Oil Change

armensti · 04-08-2009, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCal 370Z

Neither, as I (maybe not you) will be going with a dino that meets Nissan API ratings. It will either be a Mobile dino or a Castrol dino. When I hit 5,000 miles I am switching to the synthetic.

so mobile dino or castrol dino? does autozone have it?

wstar · 04-08-2009, 01:42 AM

I believe the claims about the VVEL needing something special (such as the recommended Esters in the G37, or perhaps other equivalent methods of getting a good lube film of some kind to really stick on them). Even though I'm using the Nissan Ester stuff for break-in, what I hear on cold starts makes me cringe. It takes a solid 15+ seconds after cold startup before the tell-tale change in cylinder head noises that indicates full lubrication up there (which reminds me to make a point about allowing an overnight-cold car to properly lube itself before driving to extend engine life).

Good oil is worth the investment in my opinion, and something with esters in it is staying in mine, at least until I feel like I've researched this enough to have a firm grasp on the issue.

SoCal 370Z · 04-08-2009, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wstar

I believe the claims about the VVEL needing something special (such as the recommended Esters in the G37, or perhaps other equivalent methods of getting a good lube film of some kind to really stick on them). Even though I'm using the Nissan Ester stuff for break-in, what I hear on cold starts makes me cringe. It takes a solid 15+ seconds after cold startup before the tell-tale change in cylinder head noises that indicates full lubrication up there (which reminds me to make a point about allowing an overnight-cold car to properly lube itself before driving to extend engine life).

Good oil is worth the investment in my opinion, and something with esters in it is staying in mine, at least until I feel like I've researched this enough to have a firm grasp on the issue.

Ever thought of having a pre-oiler installed?

wstar · 04-08-2009, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCal 370Z

Ever thought of having a pre-oiler installed?

I hadn't considered it for the Z yet, no. There are ways to go crazy and get the perfect oil system. There's another system I've seen that acts as both a pre-oiler and a pressure reservoir (in case the oil pump's pickup tube goes dry in a high-G corner) that was really slick, but I can't seem to remember the name or find it right now.

On the other hand, even the thought of an external oil cooler has me slightly paranoid about eventually having an oil line or connection blowout. I'm not sure how many oil accessories I want to daisy chain into the system.

armensti · 04-08-2009, 01:47 PM

ok now im confused llol what are my options for the first oil change?

wstar · 04-08-2009, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by armensti

ok now im confused llol what are my options for the first oil change?

It's a very complicated topic

The oil manufacturers all have their own best interests at heart (how can I sell more of whatever I'm selling at a decent profit margin). The car manufacturers are primarily concerned with preventing warranty repairs (and thus primarily focused on making your engine last until the warranty expires and no further). The manufacturer also has to take environmental ******** concerns into what they recommend in the manual. You'll notice the Service Manual's recommendation for oil changes between North America and the rest of the world. It's because we have different emissions and fuel economy standards (which IMHO should be your very last concern when considering your oil). The dealership is pretty much in the same boat as the car mfg, and also trying to increase the cost of oil changes to you, while decreasing their own service costs.

There's probably a handful of guys who work in oil research labs and at Nissan who know *exactly* what the best oil formulation is for this engine for the best cooling and engine wear characteristics, but they don't get to say it publicly.

The only person on our side is us, and most of us don't really have the knowledge to make a completely scientific decision.

So go read bobistheoilguy, get even more confused, and do the best you can. For the first few thousand miles, conventional wisdom plus random smatterings of info about the VQ37VHR says the safest bet is to pay $12/qt for Nissan Ester 5W30. Odds are higher there are superior and cheaper solutions, but good luck getting a definitive answer that isn't full of (possibly mis-/under- informed) opinions (like mine

).

SoCal 370Z · 04-08-2009, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by armensti

ok now im confused llol what are my options for the first oil change?

I don't know who your dealer is but call them and tell you bought a new car from them, but have not received any flyers with coupons from them; they should send one right out to you. If not go the dealership and request a flyer. In your case I would simply have the dealer do your first oil change using a coupon, if they have one for oil changes.

Synthetics oil are superior to dino when you get around to changing the oil yourself. Synthetics stand-up to heat far better than dino, and since owners are having heat issues with the 370Z—when run hard—synthetics are your best bet.

armensti · 04-08-2009, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCal 370Z

I don't know who your dealer is but call them and tell you bought a new car from them, but have not received any flyers with coupons from them; they should send one right out to you. If not go the dealership and request a flyer. In your case I would simply have the dealer do your first oil change using a coupon, if they have one for oil changes.

Synthetics oil are superior to dino when you get around to changing the oil yourself. Synthetics stand-up to heat far better than dino, and since owners are having heat issues with the 370Z—when run hard—synthetics are your best bet.

shouldnt i use ester tho for the first 5000 miles? or regular oil? or synthetic?

drisko · 04-16-2009, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wstar

I believe the claims about the VVEL needing something special (such as the recommended Esters in the G37, or perhaps other equivalent methods of getting a good lube film of some kind to really stick on them). Even though I'm using the Nissan Ester stuff for break-in, what I hear on cold starts makes me cringe. It takes a solid 15+ seconds after cold startup before the tell-tale change in cylinder head noises that indicates full lubrication up there (which reminds me to make a point about allowing an overnight-cold car to properly lube itself before driving to extend engine life).

Good oil is worth the investment in my opinion, and something with esters in it is staying in mine, at least until I feel like I've researched this enough to have a firm grasp on the issue.

I too have done a lot of research on oils that will work well with the VVEL system, but I haven't come across any definitive answers as to what types of "esters" are actually in the Nissan Ester Oil. I originally wanted to use Mobil 1 due to it's quick cold weather pumping, lower friction, and better durability in high temps, but I'm going to stick with the Ester Oil until I figure out if another oil is actually safe to use in the LONG TERM with the VVEL system. All the Nissan dealers I've spoke with, as well as Corporate Nissan, have told me repeatedly that the Ester Oil is required and not using it could void your warranty (despite what the owners manual says!!!).

04-08-2009, 01:42 AM	#2 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3595	I believe the claims about the VVEL needing something special (such as the recommended Esters in the G37, or perhaps other equivalent methods of getting a good lube film of some kind to really stick on them). Even though I'm using the Nissan Ester stuff for break-in, what I hear on cold starts makes me cringe. It takes a solid 15+ seconds after cold startup before the tell-tale change in cylinder head noises that indicates full lubrication up there (which reminds me to make a point about allowing an overnight-cold car to properly lube itself before driving to extend engine life). Good oil is worth the investment in my opinion, and something with esters in it is staying in mine, at least until I feel like I've researched this enough to have a firm grasp on the issue. __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

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04-08-2009, 01:47 PM	#5 (permalink)
armensti Enthusiast Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: CA Posts: 447 Drives: 370Z/Tring/Spt/6MT Rep Power: 17	ok now im confused llol what are my options for the first oil change?