Castrol GTX 5W/30 with a Nissan OEM 15208-9E000 filter ($10 CND at the stealership).

One Question?
I have a 96 SE it has 194.000 on it, i started using Synthetic oil on it about 50.000
Due to now being a high mileage vehicle, can i change back to regular oil, or the synthetic blend,

Yes

I doont have a Max, but do need some help, please advise me on what oil to use in my 1998 Mits Montero Sport V6 w/ 227889 miles. Is SAE 5w-30 good.( Hoping so, I get all of this I want for free..lol) Any help would be very much appreciated.

Your price for 5W30 is so right -- go for it.

Suggest that you get a motor oil test of some of the used 5W30 oil you get for free. See how good this oil is when you take it out at an oil change.

If you were buying motor oil, I would be tempted to go with the slightly heavier 10W30 weight. You don't say where you live to help identify which weight would be the best for you vehicle. If you live in the desert, the heavier oil would be much more appropriat than it would if you lived in Canada.

I think you can get enough oil to TEST taking it off the Dip Stick by puting it back in and taking it out a few times ???

i just did and oil changed lucas 10w30
anyone on here ever used it before?

I use Mobil 1 full-syn and Mobil-1 oil filter. 5w20 for your cold climates and 10w30 for you southern guys. But honestly the weight isn't that big of a deal. Close enough will cut it just fine.

My 2000 GLE has 139000 on it, Im about 20 miles past due on a oil change, which I am getting tomorrow morning, probally at a Nissan Dealership or a JiffyLube. My question is, would it be fine to use a Mobil 1 Oil filter and Mobil 1 Full syn blend of oil in this car? Or would I be better off with a "blend" of regular/Syn oil?

There is a lot of 18 Nissan OEM 15208-9E000 filters on ebay at http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Nissa...ht_1133wt_1304

box says only for VQ30 but this forum says VQ35 too so im assuming it'll work on my I35.

The book on my 04 SE recommends 5w30... I live in Houston, TX...should I switch to 10w30? Or does that really matter? What will switching to a higher viscosity get me?

You can use either viscosity...both oils will fall within the viscosity range for a 30-weight at 212 deg F. The 5w-oil will flow better in cold temperatures than the 10w will. Given that you live in Houston, cold temperature performance will not be an issue with the 10w.

But that said, won't you get slightly better fuel efficiency with a 5w than with a 10w, even in Houston? Thicker oil is harder to push around. My understanding is that thicker oil is needed in hotter temperatures but is the extra "protection" really worth it for normal summer driving?

the 5- and the 10- is the flow rating at cold temperatures. That means the flow is dependent on the ambient temperature. Otherwise both oils will flow the same in your engine at operating temperature, which is the -30 rating.

The 5w-30 you use may be slightly thinner at start-up than the 10w-oil will, even in the summer months...and that could translate to some fuel economy benefits. But my guess is that the difference will be immeasurable in your climate. I believe your owners manual will show 10w-30 as an acceptable viscosity down to 0 deg F. As the good Col stated above, the "w" designation indicates the oil's viscosity in cold temperatures...the API standard for this cold performance test is 0 deg F.

You asked what the 10w-30 would "get you". Depending on what brand oil you use, the 10w-30 could result in less volatility (evaportation) loss than a 5w-30 used in hot conditions. Generally speaking, an oil with lower volatility will be more resistant to chemical change (breakdown); oil consumption will be lower; the engine deposits will be less and emissions will be lower. Inexpensive petroleum oils are more prone to volatility loss than higher quality, name brand oils or high quality synthetics.

Your other question was whether or not you should switch to 10w-30...the answer is "it depends". If you are currently using a high quality petroleum or synthetic 5w-30, that oil will work. I view the quality of oil you are using to be much more important than the decision between 5w and 10w-30. I live in San Antonio and use synthetic 0w-30 year-round...but the oil I use is a top quality product with a robust additive package and extremely low volatility.

Use a good quality oil and filter and you will not have any problems either way.

thanks for clearing it up

I'm using the mobile 1 full synthetic w/ supersyn currently but since the Amsoil gets such rave reviews I may switch to that.

See Group Deal: http://forums.maxima.org/group-deals...ubricants.html

sweet I'll be jumping on that in the near future

25,000 miles between oil change?!! Is that really what most people do? I'm skittish at much more than 5,000 miles especially in the houston traffic.

AMSOIL offers three distinct classes of passenger car motor oils: XL, "100%" and Signature Series. While all three oils are synthetics, they are formulated with different base stocks and additive packages to provide different levels of performance/service intervals. I've been through Houston and that's indeed Severe driving conditions !

AMSOIL XL synthetic is formulated to provide 7500 miles/6-months of protection (or longer as stated by the OEM or when an oil life monitoring system is used) regardless of driving conditions (normal or severe). XL is AMSOIL's least expensive oil and it is an excellent value. I have a half-dozen quick lube accounts who go through several barrels of this stuff per month, each. XL competes very well against other synthetics.

The "100%" family of oil is guaranteed to perform up to 25,000 miles or 1 year (whichever comes first) under normal operating conditions. Maximum service intervals for severe service are 12,500 or 1-year, whichever comes first.

AMSOIL Signature Series is AMSOIL's top of the line oil...it is formulated for up to 35,000 miles or 1-yr service intervals (17,500/1-yr in severe service).

Drain intervals are a personal thing, and you have to do what you are comfortable with. I have some customers who successfully use these oils for the maximum interval recommended by AMSOIL; some folks who use the 100% or Signature Series drain every 10K or so; and others drain more frequently. If you are uncomfortable extending your service intervals beyond 5K, AMSOIL XL (7500 mile drain interval) would be a more cost effective alternative to the "100%" or Signature Series oils.

Pls send me a PM when you're ready and we'll price out the various options.

Great info, thanks. I am about to put in the 0w30 Amsoil SS I ordered from you a while back.

I sell a lot of it...you're going to like it! I had a call Friday night from a customer who recently put this oil in his 08 Subaru Tribeca...he was estatic with the difference the oil made. That vehicle has Subaru's new 3.6L H-6 and it's quite an engine. He took the car on a trip from Oklahoma City up to Chicago/southern WI...he reported that the engine was noticeably quieter; fuel economy went up both in town and on the road (loaded and with a car-top carrier); and it used absolutely no oil.

Let me know how it works out for you. ed

I use the Mobil 1 Super syn and the Napa gold 1365 , Fits both my 2009 Maxima and my 4 liter Frontier , buy them 6 at at time at Napa online, $ 8.69 each.http://www.napaonline.com/NOLPPSE/(S...8_7&ShowPics=1

Just changed my oil after work today. Mobil 1 like usual, but i decided to get a Napa Gold filter after hearing good things about them. $8.29 w/ tax at the store.

Can someone tell me what is wrong with a cardboard endcap? I don't actually know.

I realize Fram is considered lower quality, but my understanding is that an end cap is used to secure the media. Whether it's cardboard or metal, they're glued, right? So it's more a function of the manufacturing/glue than metal vs cardboard. I would think that glue adheres to cardboard better than metal.

You're right...the filter element is glued to the end cap(s) and one of the purposes of the caps is to secure the media...the glue forms a seal to prevent dirty oil from leaking past the filter media. The end caps typically serve as a base for the internal spring and metal caps can house an integrated by-pass relief valve. Paper end caps are standard fare on inexpensive filters that are designed for frequent changing. Metal caps are generally used in higher quality/better designed filters. I have included a couple photos of filters I have cut open for comparison purposes:


This is a photo of a standard Fram filter...paper end caps, minimal amount of inexpensive cellulose filtering media, a leaf spring that also serves as a seal for the top of the filter (the base of the spring fits in the hole on the top of the filter), and for this particular application no pressure by-pass valve and no anti-drainback valve. I have to assume there is no by-pass valve because 1. it costs money and 2. there is probably so much leakage (oil by-passing the filter) around the spring that a by-pass valve is not needed.


This is a photo of a higher quality filter for the same application as the Fram. This particular filter uses a generous quantity of premium filtering medium comprised of a blend of cellulose, synthetic and glass fibers (better efficiency, higher capacity, longer life), the metal end caps house an integrated by-pass valve, a coil spring holds the filter in place, and an anti-drainback valve for every application. So while filters with cardboard end-caps will do the job, there are much better alternatives available:

Has anyone noticed a difference in quality in the new made in Taiwan nissan filters vs. the old made in Japan ones? I have each, used.. I could tear apart if needed.

Can I use 0W-30 in my '92 Maxima? I was looking at Castrol German blend

0w-30 can generally be used as a direct replacement for 5w-30 or 10-30 oils. So if you are currently using one of those viscosities with success, then a quality 0w-30 should work fine.

I'm using Pennzoil 5w-30 right now. I am thinking about using Castrol German blend 0w-30

The best oil in da worlds is Amsoil oils.

There are rumors about paper end caps, but nothing definitive to my knowledge. I'd be interested to see what you find out (Photos Please!)

What filter is this anyway? Which part number?

15208-9e000

hmmm i tried using 5W-30 oil and it made my engine tick, even when i did the motor swap, i tried the 5W-30 again, same issue, but as soon as i went to 10W-30, ticking gone, but i see on here folx recommending 5W-30....i use 10W-30 castrol synthetic, but imma switch back to mobil1

Im never in this forum but that is a great comparision pic

Good job

The VQ normally makes a quiet and smooth ticking sound. It´s a great sound IMO.

Anybody changed to Valvoline? I just bought my first jug due to their 300K guaruntee.....I drive about 5 + K a month.

I have read quite a bit about different full synthetic brands on here. I don't think I have seen a lot about the Mobil 1 Full Synthetic Extended life. Can anybody tell me how good it is compared to the other Mobil 1 full synthetics?

Advance Auto Parts had a sale for 5 quarts of Mobil 1 Full Synthetic Extended Performance with the Mobil 1 Extended Performance oil filter for 29.99 plus tax, saving me 22 from regular price.

My car has 30k on it now and I want to switch to Full Synthetic from the conventional Valvoline the dealership gives me. The dealership has agreed for me to bring my oil and they will do service for 16 bucks!

Any input on the oil?

16 buks?? Thats still pricey considering I have coupons for NTB for an oil change for that price. Why dont you do it yourself? You know its getting done right, not to mention the priceless sense of pride you get once you are done.

It's the exact same as regular Mobil 1. The only difference is that it costs slightly more, and it has more detergent pumped into it. So basically you can wait longer between oil changes, but that's pretty useless because no filter will last long enough anyways, so its better to just stick to regular mobil 1, cost wise. However, there is no harm using EP. It has all the benefits as regular Mobil 1 with no downside.

I have a question I have a 2001 Maxima SE with 130,000 miles. Which oil would be appropriate for my car?

Eneos 5w30
Mobil 1 5w30
Mobil 1 Synthetic 10w30

or should I scrap the Eneos 5w30 and go with the 10w30 since its summer and I live in Chicago?