Changed my oil today, Just want to share my thoughts
 

So today I hit the 5000 miles mark on the car so I've decided to change my oil to Redline 5w30. I first changed the oil at the dealership (free one) when my car hit 2000 miles after my break-in grandma style driving. So here are some pictures of the process and I'll share my review with you guys.

Lifted the car and used 2 jack stands
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/...0/photo8-1.jpg
Another view
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/...0/photo6-1.jpg
All the items and products:
6 quarts of Redline 5w30, Thanks Kyle@Stillen, went to see him and got some oil. Also saw the supercharged 370z / Stillen GT-R, FilterMag SS250, Purolator Filter, Titek Magnetic Drain Plug.
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/...0/photo5-1.jpg
Purolator filter / titek drain plug
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/.../photo10-2.jpg
Filtermag on!
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/.../photo12-2.jpg
Getting ready
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/...0/photo9-2.jpg
Filling it up!
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/.../photo11-2.jpg
And DONE!
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/.../photo13-2.jpg

REVIEW:
So thanks to AK for posting his DIY, it made the process fairly easy considering this is my FIRST time changing the oil by myself. The whole process took a little bit under an hour, I encourage everyone to try it.

Redline 5w30
I drove around after filling up the oil to see what the differences are, from my hearing it seems like the engine sounds a bit different at idle and it's not so rough anymore, driving wise I think I'm getting a placebo effect, I just feel like it's a lot smoother lol

FilterMag
Great little product, a bit pricey but hey my baby gets pampered right!

Titek Plug
I originally ordered the KICS that AK uses, but evasive motorsports called and said they're on backorder, so the guys gave me the Titeks at no extra charge, and shipping was insane fast, 2 business days! And I did some testing on how strong the magnets are, it's pretty sturdy and strong, don't think I'll be worrying about it flying off into the oil pan.

Purolator filter
Again thanks to AK for sharing with us the filter, it is a lot bigger and I think purolator is a great brand for oil filters so definitely can't go wrong with it. Very easy to install.

Final Thoughts
Again this oil change is pretty easy, the hard part is to get the undertray off, which takes about 10 minutes. Other then that everything else is easy. Placebo effect taking place definitely I feel the car is a lot smoother. And again this oil change costed about $140 US because it was my first time buying all the necessary products, filtermag itself was about 43 bucks and titek plug about 22 bucks and oil 6 quarts came out to be about 65 bucks and filter about 4 bucks. But after this one, the next change is at 10,000 miles and it'll only cost me about 60 bucks total because I just need to buy the oil and filter.

AWESOME MAN! Great to see you did the oil change without any issues :tup:.

Just like you JAKE, I did my first (FREE) oil change at the dealer at 2200 miles. Then, switched to synthetic around 4000 miles. "knock on wood", I think I'm 200 miles shy of 18,000 miles now. Car has been running GREAT! :tup:

On the other hand, I can't believe you didn't use Aquafina bottle at nozzle! :bowrofl: :icon17: ..J/K ;).

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...50pour-oil.jpg

Just one note on the FilterMag, I heard people actually lost while driving.

And the last think you would want is to have any shavings it has gathered to all be released at once.

So I would add two of these:

http://img.directindustry.com/images...amp-309761.jpg

Great instructual review, I have 1900 miles and getting ready for my first one too, I don't have the jack stands yet or magnetic plug. What model filter is that? I'm just using a fram this time but would prefer yours.

I wouldn't go synthetic til 5000 miles or atleast 3500. That's what Redline recommended. And to answer your question, the filter model # is PL14610

Thanks for the heads up! I will definitely add 2 of those on next time at 10k. Not looking forward to removing all those bolts LOL

just an FYI, the under plate doesnt have to be removed, you can remove the four screws on the part that folds down and get to the drain plug/filter, just for future reference so you dont have to piddle with all them screws.

You know what's funny? I was thinking about grabbing a bottle of aquafina on the way home from Pepboys for the filter but I realize that I have a nozzle in the garage lol.

but doesn't the oil get into the undertray?

Nice write up Jake
same here at 5k changed over to redline and the idle ticking was all but gone...

I just ordered my 6 quarts, oil change this weekend if weather allows..

man i wish i had the skill to do this...

my baby needs an oil change but waiting for the service to come around.

nope, fold it over.

i really doubt it. i tried to pull the magnet off the filter but couldn't, i had to slide it off.

i think when people take their Z to the dealership for service, and one of those service dudes stole their filtermag more like it.

Redline recommends 5000 miles for a 370Z, or just as a general recommendation?

I follow that rule, but I know AK did his earlier then 5k I think. Just a general rule of thumb, sometimes it is a good idea to follow the direction, fellas don't flame me for saying this. Of if someone who is an expert wanna chime in?

Don't be discouraged! Like I said in my post, THIS IS MY FIRST FIRST TIME changing oil by myself on any car. VERY FIRST! And it took me little less then an hour, You just gotta follow AK's thread in DIY, very very informational.

Cool thanks, but when you take the oil filter off sometimes it goes crazy so I think I'll be unbolting those other 14 bolts, shouldn't take long if you have the right tools, I had one of those cordless super mini hand drills, All I do is just use the correct bolt size attachment on them and it took about literally 5 to 10 min to take the whole undertray off. But thanks for the advice though! If I had to do an oil change in 30 min I"ll consider it!

Thanks Trips. Sorry I've been MIA for all those meets, you gotta keep me on my toes by PMing me. I don't usually check the So-Cal threads.

HAHAHA so true. Those people are thieves, GPS, Cell phone, whatever valuables you leave in the car while they're servicing they'll take it. And you can't do nothing about it.

Couple things.

First, have you ever tried to pull off a filter mag? No F'ing way that can fall off with anything short of a driving off a cliff and hitting the rocks below.

Second, be careful when changing your oil if you're only lifting on two jack stands. The first time I did that, I overfilled because I didn't drain the oil completely. I just did an oil change yesterday and put the car on four jack stands to level it out. Took 5 quarts exactly since the K&N oil filter is smaller than the stocker.

I was going to make a similar comment.
My driveway has a slight downhill slope to it, so pointing the car down the driveway and jacking the front up results in a nearly level car.
Don't forget the wheel chocks!

good to know! I was having a bit of problem figuring out where to put the jackstands since this was my very first time changing the oil. Or let alone jacking the car up. So spear can you take maybe a picture of where I should put the jackstands front and back for the next change??

I did my oil change too at 4k and the job was simple... I used Mobile 1 with Mobile 1 filter. The Mobile 1 filter looks identical to the stock, the Pure One looks a little bigger then stock.

There is no way the filter mag will come off! You would have to slide it off for it to come off. As for tools, I used the Race Ramp and I love it!!!! Did you not use a washer on your drain plug?

As for the cover, I just unscrewed the for screws and used a bungee cord to hold the flap back. I connected the hole in the flap to the hole near the wheel well. There is no need to take the whole cover off...

There is a big difference with new oil in my Z... I think the Z loves to be driven now.. :bowrofl:

or those service dudes didnt know wat it was and threw it out with the old filter...

Looks easy and safe with just the jack stands. Did you use chocks, too? The driveway where I do my oil changes has a mild incline, which forced me to purchase chocks.

you should use chocks anyway regardless of incline when lifting one end. so it was a worthy investment. :)

Thanks, dude! I got 'em on clearance at Kmart ($5.99/pair!) Greetings. BTW, carpal tunnel syndrome is making it more and more difficult to do such simple tasks. I might end up having to sell all my gear!...sigh...

well, if you can't physically do it, just take it into the dealer and have them do it. grab a cup of coffee and watch tv in the waiting room. that's how 99% of the population do it anyways. :D

hope you feel better soon.

Yes I did use chocks. Just didn't show in picture. 6.99 pair at walmart ftw

Yes I did use drain plug washer. Copper crush ones. Dealer gave me 2 for free

I won't be able to get pics until the car is up again, and that could be a while. Let me try to describe where I put all four jack stands...

Front:
Just under the rocker panel (where a running board would go), you'll see a flange running the length of the car. In the front, there are two divets in the flange which is the recommended front jack point. I jack the car up on each side at this point and place a jack stand on the same flange just forward of the jack point.

Rear:
On that same flange, there is another pair of divets toward the rear. I jack the car at one of these points. Usually if the front is already up, both rear tires can be lifted off the ground by jacking at just one of these rear points. Once the rear is up, I place the jack stands under the silver aluminum suspension struts. You'll see where the rear springs seat into the round portion of the aluminum struts. If you put the jack stands under the round part of the strut, you'll get a lot of 'sag' as the spring compresses. Instead, I place the jack stands further toward the inside, close to where the silver struts meet the hinge joint. It will make sense when you look under the car after having read this.

One word of advice. As you lower the car each time on the jack stands, do it slowly, check, and double check how the car is being held. I've found that once the front is on jack stands, dropping the rear onto them is more challenging as the car moves sideways a bit as the floor jack comes down. Just make sure all your jack stands are touching the desired points on the bottom of the car AND the jack stand 'feet' are all flat on the ground.

Also, use chocks as previously mentioned. If you don't use chocks, you have to jack the front up first. If you jack the rear off the ground first, neither the transmission or the parking brake will hold the car. It may very well roll off your jack stands, or even roll away as you're jacking it up.

I only put oil back in when the car is off the two stands. It's a lot easier than adding two more and there isn't that much oil left in the pan.

And for those who are OCD about getting all the oil out, consider this. It takes 5.8 L of oil to fill a dry engine. So, where is that other 0.6 L hiding that just won't come out?

ME I have OCD!!!

I thought our car takes 4.9L of oil so i got 5L's of the stuff for my next change... I'm f'd in the a if I need to buy another 5L bottle for the extra part...

the manual states 4.9L =(

I was off by a few tenths of a litre. Anyway, from the service manual:

3 pages worth of thoughts for a simple oil change? Dang...

Pales in comparison to guys discussing exhausts.:tiphat:

ah ok thanks...

yes you pose a good question of where that left over oil hides...

Kaput. Finito. The End. No Más. Se Acabó. O.K.!

The oil drain plug is at the back of the oil pan so putting the car on ramps (or jacking it up) will have no effect except the oil will drain out a little faster.