A&Q about 350Z
Q:
I agree with the above. Believe it or not, although an oil change is very simple, it is the most important thing you can do to your car short of keeping tires on it. You can also incorrectly torque the drain plug and cause a lot of problems, so it's good to do it yourself. I've had many friends who trusted an incapable place to do their oil changes and casued them a lot of misery. Working on cars is much easier than most would think if you have a good teacher, like zazu.
19[TT]91
My TT beauty is gone.
2[00]2 Honda 954RR
Suzuki 1200 S; sportscar eater
19[I4]94 Integra GSR Sedan
Long live the Z...
aka SAHTT
A:
I use Valvoline synpower 5w-30. But mobil one is more popular so it's up to you. You can't go wrong with whatever you choose between the two.
A:
Mobil 1, 5W30, 5 qts. BTW, the average oil filter wrench is too big for the tiny filter on the Z. Even the ones off the rack that are labelled small or for imports, etc. are a tad too large. You need either a strap type wrench or one of the "jaws" type sold at AutoZone. Oh, and when you put the plastic shield back on, don't snug the little bolts until you've got them all in and threaded, or do snug them as you put them in and discover that some of the last ones don't quite line up--everybody ought to do that at least once.
Enjoy.
BTW, one of the guys here at work has a 280Z that he is redoing for the track. The engine work is mostly done, but the suspension is completely off and being powder-coated. He and I will be wrenching it back together the week after Christmas.
A:
If you don't mind getting a bit dirty (you're working on a car you shouldn't mind getting a bit dirty) you can use the ghetto trick:
Jack up car and take off the bottom cover to give you more access to the filter. Take a phillips screwdriver and jam it through the side of the old filter and out the other side. Use it for leverage and twist off.
This trick also works on stuck sensors (like O2 sensors and whatnot)
----------
1985 300ZX n/a
A:
haha phx i used to work at a tire/brake/lube shop and they had every tool that someone would need to change the oil in cars. i was a shop foreman and one of the guys called me into the pit saying he couldnt get the oil filter off. and mind you we had over 15 different oil filter wrenches, i told him to use a screwdriver and he looked at me like wtf, it doesnt bolt on. and then he said you went to college for automotive? so i showed him what you said and what i meant by it and then he said hey cool trick.
sorry for the long story it just reminded of it when i read your post
93 z32 convertible=pearl white, 5 speed
jwt pop-charger, hks hypers, asp underdrive pulley
86 z31 na=super white, 5 speed
A:
yep. one of the older tricks in the book and it works everytime. I used the same method to remove my O2 sensor and Oil Pressure Sending unit when they got jammed up.
----------
1985 300ZX n/a