Hello,

I'm happy to say that I just bought an '04 white Z about a month ago. I will be reaching the 3000 mile mark in a bit here and would rather change the oil myself. I was curious if there was any special procedure to changing the oil or is it just like any other car?

One thing specifically that I'm wondering... Is there anything I need to do to make the computer realize that I've changed the oil or is that even necessary? The reason I ask is cause I know some cars have an 'oil change' light that comes up every so often. I wasn't sure if the Z's had that or if they just leave it up to the owner to do know.

I tried using the search feature but couldn't find anything specific about this so I'd appreciate it if I didn't get yelled for not searching.

Thanks, ahead of time.
Larry

 

No such 'bogus intelligence' in the Z. Just change it and go on your way!

 

Excellent.... Thanks man.

I appreciate it.

Larry

 

Well.... I really dislike changing the Zs oil.

I like how the drain plug is right next to the oil filter so you can remove both and have the oil drain down into the same pan however Nissan made it so you could get to the drain plug but NOT get to the oilfilter unless you remove the underbody covering....

Now this is where the I hate chaing my 350Zs oil part comes in.

there's about 12-16 bolts you have to remove in order to drop underbody covering down and then if you hvae the area package the front piece tends to also come off when you remove it =`(

ONCE that underbody cover is removed the Z is a very easy car to change the oil in - checking the dipstick when you're done that's still a total PITA

oh and when you're done have fun putting BACK the 12-16bolts

BAH

Why couldnt nissan make it so there's a big enough hole for the oilfilter? they made it so you could drain the oil with out having the cover off but noooooo they couldnt do the same for the filter =`(

bah

BTW I changed my 350Z oil last light I put my tripmeter to setting B and reset it then when that gets to 2500 I buy a filter and oil so right when I turn 3K I can change it

P.S

Keep track of all receipt so if something happens under warrenty you can back up that you did in fact change the oil on time.

 

get a drill w/ a socket attachment and you can take off the underbody cover in less than 2 minutes

 

Basically, it's easy for those that have a lift handy as you can rig the filter change to be fairly painless and minimally messy with the underbody cover on... but then again, I believe that probably less than 5% of us on the board have accessibility to such a luxury...

 

No oil light.

The only extra thing you need to do is take off about 10-15 10MM (I believe) bolts and remove the plastic cover. That lets you get to the oil filter rather easily.

GL. Ensure you keep your receipts for warranty reasons.

 

I just changed mine this afternoon for the first time. It took 2 1/2 hrs due to the fact i had to make a trip to ADVANCED AUTO for a smaller cap to put on the filter to screw it off. Also another wait for the typical afternoon summer rain storm to pass. Have used these metal caps in the past and have never crushed an oil filter. They use a 3/8ths drive ratchet inserted in the top of the cap to give you a lever to turn off the filter.

Taking off the bazillion bolt/screws was not that bad as i used an electric screwdriver with a phillips bit to put them back in. Be careful that the retainer clips in the screw holes are lined up or you will risk cross threading the bolts.

The actual oil and filter change was very easy. One thing i learned from this board is to rotate the cover out of the way instead of pulling out the retainer button and taking it off. Just be careful not to bend the sheet metal plates inside the cover as you turn it out of the way as they can get caught . if you do bend one it can be easily bent back into its proper position.

I used RHINO RAMPS ( the pair rated for 12000 lbs) and rear wheel chocks. Will probably get jack stands in the near future for extra safety.

Hope this helps.

 

I appreciate all your info.

Looking forward to removing those covers....riiiiiggghhhttt.

Thanks again
Larry

 

If you're anything like me you also want to use a torque wrench on the filter/drain plug 95% of the people don't use them but I like to due to having problems with older cars and people over torquing the plug!

14FTLBs it good for the filter and 25FTLBs for the drainplug

 

I only remove the two rear screws when I change my oil. The aero cover then drops down far enough so I can fit my arm and filter wrench through the space opened up by the lowered cover. It's a PITA, but easier than removing the whole cover. BTW, I use a K&N filter with the nut fitting at the end,

Lou