Hi,

I have a 2001 SE Anniversary Edition 5 speed with 74K kms. I had my Mechanic do my 1st oil change - from dino oil to Mobil1 5W30 Synthetic.

My wife brought the car in to have this done. My questions:

a) What is the proper amount of oil to put into the engine? I provided 4 litres.

b) What is the best time to check the oil level?

I ask b) because I checked the level this morning with the engine warm, shut off for about 3 or 4 minutes, but the dipstick was still covered with oil drips, etc, making a determination of the oil's level difficult. Should I wait until the engine cools further?

I'm a tad concerned that my mech may have overfilled my engine - but, then again, I did provide only 4 litres for the change. Should I be okay? When / how should I properly check that dipstick to indicate the true level?

Thanks in advance!

 

Read your owner's manual.

 

Problem #2. I don't have an owners manual. Thanks anyway!

 

It takes 4 1/4 quarts to fill. And because of the DOHC setup, a lot of oil is circulated through the heads, so it takes a few minutes to drain back. I usually wait about 5 minutes, or the time it takes to fill your gas tank to check it. By then it should be clear, the faster you re-dip the stick, the clearer the reading, but be sure it went in all the way

 

Thanks GreenSeMax! I should be safe with the 4 litres then. I'll check it again when I get home. Thanks for the explanation on the oil circulation / drain back / dip technique!

 

Mine says 4.5 qrts with filter change, 4 with no filter change. But that little filter definitely doesn't hold half a quart. 4 1/4 should be just right. It shouldn't burn much if any.

 

4 1/2 qts with oil filter. check your oil when the engine is cold, that way it has time to settle.

 

page 10-2. its 4 1/4 qts, not 4 1/2 for 2k-2k1 w/ filter change & 3 7/8 w/o filter change.

 

So you are saying with filter dry, you can pour in 4 1/4 of oil and your dip stick will register at the top of the full mark?

I have given 2001 4 1/2 qt with no prob

 

yep. actually i just use 4 since theres no way you are going to get all of the old stuff out. its typically right on the dot, if not then i hit it with a 1/4 quart.

 

4.25 quarts and when you fill up wait atleast 15minutes to allow all the oil to settle down and then you can measure.

 

You can get all the oil out by tipping the car with the jack and stands. I guess some are more into it than others. Oh, and when I drain my oil I like to poor a half qt. straight through.

 

With reguards to how often it is a matter of opinion. The every 3000 mile theory was put in place by the oil companies and the quick lube places feed off of that. If you ask the dealership they would say every 5000 mi +/- 1000. If you use synthetic which you should, this can be as high as 7-8K with no problems. Another good recomendation that I have stuck with is synthetic for 6K changing the filter every 3K. Everybody has their own method but it is a fact that if you plan on keeping you car for 100K+ start using synthetic early and you engine will consiterably tighter with fewer leaks as ages.

 

It is 4 1/4 sorry.

The last time I changed my oil I jacked from the center front up about 3-4 inches, just before the tires came off the floor and I was surprised at how much more oil came out. I'm definetly going to keep doing it...all the crud is on the bottom of the pan. I don't why they didn't taper the bottom of the pan.

 

Give it 4.5 quarts.

I just did an oil change the other day, with an OEM Nissan filter, and I put 4 quarts in. I just checked the dipstick now after it's been sitting around for a good 3-4 hours, and it was down to 1/2 way between full and the low mark (add 1 qt). I added 0.5 quarts, which should bring it up to full.

 

I run it slightly down anyway, usually only put 4 in. Less slosh, less starvation, even though there's less oil there, and less windage, which means increased horsepower at higher rpms. The same principle windage trays effect, and is also one of the benefits of a lighter 'slicker' oil like redline, royal purple, etc. On bigger engines such changes as synthetic performance oil, windage trays, and a higher pressure, (not higher volume) pump can add up to as much as 20 hp on an american V8. This of course means it is negligible 0-5hp in our motors, however if you change your oil, either in compound or weight, i'm sure you'll notice a difference. For instance, if your max gets old and tires, usually after 200k or so, give it some higher weight oil like 10-40 or 20-50, and you'll get back some top end simply due to less valve float and less friction. But whatever you do, use quality oil, and change it often for best performance/longevity.

 

Straight out of the manual, 4 liters with filter change

MCE

 

4.25 qts w/ filter change.