what kinda oil should I use?? castrol,quaker state etc...

 

That can be a hard decision to make. I use Valvoline Durablend 5w30. It's both synthetic and natural in one and I change it every 5000 as opposed to 3000. Today's oils are designed better to last longer than the 3000mi interval. Hell at 5000mi the oil is just starting to get dirty.

 

IMHO all non-synthetics are about the same. Any name brand that carries the correct api approvals and is the correct viscosity will be just fine.

 

As long as they have the correct rating, it doesn't really matter so you might as well choose for political reasons.

May I suggest that you use CASTROL - they are the only one that supports our local car show!!!

 

I use anything from Castrol to canadian Tire Formula 1 oil. When I really want to drive agressive in a hot summer day I would use 20w50. If you are at track all day, 20w50 would be a good choice 'cause it keeps the vibration down

TrueNorth

 

TrueNorth, I just wanted to tell you that it's fine to do what you want with your own car but I used to think the same way you do about oil and the summertime. With heavier oil you may be running you oil pump harder. I had bad experiences with using heavy oil. 5w30 stands up in summer as well as winter weather. Think of it this way, if you want the maxmum performance from your engine, you want the least resistance as possible. Thicker oil leads to more resistance.

 

If your question is about what non castrol syntec oil you should use, then mobil 1 is the choice for drivers who want nothing but the best. Mobil 1's flash point, pour point, and sulfated ash levels are the best .Flash point measures temp reached when the oil begins to burn off (the higher teh better). Pour point is the temp oil becomes too viscous (lower the better) and sulf ash content measures the relative amount of sludge that accumulates from oil consumption. Mobil 1 has one of the best combination of these.Havoline, pennzoil, adn castrol have signif lower ratings (worse) Also, do NOT choose oil viscosity with difference of over 25 points, ex: 10W-30 has diff of 20pts, 30-10=20 good. 5-30, 10-40 not so good. The reason is that in creating high ranges if vuscosity, oil-makers put polymers into oil to achieve a big range. At hi temps (to you aggressive drivers) these polymer molecules burn off leaving heavy deposits and sludge. If you must, amsoil is good b/c it uses no polymers to achieve that range.
However mobil's superiority is accounted for in synthetics. I dont know about non-synthetics. Plus, mobil 1 is pricy! Here, its around 4.39/qt. WALMART sells 6qt jugs of mobil 1 synthetic for 16.99 if your lookin for a bargain.But, if you are a conservative driver,and you take care of you car (change oil often etc.) any oil will do b/c only aggressive driving should merit such expensive protection!

 

Actually there are tests that show Amsoil to have higher flash points and less ash content than Mobil 1. Also Mobil 1 doesn't advertise extended drain intervals like Amsoil does. But that is pretty much nitpicking though. Both are very good synthetics.

BTW: This person was asking about non-synthetics and your advice on that was spot on.

 

good point, forgot about amsoil, but where do you find amsoil? Is it the same for 10W-30? b/c i thought amsoil lost to mobil for that range

 

I only posted becuase you mentioned Amsoil. Anyway, here's one link.

http://www.micapeak.com/info/oiled.html

 

Great advice.

I use 10-30 Synth blend all the time for the simple reason that I can't justify the hi expense of straight synthetic, but I do want some of the benefits of synthetic.

DW

 

deezo,
Good point! I've heard it before as well. I'll stick to between 5w30 and 10w30 from now on

TrueNorth

 

well I did a castrol 10-30w oil change tonight costed $30 canadian. The guy said $65 for a full synthetic oil change which sounds too expensive.

 

20-50 is good for very hot climates,oil stays thicker where 10-30 would be like water,not clinging to parts. Turbo+FL=20-50 good idea. But some people will swear by other weights,just use whatever works for you. My max gets syntec blend 10-30. My buick gets syntec blend 20-50,and 1/2 qt 15-50 mobil 1. Location,and driving style should determine whats right for you

 

I'm with you on the thicker weights, but keep this in mind;
1. the service manual for the gen 4 VQ only recommends 5W30 and 10W30. There is no mention of any other weights.
2. The argument of thicker is better in warmer weather is correct, but usually the assumption is that we are comparing non-synthetic 10-30 to non-synthetic 20-50. I use 10-30 synthetic blend, and I bet it will easily keep up with any regular 20-50 dino oil out there, in heat.
Also, another thing, In Synthetic oils, the thickest I've seen has been 15-50 in Mobil one, too wide a range for my liking. The wider the spread, as has been said earlier, the more the compromise.

DW

 

Hell yeah that is expensive!!! He's crazy. Sometime the Valvoline I go to will give me deals on Synthetic for around $35. It's usually around $45.

 

I personally think that unless you are driving a workhorse truck or van(full sized), every Max owner should stay away from these heavy a$$ oils. You could cause more problems with mileage and stress to the oil pump.

To all read this article: http://www.vtr.org/maintain/oil-overview.html

 

So, I guess I should stop using 20-50 in my maxima. I didnt know know I started. I dont recommend 20-50 for that car. Unless its turbocharged and in hot climates.

 

every oil change place is a rip off so I've decided to do it myself.

what kinda tools do I need to change oil? and where is the drain plug in the max? and what kinda oil filter should I use?

 

I would go buy a Chiftons or the like. Oil changes very straight forward. You shouldn't need anything but a 10mm socket wrench and a pan to drain the oil for tools.

 

oil changes are too easy. Cant remember the oil drain plug size(13,14,or 15mm). Just make sure the wheels are turned all the way to the right,and access through the wheelwell, remove aroung 3 screws,and bend plastic away.There is your filter and plug. When changing filter,wipe off area that the seal attaches to(dirt,etc),put oil on the filter gasket,and threads.

 

I would suggest you do it in this order to get the most time to drain the old oil. This is, of course, after you've parked your car and turned the wheels all the way to the right;

1. Pop the hood, Open the oil fill cap. This will help to let the old oil leave the car.

2. Get under the car, open the drain bolt, let it flow.

3. While the oil is draining, take off the right wheel well cover to get access to the oil filter. There's 3 steel and 2 plastic screws that support the shroud. One steel screw is not so obvious, it is underneath going slightly towards the front of the car, towards the foglight.

4. Remove the old oil filter.

5. Put on new oil filter (after puting a nice film of oil on the rubber seal so that the oil filter can "kiss" your Max properly)

6. Replace the drain bolt (with new copper gasket . . . optional.)

7. Fill with 4.25 quarts of oil, put the oil fill cap back on.

8. Test by starting the car and checking for leaks. The oil light should come on for a half sec and disappear as you start the car. Listen to her purr like a most peaceful kitten from all this fresh new oil going thru her

9. Put back the right wheel well cover and fasten the screws.

10. DONE.

DW

 

thanks a lot but how many Liters is 4.25?? the oil here comes in L
and what is the right wheelwell cover?? does anyone have a pic of that? and do I need some tools to tighten the oil filter or is my hands strong enough?

 

I put 4 liters and it is fine. Always tighten filter with your hands! I hand tight 3/4 - 1 full turn from snug fit.

 

The 4th gen Maxima takes around 4 quarts of motor oil. Add that much, and run the engine. Then check the oil level again and top it off until the dipstick reads normal.

 

Liters and quarts are almost the same. The conversion factor is 1.05 quarts per 1 liter. So 4.25 quarts is 4.46 liters, or 4 and a half liters to round off.

As for the right wheel well cover, do this;

Look at your right front wheel. Behind it is the strut suspension supporting it. Behind the strut suspension is the right wheel well cover. Voila

DW

 

Use Mobil 1. There was an article a few months ago in one of the leading car magazines about how Castrol is now using a different definition for "synthetic" oil, and that their brand is not truly a total synthetic. Mobil 1 however, is still at true synthetic. If Mobil 1 and Castrol were priced the same, I'd go with the true synthetic.

 

You are incorrect, 4.25 quarts are close to 4 liters.

 

OOps...I answered the wrong question earlier! Sorry, thought you were asking about the best synthetic oil to use. It has been a loooonnnng week! I've used Castrol for years in all my cars with no problems. The motors in most cars these days are nearly bullet proof as long as you change the oil on a regular basis. I've recently started using Pennzoil in my Maxima because of the commercials showing the oil pans of cars that were put under the official industry "torture test". Pennzoil came out looking much better than Castrol. There probably isn't much difference. The important thing is to change the oil every 3 months or 3750 miles. I wouldn't stretch it out to 5000 or 7500 like some fokes do. Oil is just to cheap to take that risk!

 

You're right. My bad.

DW

 

damn I got RIP OFF they charged me for one 4 L bottle which is like $10 + another 1 L bottle which is like $4

I'm never going back 2 canadian tire again

 

Oh boy. I wonder if you read that big thread about oil change intervals earlier this week. It was a pretty big deal on this BBS. Basically, it comes down to this, it's okay to change your oil at 3750 miles. But the general concensus from the Maxima veterans here are that you can safely go 5000 miles with regular oil, and at least 8000 miles with synthetic oil between changes, provided you use a stock Nissan filter.

But you can do whatever you want. I have personally been convinced that these Jiffy Lube 3000 mile oil change intervals are just boat payments for the mechanic. From now on, I will change the oil myself with synthetic and use at least 7000 mile change intervals.