Maintenance - Oil cooler - extra oil - problem?
 

I'm planning on getting a decent size oil cooler and after install it will require probably a extra quart of oil.
I currently have the maintenance plus from Nissan which i'm debating on canceling or keeping... Is the dealer going to put only 5qt or 6qt to fill?
Do you think they will give me a hard time since it's extra quart every oil change and tell me to pay for the extra?

You're worrying over $10. If you like the maintenance plan, a quart of oil is a small price to pay.

I agree. it shouldn't be a problem

I'm not worried about $10, i'll be happy to pay $10 extra if they don't give me hard time about it. I'm just worried they are going to say that my warranty will void or they won't properly drain all the oil, esp from the cooler..Do you really think they will do that extra work and charge just for a qt of oil?

This is the reason why i'm thinking about canceling my maintenance and just do everything myself...

If you install the oil cooler with the input/output facing the ground than it will drain nearly all the oil during your oil change...however, if you install it with the in/out facing up (sky) than approx 1 quart (roughly17%) of the "old oil" will remain between oil changes. This has been discussed elsewhere and in my opinion is a non-issue as the oil is constantly being turned over. I guess I'm taking the long way to say that I am sure they, the dealership, won't do the extra work involved to drain your oil cooler if mounted "up" and that it wont make a difference anyway. Some here have said that they may themselves "drain" the cooler using positive pressure once or twice a year....if you track the car I can see where you could make the argument to drain the cooler. I installed mine facing up and don't plan on "draining" the cooler directly at all. Hope I didn't beat your question to death but I too thought about this before installing the cooler....good luck.

Just let them know you have a oil cooler kit and it requires 1 quart more of oil, no big deal. 8/10 they will check the oil level when they do the change and if it doesnt hit the point where its suppose to be, they will had more.

You should really rethink that statement and realize they will check the oil before they start the car. ...... if they do check at all. :eekdance:

Thanks, this info was helpful

different dealerships do things different ways. Before i started doing my own oil changes on my other car i watched the techs do the change and they would do it perfect, other times they wouldnt...depends on the tech really. Thats why i do my own maintnence

Keep in mind also that unless they drain the cooler directly that oil will still be in the system and an extra quart will not be needed except for at initial install. If changing it myself I would put in the standard amount, start the engine, let it cycle and then check it to see if more is needed.

oil
 

Bryan,

Are you saying just leave the old 1 qt oil in the cooler on every oil change? So pretty much it will get mixed with the new oil?
I'm sure no harm is done to motor but just wanted to clarify...

Bryan is saying that if you have the cooler installed with the in/out ports UP, then the oil in the cooler will stay there during oil changes. If you take it to the dealership and they do a routine oil change (take out drain plug, change filter), the oil cooler will remain full and they will change your oil using the usual amount for a stock 370Z (~5qts). They'd never really even know you had the cooler there.

If you instead install the cooler with the fittings DOWN, the oil will likely drain out when you pull the filter and drain plug. Each change will then require the additional quart (or so) of oil. The dealer should be made aware of this as they could potentially underfill your oil.

I doubt you'd be able to convince them to do extra work to drain your oil cooler every time you go for an oil change.

Does it matter if the cooler gets drained between oil changes if you install it fittings up? Probably not, but I'm anal about this stuff and have mine installed down.

I know this is an old thread, but I have a question regarding oil changes with an oil cooler. I installed my oil cooler with inputs facing up while running the ester oil. I plan to switch to Mobil 1 synthetic on my next oil change. As I understand it from this thread, a quart or so of oil will remain in the cooler, so I will have a quart of old ester oil in my system when I make the switch to synthetic. Will it be ok to have the mix like that?

There isnt going to be any issues since the small amount would be deluted by the new oil

cool, thanks