Nissan 370Z Forum

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-   -   DIY: Nissan 370Z Oil change (AK370Z way) Pictures inside (http://www.the370z.com/diy-section-do-yourself/4705-diy-nissan-370z-oil-change-ak370z-way-pictures-inside.html)

Matt 10-25-2009 02:34 PM

Has anybody had any experience with the Nismo front bumper using these ramps(or others?).

To make sure I have the right ramps, how much should I pay? Best place to get them is online?

Zcott 10-25-2009 04:41 PM

I did my first oil change today, and I have the sport package air dams.
I have 56" Race Ramps, and they work perfectly.
I suspect they will work on the Nismo as well.
Because of the shallow approach they are the easiest load I've ever done.
They are also extra wide so putting the car up by yourself is worry free.
They are a little pricey.
$200.00 for the pair.

They are very light... I'd say about 5lbs each.
I hang them on the wall for an out of the way storage solution.


56" Ramps - Car Ramps | Get your Car Up 8"! | Race Ramps, your best solution for Lightweight Low Profile Car Ramps!

370Zsteve 10-25-2009 05:56 PM

the misinformation just keeps on coming

Here is Mobil's response to an inquiry about Nissan Ester Oil...Mobil has a very high opinion of it's generic "synthetic", I dunno about the "extended Performance" flavor, though.

https://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English...n_Engines.aspx

vipor 10-26-2009 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt (Post 251691)
Has anybody had any experience with the Nismo front bumper using these ramps(or others?).

To make sure I have the right ramps, how much should I pay? Best place to get them is online?

I just did my first oil change saturday on my Nismo. I did not use any ramps though, I just jacked up the right side of the car and squeezed up there a little bit. It wasn't the most ideal and I'll probably look into ramps for the next time. I'm spoiled having had floor jacks and jack stands until recently...

I went to the Grubbs Infiniti down the road (closer than the nearest Nissan dealer) and asked for some copper drain plug washers and the guy at the counter was nice enough to give me half a dozen at no charge. :happydance:

A couple small differences with the underbody diffuser on the Nismo btw. I'll edit the pictures later tonight to accent where the clips and bolts are.

The diffuser. Note the extra rectangle panel held in with (9) clips.
http://www.the370z.com/members/vipor...r-diffuser.jpg

Inside the fender well. (3) clips on each side.
http://www.the370z.com/members/vipor...well-clips.jpg

Another shot. Don't know what that dark spot is....
http://www.the370z.com/members/vipor...well-clips.jpg

The diffuser removed. You can see the (3) initial clips that AK mentioned, recessed into the area that the rectangle panel covers.
http://www.the370z.com/members/vipor...sassembled.jpg

All done. FilterMag and Magnetic Drain Plug in place.
http://www.the370z.com/members/vipor...-installed.jpg

Matt 10-27-2009 01:08 AM

Great info on the Nismo. Thanks. It almost makes me want to give in and just pay the $90 at the dealership.

schrute 10-27-2009 02:15 AM

^Don't give in!

The only way you'll know for sure that it was done right is to do it yourself. If ramps are an issue just use a floor jack and 2 jack stands - easy!

It will be worth it to do it yourself. For both you and the Z.

I was talking to a buddy at work today telling him about the filter mag and the magnetic drain bolt and he thought they were cool mods, but was sure that they would be "gone" after the first oil change (he takes his in). He's probably right, out of ignorance or disrespect these extra steps that some have chosen to take would mean nothing to most oil change techs.

I shudder at the thought of taking my Z to someone else for the basic maintenance that I am capable of doing myself. I still hate taking it in even when it's something I haven't yet learned to do. I just know that no one is going to be as careful or thorough as I would be with my stuff.

Rant over. :twocents:

vipor 10-27-2009 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt (Post 254031)
Great info on the Nismo. Thanks. It almost makes me want to give in and just pay the $90 at the dealership.

Keep in mind I definitely did it the hard way, only jacking up the right side of the car. I just learned the hard way (not too hard) that next time I'll get my floor jack and stands out of storage. Now that I know exactly what needs to be done I can knock out the next oil change in less than an hour for sure.

Sidenote: my factory oil filter was on unbelievably tight. I used some oil filter pliers that I'd had for a while and some shop rags to get it off. I ended up having to hammer in the "tongs" on them to be able yo grab the tiny little filter. I crushed in the sides of the old filter pretty badly too, oh well.

Equinox 10-27-2009 11:56 AM

Copper Washer - Used as a crush washer between the engine and the drain plug. You torque the drain plug down over it, and the soft copper metal will smash between the two harder metals, and fill the gaps, creating a seal. EVERYTIME you tighten the drain plug, you will need to use a New copper washer.

Tight Oil Filter trick - If your stock oil filter is on too tight, and you can't seem to take it off, and you don't own an oil filter wrench, I stab a screwdriver all the way through the filter, and twist it off that way. Make sure you have already drained the oil though, otherwise oil will SPEW!

vipor 10-27-2009 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Equinox (Post 254488)
Tight Oil Filter trick - If your stock oil filter is on too tight, and you can't seem to take it off, and you don't own an oil filter wrench, I stab a screwdriver all the way through the filter, and twist it off that way. Make sure you have already drained the oil though, otherwise oil will SPEW!

Good idea, but yes, it sounds messy for sure. +1 :tup:

KaienZ34 10-31-2009 11:48 PM

To AK370Z Good morning to you fine sir wait it's night What The BEEP . . . Are you still using the RedLine oil products ? If so how is it working out for you ? If not what are you using now ?

AK370Z 11-01-2009 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KaienZ34 (Post 261611)
To AK370Z Good morning to you fine sir wait it's night What The BEEP . . . Are you still using the RedLine oil products ? If so how is it working out for you ? If not what are you using now ?

Yes sir, I'm still using redline synthetic motor oil. Just did my 2nd oil change at 9,000 miles and I'm currently at 11,xxx. Car runs VERY smooth. No valvetrain noise at idle. Redline has polyol ester which is recommended (not required) by Nissan. Fantastic product. :tup:

j.arnaldo 11-01-2009 01:45 PM

AK': I'm gonna sell you a story, like it was sold to me about a year ago; you have the final say on the issue, dude. Some engineer (forgot his name) decided to test all the oil filters on the U.S. market, so he went ahead and bought a sample of each. He then proceeded to split 'em open and check for quality in the materials used to manufacture them. The clear winner was Purolator's Pureone. I know, I know, it took me by surprise, too! Afterwards, I've read even more reports by other engineers backing the original guy's claims. So, I kept checking the local auto stores, and when they had the Pureones on sale, I purchased 6 of 'em!, 'cause my wife's P'finder uses the same one as my '04.5 Touring Coupe ($4.99 each!, from their regular price of $6.99). BTW, thanks for the DIY post, dude!

bsramzy 11-01-2009 01:55 PM

there is a link if you search around where they cut them all open, i do prefer pureone too as a result of that webpage.

j.arnaldo 11-01-2009 02:09 PM

Jonn: If you're not using ramps, at the very least use jackstands. Safety 1st., dude.

vipor 11-01-2009 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j.arnaldo (Post 262064)
Jonn: If you're not using ramps, at the very least use jackstands. Safety 1st., dude.

I agree, like I said, I wouldn't recommend doing your oil change the way I did. I used the factory scissor jack so I wasn't concerned with it lowering while I was doing the work. Still, I had more than a shoulder (and arm) under the car only once, for a short period of time. Kept my head in the clear. Getting that effin stock filter off was a bear though :P

Next time: Jack + Stands = Win


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