i did 5 qts and 1/8 and I also was dead center..hmmm interesting. I wonder if it has to do with the drain angles. Do you have just the front lifted. That could, I assume, leave some of the oil in the pan.

Did you ever get the Blackstone results here?

Good call, sir :tiphat: I was kind of hoping I could do it on two jack stands, but I will be using four thanks to your comment

This.

If you do not drive your car long distances, letting it fully warm up (20 minutes per trip) then your oil eventually becomes heavily contaminated with water. This water comes from the intake, straight out of the air it is sucking in.

This is the reason for the time limit in addition to a mileage recommendation. If you drive few miles, but always drive for say an hour at a time then you're fine to extend the time, but otherwise I would just change it on the time mark or the mileage mark.

I don't think there is an issue with doing.it on two jackstands. I have dine it like That in the past and the amount left in there should be insignificant. The most complete.drain possible you will.probably need the car level. And while filling the most accurate measurement happens when its level as well.

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I'm definitely lazy, but I'm also slightly OCD. The Z is pretty major investment, so I'll take the extra time and do it right. :tup:

Not yet, I plan to actually do an oil change on Memorial Day weekend and send the oil in. I'll post the findings in here when I get them. :tiphat:

My experience with Nissan has been that they go by mileage not months, last month I had a chat with a Nissan service advisor about this. He felt as though putting on 500 miles over the last 6 months (car was in storage 5 of those) did not warrant an oil change. He told me to monitor the oil level though as it may burn off faster given the length of time passed.

Thanks for starting this thread, interesting to read the different opinions on this.

Read the service manual. There will always be about a half litre of oil remaining in the engine whether the car is on two jack stands, four jack stands or upside down.

If you drive less than 2k a year on the sportscar you can just change the oil, once a year.
Or before putting it away for the winter you can just put in some cheap standard oil and put new synthetic oil and a new filter in spring.

My question, then, is there a difference in the amount of drained oil between two and four jack stands? If the amount left in the pan is the same, then I would guess it does not matter.

Uh I don't think that's quite right.... intake air goes into the combustion chamber and back out the exhaust. Precious little water gets in that way. If it was as heavily contaminated as you suggest you'd have milky oil all the time. Typically condensation is where most of the moisture comes from that gets in the oil. If your car sits for extended periods of time you're more likely to have extra water in your oil.

Water from condensation is why you should change your oil if your car is off the road in the winter - simply change the oil in the spring when it goes back on the road. In the winter turn it over every few weeks to keep the seals oiled. Putting oil in the car for storage doesn't make any sense either since you're not going to drive with the "storage" oil so just leave the oil that's in it when you park it.

From what I read and was told leaving old oil in for 4-5 months is bad as well though. Something to do with the acidic substances. Oil change is not expensive if you do it yourself so might as well replace before storage and after storage.

Regarding the op, I drove my z about 3000 miles per year but I.change the oil twice in that time period. Once whenever I take the car out or storage around april and once before I put it back in in Oct/Nov

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I don't put mine in storage - I basically drive it about 50 miles every weekend (unless it's raining) and it sits in a garage the rest of the time. Looking forward to sharing the oil analysis with you guys once I have it. :tup:

I change the oil twice a year; I've done the first oil change at a local lube station using their "full synthetic" service for 50 dollars; valvetrain noise was insane. Despite my specific instructions to leave the car alone, my father took it upon himself to change the oil. He's also driven it enough, badly enough so that my clutch noticeably softened, but that's a story for another time.
The next time was at a Nissan dealer at 5000 miles (cost me 89 dollars with a coupon! insane! this is for their special "ester oil" too) was the next one. After that, I did Redline at 7000 about 8 months later, then I did Royal Purple this winter at 10000 miles. I've had about 6-8 months between changes, average.

I have noticed that after the oil change at the lube joint that the valvetrain noise was very very loud and clicky; enough to actually hear from inside the car. Nissan's Ester Oil and Redline both significantly reduced this noise, and Royal Purple is a bit louder. I've decided to go with Redline for the rest of the foreseeable future.

Also, funny story; my friend is very mechanically inclined but his parents are not; their 09 outback sport went 40,000 miles without the VERY first oil change. Since then he has taken it upon himself to change it every season, and it still runs very well. It would appear to me that as lone as there is some oil in the car, it doesn't really seem to matter as long as it isn't driven like a track car. More or less, though, with our cars, it's probably a better option to do at least a yearly oil change, ideally every six months.

Of course, that's just my two cents, and my personal experience. The oil debate will go as long as there is anything that ever needs oil. Might as well go with what you know or what you believe.

:shakes head: WOW...... WTF. That is insane & I have never ever heard someone going that effen long w/o changing their oil & especially their first oil change. I'm surprised there wasn't any damage from that.

My cigarette dropped out of my mouth when he told me that. The car runs absolutely fine... clearly, technology has come a loooong way.

That being said the car only has 80k miles now, so I guess we'll see long term signs of damage in the next 30k miles.

No crap... I thought my mom was bad when she let her mid-90s 626 go 12K w/o oil change. 40K tho? :eek: My friend had a brand new Mercedes not two years ago whose manual recommended 12,500 oil change increments.

Every manufacturer seems to vary a hell of a lot as far as oil change increments go. It's safe to assume though, that with change increments like that, they expect you to go a little longer. I believe most new Mercedes come with Mobil 1.

Consider that during cross-country races, cars are driven much harder at higher temperatures and much tougher conditions on only a single fill of oil. I think the Dakar Rally is probably one of the best examples (I remember this only because I think Mobil 1 did a commercial about how they're used in a few DR teams).

All,
here is my experience with M1 Full Synthetic. In 2000, we bought two new Jeep wrangler Sarahs. Both the Mrs's and myself had identical Jeep minus the colors. These were daily drivers at the time; 50-75 miles a day when gas was still kinda low. We did moderate 4x4 wheeling on the weekend and ran them year round. The wife did her oil changes at the dealership with what ever stuff they used. I moved to M1 FS. At about 74,000 miles I ended up smashing the oil pan. When I took the pan off to put the new one on, you could see the entire underside of the 6 cyclender engine as well as the inside of the oil pan. Both looked spotless. So out of curiousity, we took the wifes off to compare. I had to use a rag to clean out her oil pan with some serious elbo grease and chemicals. You could see it all burned on and discolored. Mine was spot free, shiney and looked brand new. We regularly changed our oil after 3,500 miles so I was shocked at what I saw. After that, I've run it in every car. Just my experience with it. :tup:

There is a message here - 3750 mile oil changes under normal driving conditions (no tracking, etc) are not necessary. Obviously, Mercedes has a lot of confidence in their engines from not breaking down given their 12K mile oil change intervals. I have the same confidence in the Nissan engine, my 355 SBC, '03 Sport Trac and John Deere LT150. All use Mobil 1 and the oil is changed once a year irregardless of the mileage. But that's just me and my 35+ years doing my own maintenance and repairs. Hey, why pay $100/hr labour rates when you can DIY?

:iagree:

We put enough miles on the Z that I am changing it every 6-7 months on average. The dealer did the first two cause I had some credit with their service department, but going forward, I will be doing them myself. I will say that if you do the recommended 7500 miles or 12 month increments, I think that the cost per year for oil changes just isn't significant, even if you do pay someone else to do it. We ARE driving $30K vehicles after all, so if you don't want to do it yourself, then pay the money to have it done right. I, for one, am looking forward to doing my own maintenance on the Z. It is my first true sports car and really the first car I haven't thought of as simply a mode of transportation.

No way....:tiphat: what kind of mileage out of curiousity...sorry..

I bought my z with exactly 15000K and told the previous owner that he had to foot the bill for the oil exchange. I told him to tell them at the dealership to put in the gt-r oil and not the z oil and I would pay the difference. At my dealership the oil for the gt-r is not the same as the Z. Does anyone know what the difference between the two oils is? I hope it's ok that I did this. My friend who has had a z for two years recommended this. Does the gt-r oil need to be replaced more frequently? Does it keep the engine in better condition or was it a waste of money?

The Z is only a weekend driver so not a lot of kilometers put on it. Oil/filter is changed in the fall before going into winter storage. I won't leave 'contaminated' oil in it over the winter only fresh oil. The Sport Trac clocks around 10K miles/yr. Change oil/filter in the fall. I've owned the JD LT150 for 5 years and it came used with the house when I bought it. It gets used every week or so in the summer to mow 15K sq. ft. of lawn. In the winter it is used as a snow blower and used maybe 5-10 times. I changed the oil and filter about 3 years ago. I'll probably change it again this year. The 'vette gets very little use so the oil is changed every second year. All vehicles are in excellent working condition and no weird noises from their engines.

IMHO, Nissan and other car makers recommend oil change intervals way too often. It's a win-win for them because most owners (assumption) of these cars take them to the dealer for scheduled maintenance. Nissan supplies the parts and the dealer installs whether the car actually requires the maintenance or not. Mercedes doesn't seem to think so and their engines aren't anything special as in made entirely out of exotic metals. In closing, I don't buy into all the hype about changing oil every few thousand miles or every few months. But for those that feel by doing these frequent changes for peace of mind then continue to do so. Your engine won't last any longer or any less but I don't have any hard facts to back this up - just my own experiences.

Yes, but if it gives you peace of mind..............

What are the differences between the two oils?


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GT-R's motor oil is just Mobil 1 Synthetic, isn't it? That isn't that special; although oil for the tranny or diff in the GT-R is super specific (and super-expensive). The Z oil by comparison is more "special," since it's the ester base with "microdiamonds."

2009 Nissan GT-R: Bargain Supercar Gets Expensive

Sorry. So it is better to use the gt-r engine oil or the z engine oil in the z?


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If you put GTR oil, your Z will produce 530HP and develop a Twin Turbo.

If that's the case, I have GT-R Oil for sale @ $50 per quart :rofl2:

http://thejungle.ath.cx/370z/Not370z/GTRoil.png

I'l take two cases!:icon18:

Shamrock, in all seriousness, I would recommend you use a 'normal' synthetic oil such as Mobil 1 5W-30. You can even use dino oil if you want to save a few bucks but don't waste your money on 'specialty' oils.

Ha ha guys! All I want to know if the Z oil is ok in my engine, not causing damage. I got it. I won't get it again. Is it ok until the next oil change? Joking aside.


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No, it won't cause any damage.

To answer your question: No, the recommended Nissan Ester oil will not harm your Z.

I decided on Mobil 1 quite a while ago, primarily for its universal nature in the sense that I can find it virtually any auto store or any lube store (when I used to pay for my oil changes). If you take it to lube shop, you're pretty much stuck with a dealership if you use the Ester, and for any other specialty oil, you likely will need to bring the oil with you to the shop.

Sorry, I meant if the gt-r oil will damage my z engine. I didn't phrase it write. What is the difference etween the the gt-r oil and the z oil? What is a oil based ester? Thanks


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From his link above, the GT-R uses 6-quarts Mobil 1 Synthetic 0W40. For the Z I use 5W-30, which is recommended by Nissan. If you have 0W40 in there now, I'm not sure whether you should immediately change it out or not. I know I would just because I'm like that, but perhaps someone else can weigh in with a more precise answer.

I believe it is "ester-based oil" and there are numerous threads on this topic already.

Typically a heavier weight oil is better suited for warmer or hot climates. A few people who drive in colder weather will convert to 0W-20 or 5W-20. I personally run 5W-30 since it's the recommendation, and since I typically warm the car and the oil to at least 180 until driving harder (keeping RPM under 3000, etc.)

There's no real need to change that oil immediately, since you're apparently in Israel and I'm guessing it stays pretty warm there.

Ester oil is nothing really special; it's any synthetic oil with an added ester base. In the Z it will reduce or eliminate valvetrain noise. It's also reputed to be more durable for higher performance engines, but proof is far and few in between.

I also noticed you started a new thread completely. The things that members have written there are good pieces of advice. Me, personally, I'd just wait 3k miles and change the oil back to 5W-30 using whatever oil you want. I'd stick with a synthetic, and this way, you don't waste your new Mobil 1 oil.

Purist, I don't understand why you say to stick with a synthetic my next oil change as to not waste my Mobil 1. Also from what I understand Mobil 1 is ester based. 1. Why is 0W40 used in the gt-r if technically 5w30 is better?
2. Is it ok to go back to 5w30 after 0w40 or will it affect my engine seals?
3. Isn't the difference between the two oils that the 0w40 is better for cold starts and has a thicker viscosity at higher temps? If so why is this not preferable?
4. What does this mean? "all 0w oils lose ability at operating temperature to enable them to get down the the 0w acting?

Totally confused here

I didn't see anyone state that 5W-30 is better than the 0W-40. And I certainly didn't see anyone state that 5W-30 is better for the GT-R.

It's fine - it won't affect your seals.

Bob the Oil Guy is a wonderful resource to better understand these differences.