Nismo Oil Change
 

Did my first oil change with my homemade ramps. A little cramped but still able to do the oil change with no problems. Just thought I would mention that you can just remove the 4 bolts on the back end of the plastic piece to reach the drain bolt and filter. It has a crease and you can bend it down instead of taking off the entire plastic under cover. There is a great DIY oil change on this site that was very helpful. The Nismo plastic under cover is different than the one on the regular 370Z's and to take it off I think is a little more work than the regular Z. The filter is smaller than what goes on my bike. It's on tight but just put a laytex glove over it for added grip and then use a filter wrench. It loosens it up didn't have to use the screwdriver. The capacity is 5.2 quarts but you should put 4 quarts then check and add. I put in 5 quarts thinking I had enough room to check and add but had to suck out almost a quart cuz it was too much. The engine is so much quieter now. What do they use from the factory.

nissan ester oil is the factory fluid. (i would hope)

did you roll the car back off the ramps to get out all the extra oil? if you did then how did you roll it back up the ramp?

Huh? There's something wrong with this picture as you should have easily drained at the very least five (5) quarts—even on your ramps. I use an oil evacuator, and when I remove the oil drain plug (a minuscule amount that consists of several drops is left). refilling with five quarts should have been no problem whatsoever. Did you run your engine and wait 15 minutes to check the oil level before you removed that quart?

its because he was up on the ramps SoCal.

also what did you use to suck oil back out?

My Race Ramps have a height of 10" so I believe that I am probably higher than the ones crafted by Nismoracer.

so you can drain it completely on ramps WITHOUT the oil evacuator you mention? basicaly gravity is draining it EVEN on ramps?

if so thats good to know. ive been jacking up one wheel, unbolting plug and removing filter, then lowering it again to fully empty then i jack her back up to finish.....

ester oil doesnt come from factory.

You'll never completely drain an engine of its oil as oil will puddle in areas in the heads, and various cavities in the engine. Take a look at the diagram and you can see how the pan is made. You do not need oil evacuator to drain the oil—it just makes things easier and cleaner.

i understnad all this SoCal. but my question is while on ramps without the oil evacuator, you can almost fully drain the oil out even if the car is at an incline? ive always been told the car must be parralel with the ground (on its wheels) for the acceptable amount of oil to drain.

Yes, on the 370Z you can, or at least I have. Also, if you are dead set on doing the oil change while parallel to the ground read this post: Changing Engine Oil without Ramps or a Lift

The last change I did without the evacuator, on the Race Ramps (it was the first time I used my new Race Ramps so I was pretty excited, and did not get out my evacuator); measured just a tad over five (5) quarts of used oil (I take all my used oil to a place that recycles it).

awesome man, rep added. thx!

No I did not roll it off the ramps to drain. How would I be able to put the drain plug back in. I used a tempo fluid extractor, stuck it in the oil dipstick tube and drained out almost a quart. Now it sits dead even in the middle of the 2 indicators on the dipstick. When I do oil changes on my bike I am always having to put less than the capacity because of the residuals that sit in the engine. but come to think of it, when I do oil changes on my other cars I put back in the required capacity and it sits in the middle of the indicators. I've checked it 4 times after 15mins and its dead on where it should be now. But its just weird how I put in 5 quarts and had to drain out almost a 1 quart when the capacity is 5.2 quarts. I used Royal Purple and a Royal Purple oil filter, which is a little smaller than the factory one.