marzman Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 Hey all, I had my oil changed last week, and im now paranoid about the pressure gauge. When i check the dipstick when the engine is cold, the oil level is closer to Full rather than the middle of the marker. Then, until the car is warmed up, even driving slowly my oil pressure gauge is maxed out - which is worrying me. When the car has warmed, things seem better, with it idling at roughly 1/3rd the way around, but it does top out when revving high (normal i presume). I had a new filter fitted at the same time, and i have the left over oil, so i know they didnt use the whole 5 litre bottle, but am i at risk of damaging something (such as seals/gaskets) if the pressure is that high??? Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 Stop engine and wait for 10 minutes. Check the engine oil level. must be on level ground what oil filter did you use ? too much oil is as bad as too little but it should be ok anywhere between the markers on the dipstick, iirc 4.4 litres is a oil and filter change maybe the problem is the guage and not the oil level what do you mean by tops out ? the needle going all the way too the right what oil did you use ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted December 27, 2008 Author Share Posted December 27, 2008 Oops. I told the garage 4.7 I used a standard one (non-nissan though). Cant remember the name of it, it just came up in my local motor factor shop's big book - for a Nissan Fairlady. So, im guessing as i checked the level cold and it was pretty high, its gonna be over the maximum marker 10mins after driving... If thats the case - how do i get a bit out?? I can spend an hour and keep pulling the dipstick out and wiping off a bit at a time... but if i take out the sump plug the whole log will go wont it?? Arghh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 Oops. I told the garage 4.7 I used a standard one (non-nissan though). Cant remember the name of it, it just came up in my local motor factor shop's big book - for a Nissan Fairlady. So, im guessing as i checked the level cold and it was pretty high, its gonna be over the maximum marker 10mins after driving... If thats the case - how do i get a bit out?? I can spend an hour and keep pulling the dipstick out and wiping off a bit at a time... but if i take out the sump plug the whole log will go wont it?? Arghh! what oil was it ? you can take the sump plug out and hold it in the hole to reduce the flow to drain some off but it should not be a problem if the level is between the markers and no it will show a higher level when cold than after allowing it to stand for 10 mins because it wont have had time to drain to the sump you are def reading the dipstick right ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted December 27, 2008 Author Share Posted December 27, 2008 Oops. I told the garage 4.7 I used a standard one (non-nissan though). Cant remember the name of it, it just came up in my local motor factor shop's big book - for a Nissan Fairlady. So, im guessing as i checked the level cold and it was pretty high, its gonna be over the maximum marker 10mins after driving... If thats the case - how do i get a bit out?? I can spend an hour and keep pulling the dipstick out and wiping off a bit at a time... but if i take out the sump plug the whole log will go wont it?? Arghh! what oil was it ? you can take the sump plug out and hold it in the hole to reduce the flow to drain some off but it should not be a problem if the level is between the markers and no it will show a higher level when cold than after allowing it to stand for 10 mins because it wont have had time to drain to the sump you are def reading the dipstick right ? It was Millers CFS Fully Synthetic (what Big Phil uses as standard i think). I didnt know it'd be higher when cold - i assumed when it got warm it would expand and be higher! And yes, i assume im reading the dipstick right... my mate at the garage was looking at it with me anyway! I'll check it tomorrow after letting it run. Having said all that - next time someone is out - please just have a look at the oil gauge and let me know how high it is until it has warmed up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 could be a dodgy sender unit making the guage nisread, i have never seen mine max out http://www.350zmotoring.com/forums/gene ... stion.html http://www.350z-uk.com/forum/viewtopic ... l+pressure The oil pressure gauge shows the pressure created in the engine by the oil pump. It is linked to a 'sender' which is what actually measures the pressure. I don't know exactly what form the sender has on the Z but it will most likely be a spring-loaded diaphragm. On start-up until the car is warm the pressure will read between half-way and three-quarters on the gauge, I forget what this equates to exactly but I think between 60 and 90psi. When warm the gauge normally reads at the first, quarter-mark which is about 30psi IIRC. The Nissan test for low oil pressure defines the threshold below which to be concerned as 14psi again IIRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted December 27, 2008 Author Share Posted December 27, 2008 could be a dodgy sender unit making the guage nisread, i have never seen mine max out http://www.350zmotoring.com/forums/gene ... stion.html No mention of a sender unit in that thread - they just say it should go back to normal in a few hundred miles, and that others have experienced this. I'll just take it easy until the car's warmed up from now on (something i really should do anyway, but i dont, seeing as there's a lovely dual carriageway 0.5miles from my house!) Good link though, cheers gix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 the most important thing at this point is the oil level is corrrect mate the car will always show higher pressure when cold as the oils thicker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMANALEX Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 As has been said previously but I would like to add. I would not be taking any chances with an aftermaket oil filter. Best to fit Genuine Nissan every time....Part # 15208 - 9F600 Alex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 As has been said previously but I would like to add. I would not be taking any chances with an aftermaket oil filter. Best to fit Genuine Nissan every time....Part # 15208 - 9F600 Alex. +1 i have heard good reports about k&n and the magnetic filters but i've always bought oem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 You know what, i know it had a '208' on the box - thats all i can remember! I think its just a standard fit generic filter for nissans'. Its not uprated or anything, it just isnt nissan. ...but point taken - if this problem goes away, when i do the next change in a few thousand miles then i'll put genuine nissan in there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adriank Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 What viscosity was the oil you fitted? the Z uses quite thin if i remember rightly. If the stuff you have is too thick thats going to shunt the pressure up. I dont think mine ever goes above 3/4 or 90psi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevo Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Mines always hovering up the top end when cold chris (under a little throttle), wouldn't really worry about it, as the lads said, aslong as its the right viscosity (10-40W i think) and at the right level, it shouldn't make a difference. Let us know if something blows though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greekman Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Mine always tops up when cold... and when warm, it can top up at very hard engine load...didnt have any probs so far and the car did it from brand new.... the way to check the oil level is by letting the engine warm up properly. then turn the engine off and wait for about 5 mins. then it should be at about max. oil expands when hot but circulates as well when the engine is running. so u need to check the level after that difference occurs. had a word with Phil about that fully synthetic oil a couple of months ago and he was adamant that its superior to mama stuff...he was quite convincing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rentech Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Similar here, so I wouldn't worry. When cold it reaches up to a needles width of the max 120 marker. Once warm it's still at 90 when doing 70mph on the motorway. Just had oil and filter replaced at Nissan dealer. No difference pre/post service. Another gauge = another thing to worry about Once warm sits at just under 30 with normal idle revs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted December 31, 2008 Author Share Posted December 31, 2008 Cheers guys. The oil i've added is 5w40. Been looking at it the last few days, and until i've been driving 10mins and its warmed up, the pressure guage is maxing out completely if i go over 20mph. I wont do anything as my oil level is correct (checked after letting the engine cool for 10mins, so it must be new oil + the weather. I'll update in a couple of hundred miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adriank Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Yeah do mate, i dont know whats normal, but mine is nothing like that. Once warm at about 70mph in 6th mine is at about 70psi or so. I used 5W-30 fully synthetic oil in mine. This is the reccomended oil viscosity to use according to the owners manual. look in Technical Information, section 8.3 Adrian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSportUK Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Sorry to drudge up old threads, but this is the only one that came up when I searched for the part number. Just bought an oil filter off t'internet - part number 15208-9F600. The box says it's for an Almera with QG15 and 18 engines! Is this definitely the right filter for the 350Z? - looks very small! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 It's correct. I thought it was for a 1.0 litre micra! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSportUK Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Good stuff. Cheers for that. It really does look Micra-spec, but hey, Nissan knows best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davimorg Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 this might sound stupid... there is a clear film seal which has to be removed from most oil filters.... i cant see this being the problem, but its something to keep in mind maybe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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