Hi all,

I changed my own oil on the G and I just put in 5 quarts and that's about it. I checked the dipstick from time to time but just want to make sure I am checking it correctly. I go by the green arrow (the meshed lines between L and H). I know, I've own cars for a long time now...I should know this.

I have a Sentra that I don't do my own oil change and the manual calls for about 3 qts and I see the techs putting in 4 quarts sometimes and when I check the oil level it's usually closer to the blue arrow, thus I think they are over filling it every time.

Am I checking it right? Sorry for the crappy pic, it's from my Blackberry Curve.



Thanks...

 

shouldnt it be between the two green arrows ??

im pretty sure they are overfilling ..

 

Yes, I think oil should be between the green arrows but I am not 100 percent sure.

 

Yes, should be between green arrows. That mesh design is there for a reason.

 

Cool thanks.

 

Between the two green arrows.


I usually check on a level surface, when the engine is still hot/warm, but has been allowed to sit for 15-30 mins to allow all the oil to drain back to the pan.

 

How bad is it if it goes to the blue line? I let the oil settle on my Sentra and checked it out before. It went a little BEYOND the blue line. Damn...these guys don't know what the heck they doing. Overfilled by one QUART.

I know the Sentra is my beater car but how bad is it to have an EXTRA quart of oil?

When I drove it home I can smell the oil burning odor. Do you always get the odor if it overfills? When I do oil change on my G35 I don't really get any of that oil smell afterward.

Thanks...

 

Overfilling can be just as bad as underfilling....especially when it's high enough that the crank sloshes through it and aerates it up. Plus it robs power, and generally isn't a good idea.


More reason why i just do my own oil changes. Takes 30 mins...and it's done to my standards

 

Yeah, I guess I'll do oil change on my Sentra as well. I drained out 1 quart today on the Sentra and it's still a little above H but that's alrite. Before it must have been 1.5 inches above the H line. That's it no more oil changes outside. I guess I need to stock up some conventional oil for my Sentra now. My G gets Synthetic.

 

you do have to realize that this dipstick design on the Vq35 is crap. Its takes a couple of tries to get a solid reading. Because it normally hits something coming up and oil drips on there.

most of the time i check my oil there are spots way above the blue but i just look at the solid oil marks on the stick. I forget how many quarts of oil the G takes, but on V6 motors i normally stop at 4.5 and just pull out the stick to see if its dry or not. Most 4 bangers i stop at 3.5 to check. Its not too hard to drain oil back out.

m3's and VW v6's are thirsty cars for oil tho.



Oil smell can be due to the design of the engine. And location of the oil filter. Most shops for some reason always missing the oil filler hole the first time and it drips around the valve cover. If the oil filter is above like the subframe, oil can get trapped, or etc. But i almost never smell burning oil. Even on my parent's 4 banger camry where the oil fitler is right in your face on the block, the filter always drips oil on the engine NO MATTER what.

 

Yup, the G35 dipstick is the worst I've seen. Yeah, I usually have to check it 3 or 4 times myself.

I found out the smell on the Sentra was oil dripped from the oil filter down to some frame or exhaust pipe shield.

 

true!! So freaking hard to get a reading on the dip stick on our G. Does anybody have a good trick on how to read the dip stick easly?

 

just the obvious stuff like careful and slowly. for me it still requires a couple of tries. you would figure for those oil burning rev-up motors they would aleast do a good dipstick design...



The G's oil filter will never leave any burning but i can see how the side shield might cause some to think the car is leaking oil...

 

Not sure if this is normal but is it possible to have a bad dipstick? When i check my oil there some all the way at the top and aroudn the dipstick insertion area.

 

^ make sure that you wipe off the dipstick on the first pull. the second (or third) pull should give a clean oil level mark. the first pull has oil sloshed all over it from the running engine.