I have 99 Max Se 5speed i would like to know whats the best way to get a correct reading from that moronic maxima dip stick i have a hard time getting the same reading twice.that has to be the worst designed feature on the max.thanx

 

Park in a flat place. Leave the car overnight. Then check before you start the car the next day. First reading should be fairly correct.

 

Hey, I work at Grease Monkey and we have always had trouble with the oil dipsticks. Usually, because of this problem, we don't even bother checking it because on the stick, it always goes past the range. It doesn't mean that there's too much oil, it's just not correct. Just always put about 3.75 qts of oil.

 

strange enough try dipping the dip stick in washer fluid then checking it, tryed it at my work at it seemed to work.

 

4 & 5/8 quarts with filter change for a 4th Gen. (check your manual)

Dipstick only reads accurately if the car's been sitting for a long while - you'll never get a correct reading when you go to fill up for gas. (This bugs me too).

 

Can you give us the location of this Grease Monkey so others know not to have their oil changed by them.

 

That ended up being a little too much for me
4 quarts even... damn I must not be letting it drain out completely then....

 

when changing the filter, i use 4qt and top off the next morning. Plus, I drive my car hard and use up oil.
Jae

 

Actually, we have a copy of the sage manual that states all updates regarding oil filters/ oil fills etc. For the 4th gen Maxima, they have updated it and the correct fill should be 3.75 quarts. Therefore the manual is wrong.

-Mark

 

What is a "sage manual" & why is it better than the manufacturer's recommendations? Seriously - I want to know. This is the 1st I've heard of this alleged Nissan inaccuracy.

When I allow my oil to drain off sufficiently from both the pan and the filter base, with the oil fill cap removed, I have never exceed the top mark on the dipstick with 4 & 5/8 quarts, even checking after letting the car sit overnight.

Maybe your shop #'s are different to allow for less complete oil drains (common @ quick-lube places) and also to make the operation more cost-effective.

IE: If you fill every crankcase you service with 10% or 15% below the maximum fill level, the vehicles are still well within safe operating ranges and your store or chain saves thousands of dollars in oil costs, annually.

If you work for a national lube chain & you don't believe some bean-counter analyst has a hand in deciding what the oil fill % should be, think again.

 

Today I had work and I would have made a copy of the bulletin stating that the oil should be around 3.75, but we were quite busy. My manual says 4.25, not 4 5/8. And another thing, we do not fill the oil only like half way on the read range of the dipstick. We would only do that on certain trucks such as F-150s that may take more than 6 quarts because we charge for every quart over 5. Also, we may do that on older cars because of the bulletins posted on certain American cars that say the oil shouldn't go past the half way on the crosshatch on the dipstick. On Monday, when I go to work, I will make a copy of the bulletin and post it.

 

A certain generation of sentra FSM gives incorrect torque spec and incorrect instructions on removing an engine component. Weird eh? Good thing Chilton's was correct. But then again, Chilton's wrong a coupla times too (which could be due to combining several gen cars in 1 manual)

Jae

 

IC. Weird that there's so much conflicting info. out there on what seems like a simple specification. . .