the ramps under the wheels so I don't have to worry about scraping scratching front under bumper and anything else under there. what do you think? maybe a little more time consuming, but def worth a try. Anyway thanks again for taking the time to share your oil change write up :)

P.S Redline, Purolator, Filtermag, and KN should be sponsoring you cause I am sure you made them quite a few dollars after this thread. before I read this thread I was using Royal Purple which worked great and dropped my temps on previous vehicles between 15 to 20 degrees, now I am going to try RedLine for the first time, RP just lost a faithful customer for the past 6 years because of this post hahaha

Seconding this question. That red line oil is damned expensive.

The cheap Mobil 1 oil is a hydrocracked group III base oil. It is cheaper to manufacture but is less stable in higher temperatures. There are full synthetic Mobil 1 oils but they are going to be equally expensive as Redline. Mobil 1 does not reveal any information about their oil makeup, they prefer to keep their customers in the dark and let their marketing win you over. This isn't unusual in the oil industry, very few manufacturers reveal their true oil makeup.

Can you use it? Sure, as long as you don't intend to use it for track duty you'll be fine.

I have no answer. Are you following proper oil level check procedure?

:tiphat: You're welcome. Glad it helped.

:tiphat: you're welcome :tup:

I always thought redline made the engine run quieter. You are probably the 6th person saying it. It could be just our imagination or truth, who knows! But I DO know that I'm closing in on 33,000 miles (29,400 miles on Redline) and the Z is running strong :tup:

One of the BEST engines out there :tup: VQ for life!

:eek:

wow..great post! I'm glad I could help! I mean, RP is a good oil too (as I was told) but I'm eager to hear your review. I mean, synthetic to synthetic you may NOT feel much difference, but in the long run, a good synthetic will protect your engine much better than the cheap synthetic with cheaper base stock.

Here's a Redline video (click on picture):

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...redlineoil.png

Well after a few days of driving, I did not notice a change in temp, average temp now is between 190 to 195 with Redline 5w30 that's at 20 minutes of driving half on highway half on street, I did notice a change in motor noise, seems a bit quite compared to before at idle and full throttle. Temps get a little past 220 with hard driving.

One more thing I used jacks instead of Rhino ramps, I also took the undertray off completly. Could have just pulled the flap down as mentioned previously but I wanted to get a good view of the under carriage and all components and AK was right very easy, this oil change was the cleanest and easiest I have ever performed! For those of you thinking how I was thinking that maybe you could use a low pro jack and put it on ramps.....very bad and unsafe idea as I noticed you would have to raise the car extremely high to get on the ramps. I think next oil change I may try RP and see if there are any remarkable differences, next oil change will be in about 8 months!!! Also saved a ton of $$$ doing it myself! Thanks again AK370z