OK so i changed my oil last night and thought id give you guys a run down on how its down. i wont take any responsibility for your actions due to lack of experience or ignorance (i gotta cover my *** here! )

i don't have pics, i wasn't planning on writing a diy but after doing it, i thought id share my experience.

1. drive the car up on rhino ramps (you can jack it up and use jack stands as well)

2. using a 10mm socket, unscrew the 16 (or was it 17) screws that hold the belly pan on. there are 3 plastic clips in the middle of the belly pan. to remove these, use a flathead and pop the center of the clip out. the entire clip assembly will then fall down.

3. once the belly pan is off, everything is in plain view. the drain plug and filter (located literally an inch above the drain plug....so easy!)/ the plug and filter are located on the passenger side of the car. take a 14mm wrench and unscrew the drain plug (make sure the oil cap on top is off!). then unscrew the filter off. you may need a locking type oil filter remover if its on too tight (usually attaches to a ratchet and as you tighten the ratchet, it'll squeeze and remove the filter).

4. get the new filter and screw it on. tighten it as much as you can using your bare hands, then turn it 1/4 turn more. hand tighten it only! (make sure you dab a little oil on the rubber seal)

5. screw the drain plug back in. use the 14mm wrench to tighten it. after its tight, turn it 1/4 turn more. DO NOT over tighten the drain plug

6. start filling the oil from up top. i put in 5.25 quarts in and ran the engine, then checked the levels. make sure everything is tight and sealed, no leaks.

7. get back down and screw the belly pan back on.

there is no trap door on the belly pan, tho having one would've saved me a lot of time. the took me longer to get the belly pan off then to change the oil!! this is by far, the easiest engine I've changed the oil on. once the belly pan is off, everything is right there in front of you. you don't have to reach up thru wires and hoses and hot engine parts. hope this helps you guys!

vick

 

Be careful with your "hand tighten only" statement. I put the normal amount of elbow grease on my oil filter the first time I changed the oil in the G35. When I went to do my second oil change, I noticed a good amount of oil had leaked out, and was on the engine under cover.
So, in order to put the filter on with the required 3/4~1 turn past initial torque, I had to use a tool.

Just an observation from my car. Take it or leave it.

Also, you forgot about putting a new crush-washer on the drain plug.

Hand-tight on the drain plug...are you crazy?

 

+1... you need to more than just hand tighten the oil filter and drain plug. Once you feel the filter is tight, give it another 1/2-1 full turn (as tight as your hands will let you). The drain plug needs to be tightened back on with the 14mm wrench, dont do it too tight though, just make sure its "snug" (i've done 2000+ oil changes in the last 2 years so i'm not just talkin outta my a$$) also, when changing the filter... make sure that the gasket from the old filter comes off with it (sometimes they like to stick to the housing) and if you double gasket it you'll have one BIIIIG mess to clean up.
-GP-

 

ive hand tightened all my other cars, no problems. the mechanics i go to also hand tighten. to clarify for the drain plug, i when i say hand tighten, i dont mean, literally with your hand. use the wrench but dont over-tighten it. as soon as it gets harder to turn, 1/4 turn more and you're fine. and for the crush washer, personally, ill use it a couple times before changing it. again, thru past experiences, i havent had any problems. i know some people change it out every time but i dont think its necessary. ill keep an eye out on the oil level.

thanx for the info,

vick

 

ok maybe theres a miscommunication or misunderstanding of words. to me hand tight = as tight as you can possibly tighten the filter using your hands. that includes the 1/4-1/2turn after the initial turn. as for the drain plug, i replied to that in the post the above.

 

you have to state that in your DIY if you really want it posted.. .some people around here are definitely not mechanically inclined and will try this and follow EVERYTHING you said, thus you have to go into great detail when posting a DIY. I do agree with the crush washer, i've used the same one that came with the car when i bought it brand new (36k miles ago) and my car hasnt lost a lick of oil ever since.

 

I've never used ramps before, only floor jack and jack stands. Is it possible to get the front of a lowered car onto ramps?

 

ive enver had a problem. they make different ramps that are longer and the inlcine isnt as bad so its easier for lowered cars to go on.

 

Someone should post Pics of the step-by-step procedure starting from the beginning. Also, what size/type oil filter was used or is recommended to be used.

 

ill post pics next time i do an oil change, tho i dont know if you guys can wait that long. i used the mobil 1 filter (m108). same size as the oem filter, atleast form the outside, its the same.

 

when i had my 05 G35 coupe, I had to put 2x4s in front of the ramps because the front was so low. WOOD IS YOUR FRIEND!

 

You have to unscrew 16 or 17 screws to get the belly pan out? Can we cut a hole to access the oil filter without messing with the belly pan?

 

there's no crush washer on the drain plug?

 

you probably can but i wouldnt do it untill i find out how much the new pan costs. and i wouldnt recommend driving w/o it beacuse the oil pan and filter is RIGHT there! it can easily be ripped off.

there is, but i dont find it necessary to change it out every single time. if you feel more comfortable doing so, then by all means, change it out.

 

cool. they're cheap enough that i always change them out.