I took my Z in for the first oil change yesterday at Courtesy Nissan in Dallas. I brought along my five quarts of Mobil 1. When I picked up the car in the afternoon the service writer told me that I needed to add another half quart to the engine and that the capacity was 5.5 quarts. Not what the book says. What is right? While I am at it, the Z has the worst oil dipstick I have ever seen. Anyone hold the secret to getting it back in easily?

 

About 4.7 quarts will fill it...........5 is COMPLETELY FULL, don't add 5.5..........a good hint with the dipstick.......when you put it back in, you'll notice that if you line up the flat part of the dipstick into the "guide" right at the top of the tube, it goes in much easier, you almost feel as if you're putting it in sideways, but look at the insertion tube, with a flashlight, and you'll see where to line it up.

 

I had the same problem awhile ago.
look over here, https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=44558

One thing that I can assure you is that the car takes 5 quarts perfectly with filter change.

 

It took me awhile to get the best technique for this, but I look at the stick at an angle with my right eye close the stick... as if the stick were an extension of a sunglasses arm or so. I keep tweaking and moving it until I can identify a line where it is shiny and the section where it subtly (or definitively with a fuller drain) stops being shiny (oily). Light is also a factor in doing this.

I just don't look at the stick straight on anymore, because it is virtually useless in doing so... try the angles, they will render a better reading than the old traditional methods.

 

Ignore the excess oil on the dipstick, focus on the oil mark area, if you look very closely, you should see a line....