I did search and I have read it somewhere before, but I wasn't positive... Isn't it 4.5???

There was a 5th Gen post about this, and I figured it would be the same, but just checking??

 

4.25qts

 

but I'd still use the dipstick

 

= how many liters?

 

4.02 ltr (round down to 4.0)

btw, i like your sig

 

Crankcase capacity is

4.25 quarts with filter (some of this can be poured into the filter before screwing it onto the engine)

4.0 quarts without filter (but who would ever change oil without changing the filter??)

 

Funny. My owners manual states 4 5/8 quarts if filter removed and less w/o...

 

i just scanned my own 97 owners manual. i am baffled to see three different sets of values for the oil capacity. would you two please scan your owners manual? thanks.


"with filter 4-1/4qt"
"without filter 3-7/8"

 

Yep, this was why I wasn't positive LOL

 

hmmmm....I looked it up at my work cause I changed my oil there and it said 3.8 quarts?!?! Also I don't know about you guys but its almost impossible to change my oil by the dipstick. Sometimes it will work and other times the dipstick is just covered all the way with oil.

 

Yes, I have a major probelm with my dipstick LOL On my old 96 SE it wasn't a problem at all to tell where the oil level was, but on this one it is a PITA!!!

 

oh no the shop i take my car to puts 5 quarts. uh what can happen if there is to much oil.

Oh NO !!!!!!

 

slow the engine down? because engine needs more force to push the oil around? it'll be harder on the engine I think....

but I'm usually wrong

 

Same here - I don't believe I've EVER gotten a useful reading off my '95 SE's dipstick, whether it sat still overnight, or was left alone for 10 mins. after running. I've tried every method of inserting & removing the dipstick slowly, quickly, from both the factory position & inserted rotated 180 degrees from the factory position, pulling it out straight, pressing it against the top side of the tube, or the bottom when inserting & removing. . .

I've tried it ALL. No matter what I do, the whole dipstick comes out coated with oil, with no useful reading whatsoever. It's a $h!tty Nissan design flaw, imho. One of the few complaints I have about my car, to be sure.

You're not alone. . .

 

Overfilling the crankcase with too much oil causes the crank journals to "slap" into the excess oil and "aerate" the oil. Overfilling can also diminish the engine's ability to operate at peak efficiency - accelleration & gas mileage can suffer as a result.

When the oil is at the proper level, the bottom half of your engine relies on the mixing action of the crank (in part) to keep itself lubricated. If there's too much oil, however, then this action causes aeration or "foaming" of the oil (in layman's terms).

Bottom line: foamy oil doesn't lubricate nearly as well as non-foamy oil & can contribute to premature wear of bearings, crank journals, etc., on the bottom end of the engine.

It's arguably better to have slightly too little oil in the crankcase than slightly too much. (Always best to get it as right-on as possible). I always add 4 5/8 US quarts with a filter change: that's what's indicated in my 1995's owners manual. (I guess there's a difference between the specs for 95-96/97-99?) Hmmm. . .

 

I have a 96 Maxima SE with 175,000 miles.

I change the oil this way.

I drain the oil and remove the filter.

I fill the new filter with oil and let it sit a while and then top it
off again and again until it is full.

I use some of the new oil to lubricate the rubber gasket on the oil filter to insure it seals up when installed.

I pour the old oil into a gallon jug to make sure I don't have over a gallon to refill.

I install the oil filter full of oil and allow some to leak out, but I'm quick at it.

I fill the crankcase with 3 and 2/3 quarts of oil and start the engine and allow the oil to circulate.

I drive the car on a short errand and return home to level ground in the garage.

I let the car sit for a couple of hours and read the dipstick. I top the oil up to the correct mark on the dipstick.

In the morning before work I recheck the oil level to insure it is correct, and if I have overfilled it I use a suction tool with a rubber tube to go down the dipstick hole and remove some of the oil until I get it right. (I used to drain it out if overfilled at the drain plug but it is messy and you must be careful with removing the drain plug and quickly reinstalling it after letting some oil drain out).

In order to check the oil you just have to choose times when the car has sat for a few hours. After you get up in the morning for example.

White96MaxSE