Doing my first oil change

[maxxis]

The issue with the engine oil being "slighty" hot is, its almost impossible to replicate the same result each time, because all you are doing is guessing.

The result can be inefficient draining of old oil and mixing old with new.
And overfilling if you don't measure the old oil prior to putting new oil in.

The minuscule amount that stays behind and mixes is not exactly going to affect anything and anyone that does their own services know you don’t add all your oil right from start when you refill. You fill and top up until it reads correctly.

Do you think your dealership will bring your car to operating temperature before draining the oil? Nope. Time is money.

 

[airborne]

Here is my 2c, bearing in mind I change my own oil every 10,000km on my Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

1. I am a fan of Motul and LiquiMoly (because they actually meet the specs required for my car). I see that there is no particular spec for the Nissan like there is for BMW, Alfa, Merc, etc. This is good news for you because you can shop around. I would personally recommend LiquiMoly TopTec 4100 5W40, or Motul X-Clean 5W40. Both are full synthetic oils.
2. Your car requires synthetic oil, so stick with it.
3. As others have pointed out, get a sumpie. I like to empty my old oil into an empty oil bottle and then clean out the sumpie with dishwashing liquid and water to keep it clean.
4. Oil filter - GUD Z350 (Midas will have it for you).

Now here is the pro-tip: DO NOT TOUCH THE SUMP PLUG!
The reason I suggest not touching the sump plug is because I recommend getting one of these: Oil Extractor Pump
Pull out the dip stick, push the pipe down the dip stick hole and turn it on. Gets out the same amount as you would if you pulled the sump plug, but it means you don't risk ****ing up the plug or the thread, and you don't need to replace the washer. Its worth the money and takes 2-3min to drain the oil.
I got myself that pump after I had limited movement after recovering from COVID. Even my mechanic has realised its a life saver.

Regarding dirty hands... get yourself a box of nitrile gloves
Idle car for 2-3min to get the oil just a little bit thinner and easier to extract (or drain).

What the hell, that thing is cheap and Adendorff house brand stuff is decent.

That makes an oil change possible for even ladies... but damn ruining a modern engine can be an easy R80k+ repair... ladies, think about the consequences.. before you do it.

I can even do my gearbox oil with that, beats going under the car and getting sht everywhere and fighting with bolts.

 

[killerbyte]

Thanks for the write up. Planning to go Adendorff. So might as well get the the pump as well.

Plus if you are doing a home oil change and you do not have jack stands then the extractor pump is what you need. You do not go under a car while its jacked up on anything other than jack stands.
But then it is an X-Trail, you can probably slide under it without jacking it up.

 

[Tman*]

The minuscule amount that stays behind and mixes is not exactly going to affect anything and anyone that does their own services know you don’t add all your oil right from start when you refill. You fill and top up until it reads correctly.

Do you think your dealership will bring your car to operating temperature before draining the oil? Nope. Time is money.

Run your own tests over a few years and post your results.

I based my response on my own findings. The worst result I had 500ml of oil left from a 7.5L oil change when the engine was not warmed up to optimum temp. While some make it seem unimportant, 6.6% old oil mixed with new oil over a lifespan of 300 000km will make a difference in my mind.

I guess it's up to you to decide what you want to do and where you want to cut corners out of convenience. Its important for me to be able to replicate service results and take out any guess work. If you are worried about your hands burning from a warm sump plug - wear the proper attire, including a heat resistent glove

 

[B-1]

Run your own tests over a few years and post your results.

I based my response on my own findings. The worst result I had 500ml of oil left from a 7.5L oil change when the engine was not warmed up to optimum temp. While some make it seem unimportant, 6.6% old oil mixed with new oil over a lifespan of 300 000km will make a difference in my mind.

I guess it's up to you to decide what you want to do and where you want to cut corners out of convenience. Its important for me to be able to replicate service results and take out any guess work. If you are worried about your hands burning from a warm sump plug - wear the proper attire, including a heat resistent glove

I get you are just following instructions but those are written to cover a wide geographical area. If you live in Alaska warming up the engine is a given but in SA where we often hit 30C its not needed as the oil is viscous enough to drain in a decent amount of time.

 

[killerbyte]

Run your own tests over a few years and post your results.

I based my response on my own findings. The worst result I had 500ml of oil left from a 7.5L oil change when the engine was not warmed up to optimum temp. While some make it seem unimportant, 6.6% old oil mixed with new oil over a lifespan of 300 000km will make a difference in my mind.

I guess it's up to you to decide what you want to do and where you want to cut corners out of convenience. Its important for me to be able to replicate service results and take out any guess work. If you are worried about your hands burning from a warm sump plug - wear the proper attire, including a heat resistent glove

So which engine flush do you use?

 

[upup]

I got a adendorf electric 12v oil pump, only use it on the opel "does not fit into the honda", as I need to jack it up, to remove oil via sump. I got myself a proppie to fit over the pipe to keep it dust free.
As the guy at adendorf did not know how this thing works, I took oil from the house and test it at the shop. I told him, if it work I will buy it, and it did.

 

[Rickster]

LiquiMoly TopTec 4100 5W40, or Motul X-Clean 5W40. Both are full synthetic oils.

5w40 seems a bit thick for that engine, Castrol oil selector recommends 5w-30.

 

[Other Pineapple Smurf]

Did the oil change during my lunch break and my car kaked oil all over the place instead of the pan.




Going to be fun to clean up this evening.

And my filters where disguising, both air and cabin.




Total spend on filters and oil is R1K. Honda charge R1100 just for oil change. They only change the filter every 30'000km so not always done.

 

[ArmatageShanks]

Still need to get a strap wrench for my oil filter, couldn't get it off last service, wasn't going to do the screw driver thing as I was pressed for time, should be fine though, I'll just change it later.

 

[Other Pineapple Smurf]

....

Now here is the pro-tip: DO NOT TOUCH THE SUMP PLUG!
The reason I suggest not touching the sump plug is because I recommend getting one of these: Oil Extractor Pump
Pull out the dip stick, push the pipe down the dip stick hole and turn it on. Gets out the same amount as you would if you pulled the sump plug, but it means you don't risk ****ing up the plug or the thread, and you don't need to replace the washer. Its worth the money and takes 2-3min to drain the oil.
I got myself that pump after I had limited movement after recovering from COVID. Even my mechanic has realised its a life saver.
...

As per my above photo, a pump would have saved me lot's of cleaning up.

I actually did not know about them until your post as I also need to do an oil change on my generator next and this pump will be a life saver.

 

[Smugs]

Still need to get a strap wrench for my oil filter, couldn't get it off last service, wasn't going to do the screw driver thing as I was pressed for time, should be fine though, I'll just change it later.

Get one of these, way better than any strap wrench.

AMPRO OIL FILTER SPANNER SET

Steel FILTER WRENCH 93MM CUP 15-FLUTES 1-STEP Acceptance criteria for regeneration

sparescentre.co.za

 

[Other Pineapple Smurf]

Get one of these, way better than any strap wrench.

AMPRO OIL FILTER SPANNER SET

Steel FILTER WRENCH 93MM CUP 15-FLUTES 1-STEP Acceptance criteria for regeneration

sparescentre.co.za

Those cups work much better than these claws. The claw is only nice because it's universal but I struggled to get to grip at first today.

If you plan to service a lot, then rather buy correct sized tools instead of universal. Especially for the price.

 

[Pineapple Smurf]

Did the oil change during my lunch break and my car kaked oil all over the place instead of the pan.

View attachment 1221812


Going to be fun to clean up this evening.

And my filters where disguising, both air and cabin.

View attachment 1221814


Total spend on filters and oil is R1K. Honda charge R1100 just for oil change. They only change the filter every 30'000km so not always done.

How the **** did you miss that hole yet have so many kids?

 

[upup]

I must say, sometimes when filling oil via a funnel into a coke bottle, and that bottle is full and the funnel is full, you can get cross with yourself.

 

[bwana]

Get one of these, way better than any strap wrench.

What's wrong with a screwdriver?



Millennials need a "special tool" for everything...

 

[airborne]

I got a adendorf electric 12v oil pump, only use it on the opel "does not fit into the honda", as I need to jack it up, to remove oil via sump. I got myself a proppie to fit over the pipe to keep it dust free.
As the guy at adendorf did not know how this thing works, I took oil from the house and test it at the shop. I told him, if it work I will buy it, and it did.

Why won't it work on the Honda?
What is the determining factor for whether the pump will work on any given vehicle or not?

 

[bwana]

Why won't it work on the Honda?
What is the determining factor for whether the pump will work on any given vehicle or not?

Diameter of the dipstick tube I'd imagine.

 

[airborne]

5w40 seems a bit thick for that engine, Castrol oil selector recommends 5w-30.

5W30 is the factory spec that is selected as a median to be able to cover as wide a possible temperature range that will be found in all the markets a vehicle is sold into globally.

In Sa because we are in Africa and it gets flipping hot 5W40 is perfect to ensure the oil viscosity doesn't get too thin at operating temps.

Total spend on filters and oil is R1K. Honda charge R1100 just for oil change. They only change the filter every 30'000km so not always done.

Which Honda charges R1100 for an oil change, that's a good deal?!

Honda sells the oil filter for R115, it's used on just about all Honda vehicles apparently so I'm assuming that's why it's so cheap.

 

[airborne]

Diameter of the dipstick tube I'd imagine.

That's what I would assume but I've never noticed Honda dipsticks to be skinny or overly narrow, actually the opposite, they use nice fat dipsticks.