DIY oil change
DIY oil change
I recently did my first oil change and got a little bit of a surprise. I change it myself, in the driveway, on ramps. No trouble getting up on ramps. Once underneath, I found the bottom, including drain plug access, covered by a triangular plastic shield. I'm sure the shield is primarily for reducing drag.
The shield is dropped by removing 3 push pins which allow the shield to swing out of the way. I'm sure when the car is on a lift, the shield can swing completely out of the way. But when on ramps, the shield only drops until it hits the cardboard I use to keep from making a mess on the driveway, so I had to jimmy a little bit to slide the drain pan up over the shield and hold it level while I dropped the plug to let the dirty oil drain. Then you have the same strap and push pin we had on the 7th gen.
Overall, a little bit of a pain compared to the 7th gen, but I'll be better prepared the next time. Also, the push pins are not all the same size, so you need to keep straight which ones go in which holes.
The shield is dropped by removing 3 push pins which allow the shield to swing out of the way. I'm sure when the car is on a lift, the shield can swing completely out of the way. But when on ramps, the shield only drops until it hits the cardboard I use to keep from making a mess on the driveway, so I had to jimmy a little bit to slide the drain pan up over the shield and hold it level while I dropped the plug to let the dirty oil drain. Then you have the same strap and push pin we had on the 7th gen.
Overall, a little bit of a pain compared to the 7th gen, but I'll be better prepared the next time. Also, the push pins are not all the same size, so you need to keep straight which ones go in which holes.
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wope
7th Generation Maxima (2009-2015)
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Oct 10, 2011 01:19 PM
MadMaxNY
4th Generation Maxima (1995-1999)
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Nov 11, 2003 06:47 PM



