Yeah - nothing special, but I did it. Went to Walmart for parts, a funnel, catch can, Rhino ramps, filter wrench adapter, oil, creeper, etc. $75 out the door. The $25 creeper is probably going back - it was more easier and comfortable without it.

The local dealer surprised me with $4.50 each for 3 oil filters (the long can 9E), tax included. Threw in the crush washers for free.

Ran up the ramps, pulled the plug, removed the filter, let it drain for about 15 minutes, new filter, filled it up, put it all back together and I was done. Total time was 45 minutes, but I chose to let it drain a while, and completely remove the air diffuser off the car - it was just easier with it out of my way.

Next week the Fumotomo valve comes in, and I will look into enlarging that hole under there so I won't have to deal with the air diffuser in the future.

Not bad.... not bad at all.

 

What is the Fumotomo valve?

 

www.fumotovalve.com/

Have others enlarged the opening in the air diverter/shroud? Can it be enlarged to the point of also being able to drain/access the oil filter? Any negative side effects?

 

Trebien, I've done a little research on removing the underbody shroud here, but can you enlighten me on how many bolts (and what size they are) need to be removed to take it off? And is it really necessary to remove it, or is there enough wiggle room to get to the drain plug and filter by just loosening bits of it?

Thanks for the post. I do basic maintenance myself and have never owned a car with a shroud that obscures the oil filter/drain plug.

 

When I changed my oil, I let the oil drain for over an hour. Then I jacked up the driver side of the car and a large amount of oil poured out. I had let it drain on even ground. Looks like the pan hold on to a certain percentage of oil unless you tilt the car.

 

[QUOTE=JKWright] And is it really necessary to remove it, or is there enough wiggle room to get to the drain plug and filter by just loosening bits of it?

QUOTE]

I drive up on rhino ramps and take the bolts off on the passenger side of the shroud (the drain bolt and filter are not accessible unless you do this). I then fold the shroud under towards the driver side (it's quite flexible, and I hold it in place by sliding a cinder block under it. That leaves the right side (where the drain plug and filter are) of the underbody accessible.

I think that the bolts have phillips heads as well. I bought a socket attachment (for a few bucks at Sears) that I put into my cordless drill and use a socket (10 or 12 millimeter I think). If you occassionally lubricate the bolts, it will reduce the chance of stripping them.

 

That is not a diffuser guys, just clarifying. The diffusers are under the rear wheels. The lower engine cover is standard on all infiniti vehicles. The hole in the cover on the g35's is large enough to be able to pull the drain plug and let the oil drain. For the filter (most dealership techs do this) you just remove the one screw thats nearest the plug/filter. Then you get an oil bottle and cut the front of the bottle off to make a sort of drain pan. Then you reach in and loosen the filter a little to the point that you can spin it off with one finger. Before you do put your makshift drain pan under the filter and spin the filter off. The one quart oil bottle is enough to hold the little bit of oil and the filter with no problem. This is the way it was designed to be done by infiniti. Some dealership guys also take the plastic temp plates that advertise the dealership and hold them like a taco so that when you take the filter off the oil drains into whatever type of drain bucket you happen to be using, and it also makes a silde for the filter.

 

Thanks for the tips, guys. I was not looking forward to removing all 516 little bolts that hold the shroud in place each time I do an oil change. I'm glad to read there are easier ways to do it.

 

Scary, I just changed my oil at 1700 yesterday too...

 

I believe there were about 12 to 14 bolts - 10mm socket head - I used a cordless drill to save time. Also, there is a single plastic clip in the middle - pop out the end to get it off.

The way my driveway works, the car is tilted slightly towards the passenger side... so it works out well for draining.

As for diffuser/diverter/shroud/cover/whatever nomenclature... it's just a name. Nissan identifies the rear pieces as "diffusers"... but any plastic piece made to change the airflow of the vehicle can be called a diffuser/diverter/shroud/airflow effects/whatever. The part under the engine is made to smooth the airflow as it travels under the vehicle - less overall drag.

But technically, no, this is not "THE diffuser" commonly listed as an accessory as part of the aero package - the "REAR diffusers" as they are called. I never said "To change my oil, I first jack up my car and take off the rear diffusers so that I can get a good look at the gas tank under the trunk..."