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This past weekend it was finally time to do an oil change on my 2006 Revup VQ equipped Z. That meant it was time to install the Z1 Baffled - Large Capacity Aluminum Oil Pan on the Z. This post won't be a complete/in-depth review of the unit, but I wanted to give some measurement data and installation feedback if you're eyeing this piece from Z1.
The Z1 Baffled Pan appears to be cast aluminum with machining to clean up the mating surface and threaded ports for oil drain, oil return (x2 optional), and oil temperature (optional). I was a little perturbed that Z1 doesn't list the z-height product dimension directly on their website. But I was assured by their staff that it would clear most aftermarket belly pans (under-shroud, undertray, whatever you want to call it). I have the Zspeed undertray and wasn't sure if it would clear it or not. Most of these follow the same basic design, so I was willing to gamble on it.
I went for the Z1 product because of it's design. I liked the oil drain channel and the trap door design. I also liked that they added threaded ports for oil returns and a temperature sensor. My Z is NA right now, but that could change in the future. Last, but not least, an additional 0.9L or 1qt of capacity.
The unit appears well constructed for the price, but final assembly leaves room for some improvement. I removed the machine screws holding the baffle and trap door assemblies in place. The threaded holes needed some additional cleanup as I found some loose metal shavings (swarf) inside from the tap process. It did appear that there was some kind of thread locker present, but the amount was inconsistent. I don't want metal bits potentially breaking off inside my engine so I thoroughly cleaned all the machine screws and their respective blind holes. I re-assembled with red thread lock.
The pre-installed plugs for the optional oil returns and temperature sensor are sealed with teflon tape (plumbers tape). I'm not 100% sure if Z1 is using petroleum rated thread tape or not. To be safe against leaks (long term), I removed all the plugs and tape and re-installed with Permatex High Temp Thread Sealer (P/N: 59235) which is meant for this type of application.
Installation is about what you would expect. Z1 has an installation video on YT, so I'm not going to bore you with the details. The only deviation I had to consider because I have a Revup VQ35DE; was that I needed to remove the factory installed baffle plate from the Upper Oil Pan. This is replaced by the baffle plate that comes mounted on the new Z1 Lower Pan. Simple enough. Otherwise I followed best practice with cleaning mating surfaces and then followed the Permatex Ultra Grey install instructions to the letter. Hopefully no leaks (knock on wood).
Now for the height differences.
The Z1 Pan is 68mm tall.
The OEM Pan is 43-42mm tall.
Total height clearance with Zspeed undertray is 78mm.
Meaning I should have about 10mm of clearance between the new Z1 Pan and my Zspeed undertray after the install. I'm happy to report that's exactly how it turned out. The ONLY thing that caused some interference with the new Z1 Pan was one of the 10mm maintenance panel bolts for the Zspeed undertray. This is one of the bolts that holds the cover piece in place for easier/faster oil changes. The bolts included with the Zspeed tray are about 1.5 inches long (much longer than needed). Re-using one of these would have jammed the bolt right into the new Z1 Pan and bent the Z-speed tray down. Luckily they're all your standard M6 bolts, I grabbed a shorty spare from the parts bin (maybe 3/4in long) and shaved it down another 1/4in on my bench grinder (for about 1/2 to 5/8in total length, I eye-balled it). It fits perfect without any interference issues.
I haven't driven the Z since the installation. I waited the 24hrs of cure time before adding engine oil (6qt of Penn Ultra Plat 0W-40, new filter was primed as well). This morning I fired it up for the 1st time since installing the new pan and let it warm up for about 10 min. I want to get the fresh oil circulated, check for leaks, and also check oil level. Z1 says an extra 0.9L additional capacity, but when I checked the dipstick prior to starting up this morning, it was slightly below the H mark, which surprised me a bit.
Anyway, not a bad install, nice Oil Pan with nice features for the price. Gives me some additional peace of mind.
Cheers!
-Icer
Full kit, unboxed, as it comes from Z1. Installed, waiting for it to cure. Oil filter was drained. I re-installed to keep from getting dripped on. Passenger side view. Driver side view. Side view with Zspeed Undertray. Right around 10mm of clearance. Zspeed tray in place, slightly elevated angle. Notice the hatch bolts.
Last edited by icer5160; Mar 10, 2025 at 05:03 PM.
Nice review, Icer. Was there any particular reason to change out the OEM oil pan? The extra quart will come in handy on the track when G-forces build, and help cooling some.
Honestly, I just wanted the extra capacity to better bullet proof the engine. Even though my Revup engine isn't burning oil like it's on sale (low miles), that could change over time. The added capacity gives me that extra peace of mind. But I also like that I'll get nearly 100% of the old oil out during changes. The OEM pan, due to it's design and location of the drain bolt, still captures/holds nearly 1/2qt of old oil. If you use a vacuum pump through the dipstick tube for oil changes, you should be able to get most of that residual oil, but that option may not work for a Revup VQ, because the stock baffle plate might block the straw-tube (I never tried, so can't be sure).
Other reasons I'm using to justify the purchase/install...(laugh if you want ).
1) Cosmetics, let's be real, it looks nice.
2) It's aluminum, so a magnetic drain plug won't fight me (not necessary, but won't hurt either).
3) I don't track the Z right now, but I do enjoy some mountain and canyon roads. Realistically, never going to experience the same Gs you would on a track, but again peace of mind.
4) If smog laws in CA change under the new Fed Admin, I'm going FI and this Pan has the provisions for oil returns and a temp sensor. I want to note that I won't believe it until I see it. There's a lot of talk around C.A.R.B. getting disbanded, that CA will lose the EPA waiver for higher, more strict, emissions standards. If this happens at the Federal level, this opens up the flood gates for auto enthusiasts in the state. No more aftermarket parts restrictions, also hoping we get some normal pump gas in CA, the stuff we have is garbage compared to other states (lower octane). Might happen, might not, we shall see. It would be great if smog checks were a thing of the past out here.
A great review as expected! You also win the prize for the shiniest undercarriage.
It is pretty. Possibly tuck this away for a future project. I was debating on replacing the oil pressure pod with a dual temperature/pressure gauge in that spot and I didn't really like the sandwich plate options in order to add the sensor. More oil is always an added bonus.
I'm always debating on upgrade projects like this. When I first modded my pre-order track model, I dialed in the suspension and other areas to create a car that handled the way I like on track, and the Z33 was a good platform to start from. But as time marches on, I'm less enthusiastic about doing much more to what has become my "vintage" DD. And since I race a '06 spec Z (with an HR transplant), I'm pretty restricted in what SCCA allows us to do in the Touring classes. Some things (like the Z1 oil pan) would be nice to have, but the factory design still works just fine.
Ironically, the drysump oiling system and custom pan on my GT3 tubeframe car went kablooey and blew the engine two seasons ago. Haven't even tried rebuilding that one due to a variety of reasons.
@dkmura Sorry to hear about the GT3, what exactly happened? One of the lines blow off? Fitting failure?
Here's another fun one (justification). The 0W-40 Penn Ultra Plat I'll be running going forward only seems to be sold in 6qt cases, which is convenient for the expanded capacity of the new pan.
Btw, I sent off an oil sample of the 5W-30 Ultra Plat I just drained to Blackstone Labs for analysis. When I had the lower pan off, I was really amazed with how new the inside of the engine looks. I know it was Warranty replaced by Nissan under the previous owner (20-30k mi ago in 2011), but still, it looked mint, not even a hint of varnish around the upper oil pan. The windage tray blocks a lot of the view, but it looked very healthy. I've been running 5W-30 Ultra Plat since purchasing this Z in 2018. I'm curious to see what the results will be. I'm moving to a thicker oil for some additional protection, but I also like the additive package Pennzoil is using in their 0W-40 Ultra Plat. I will also be getting an analysis done at the next oil change for comparison.
Cheers!
-Icer
A great review as expected! You also win the prize for the shiniest undercarriage.
It is pretty. Possibly tuck this away for a future project. I was debating on replacing the oil pressure pod with a dual temperature/pressure gauge in that spot and I didn't really like the sandwich plate options in order to add the sensor. More oil is always an added bonus.
Thanks Heel!
I agree, if I had to choose between a pan mounted oil temp sensor vs. sandwich plate, I would go for the pan mount!
Cheers!
-Icer
@dkmura Sorry to hear about the GT3, what exactly happened? One of the lines blow off? Fitting failure?
Nothing quite so dramatic. After dyno tuning and testing at two different tracks, the SR20VE got a leak in the oil cooler. A rock led to several quarts leaking out and around the bottom of the car. After installing a new Setrab and installing a bigger screen, I thought we had it fixed. That lasted until the first turn of the first lap at a SCCA regional when #1 rod spun and cracked the block before I could shut down. It's as much a part of racing as taking the checkered flag.
Eek! Sorry to hear that. I'm trying to help my bro-in-law fix/rebuild a little Kubota 3-cylinder diesel from his 1980s Bobcat. That poor engine has been through hell!
So do you suspect the rod bearing was compromised from heat (metal to metal contact) during the 1st leak failure and that lead to the bearing seizing at the next event after the repairs? Or do you think it was unrelated?
Cheers!
-Icer
It's been two years since the failure and I suspect that despite the eight quarts in the drysump tank, #1 (which gets oiled first on the SR20) had a momentary failure. Maybe this was pending an assembly or material failure, but a preliminary inspection showed the ARP rod bolts had actually stretched before letting go and the Eagle rod in this build hadn't let go easily. No oil pressure or heat warnings until the engine let go, and I'd been at low (6000 RPM) revs on the warmup lap before this happened.
After letting it sit for 5 days since last running the engine to circulate the oil and warm it up a bit, I checked the Z over this past weekend. I'm glad I did, as I discovered a very minor leak. Luckily, this leak had nothing to do with the RTV seal around the new lower oil pan, that's bone dry (YES!). It was a simple matter of fully tightening the drain bolt. I guess I was overly cautious during the install, I didn't want to risk damaging the threads on the ALU pan. A simple matter of tightening the drain bolt (about 3/4 turn) until it was good and solid with reasonable force applied, stopped the slow drip. I also verified the source of the drip prior to this, by running the engine again (idle) and checking after 10 min with a flashlight through the wheel house. I didn't snap a photo, but I did confirm the source of the leak by witnessing a drop forming at the drain bolt copper gasket.
Ultimately, I decided to jack the car up again to remove the Zspeed pan and clean up the oil residue that formed around the maintenance hatch. Nothing severe, but best to get it clean to prevent dust/dirt from sticking to the residue and creating a sludge. After I got all that sorted, I took the Z out for a drive. It feels great, oil pressure readings are slightly elevated as expected from switching to a 40 weight and the engine valvetrain noise even sounds slightly quieter (could be placebo).
My Blackstone Labs oil sample on the PUP 5W-30 (previously used oil) should be delivered this week. I'm really curious to see the results. I'll be following up with 2 more samples now that I've switched to PUP 0W-40. The next sample's results will be impacted by any remnants of the 5W-30. The 3rd sample will give me the the most accurate results.
Cheers!
-Icer
I finally received the UOA back from Blackstone Labs. Some data to consider about this report... Oil Used: 5W-30 Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Additive used: BG-MOA (added during oil change) Oil added: About 1/4 qt was added a few months before taking the sample. Mileage: About 3,600mi of service
Notes From Blackstone:Copper is a bit high for this engine. It comes from brass/bronze parts and 10 ppm is twice the universal average level, which means copper is barely high enough to flag. Universal averages show typical wear for the VQ35DE engine after ~4,800 miles on the oil. Other wear metals are fine, so we aren't convinced copper shows trouble, but it's something to watch as trends develop. The 6.6 TBN is strong. 2.0 or less is too low. Feel free to use additives - most are harmless. 0W/40 oil should work well too. Check back to build trends.
Summary:
I'm not thrilled with the results. I'm expecting to see better results from the next sample since I have switched to Pennzoil Ultra Platinum (PUP) 0W-40. Aside from being thicker, it has a very different additive package. Now I just need to get those miles on the Z over the Spring and Summer!
Maybe this was pending an assembly or material failure, but a preliminary inspection showed the ARP rod bolts had actually stretched before letting go and the Eagle rod in this build hadn't let go easily.
Looks easy. My track De car is oil starving on track even on 200tw tires. I have a set of Toyo R ready to go on. So this is going on next weekend before it heads to Barber Motorsports Park. Really want to see how it does as the car starves on right handers and I want to hit Roebling which has a ton of long rights at high rpm. Hopefully it will fix the starvation issue.
I picked up the baffled pan from Z1 during a Blackfriday sale event for $300 (List was $350 if my memory serves). If they're asking $399 now, then I'm guessing other market influences forced a price hike. I'm seeing this trend a lot recently. Could be the impacts of tariffs.
It's definitely a worthwhile upgrade if you're tracking an early year DE. The earlier years don't have the upgraded oil pump or the pickup tube windage plate (baffle) in the upper oil pan like the Revup DE. Even at $400, I would say it's worth it. I've looked closely at the alternative options for the DE and they don't incorporate both a trap door system and windage tray (baffle) around the pickup (Stillen, Greddy, APS). The best choice up until now was probably the APS pan, but good luck finding one. The Z1 pan does a good job of including the most options (one size fits all), no additional mods necessary.
Ill give a quick review on mine. Oil pressure was spot on in heavy high rpm right hand corners. That is where the stock pan was lacking. Never saw below 60psi. But it was normally running 65-85psi at the high end. I am very happy with the pan. Hopefully it saves me a few engines. Will say cleaning the pickup up tube while I had it out added another 10psi of oil pressure. So that was nice as well.
Z1 Baffled Oil Pan Review (For VQ35DE)
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