Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Hey people, ive been doing alot of oil changes to my car in the past, and need to know how to correctly top it up....

I just bought a 5l castrol edge 0w40, and filter too, doing both at the same time....but need to know the best way to top it all up.

Usually i just loosen the filter, and the drain plug and let all the oil come out, then top it upin one hit....

but i was told to top up 4l first, then turn on car, then top rest up till the oil is at the high level on the dipstick....should i be topping up all 5l or no?

thanks in reply!

Put in about 4.5l. Start engine until the gauge registers pressure (5 - 10 secs), then switch off. Let stand for a few minutes to allow the oil to drain back to the sump. Now check dipstick, add oil as necessary.

drain the oil,

replace sump washer and torque plug up,

remove and replace filter,

fill engine with 4L or so of oil,

start engine, wait for oil light to extinquish,

let sit for a minute, check dip stick level.

top up until FULL.

the reason you start it after filling initially is because the oil filter is not full of oil initially until you start it and you will get a misleading oil level. (higher then it actually will be once new oil filter is full)

iv serviced cars many times... the way i see it and do it is,

get it warm (as warm oil will flow through internals easier than cold oil),

you get her up?,

undo plug and filter, let drain over a period of time (i leave it for over an hour, but no need to do it as long),

make sure area is clean of dirt ect. by using a rag, put new filter on 2/3 turn (run a bead of clear oil over rubber gasket helps seal under heat),

clean around plug hole on sump, put plug back in,

lower the car down,

put new oil in (i put in same amount that comes out), let sit for a bit, check dip stick and slowly top up bit by bit waiting about 1 min in between check until level is close to high level on dipstick,

take for a short drive to get oil a bit warm then recheck because new oil will be pushed around all internals, turbo ect. recheck and do slight top up done... and done right

* be sure to check your filter after car has been driven ( after a decent drive) for minor leakage. if leaking just tighten it a bit with your hand. (dont leave it to long to check and tighten as heat will make rubber gasket go hard and will break seal and then you will have to replace filter again...)

* best to do it yourself in your own time because most mechanics (under a time scedule) wont let it sit to drain long enough, which leaves contaminated oil inside engine and will contaminate new oil.

If done correctly when driving (highway or freeway) your dash cluster oil pressure gauge should be on the 4 mark or very very close to.

any qustions please ask... cheers

Edited by 4drftn
  • 6 months later...

Ive heard a few people commenting that you should fill your filter full of oil before fitting.

Please people, this will only end up in a mess, esspecially on a skyline where the filter is at an arms reach.

Do not waste your time, Ive never heard of a filter "popping off" because of this.

yeah i wouldn't worry, it only takes a couple of seconds to get pressure, because the engine was already hot from when you drained it, there still should be a fair bit of oil hanging around on most components, and if you run an oil like motul with ester or royal purple with molyb, it tends to cling to the parts for a while anyway after shutdown, so you have some protection still even without pressure.

And make sure that the old oil filter seal isnt stuck on the engine when you change the filter, really makes a mess of your fire wall and leaves a hansell and gretel trail from your mates house where you did it all the way back to your house and then leaves the rest of the oil in a ig puddle on your drive way...... errrr .... so im told :D

Ive heard a few people commenting that you should fill your filter full of oil before fitting.

Please people, this will only end up in a mess, esspecially on a skyline where the filter is at an arms reach.

Do not waste your time, Ive never heard of a filter "popping off" because of this.

i put put abit of oil in and swish it around before installing. works for me. whether it does anything i dunno..ha

  • 2 weeks later...

Dont bother putting any oil into the filter before installing it. It does nothing except make a mess. However, you do need to place grease or oil around the seal to help it stick. Also, when you drain say 4.9L of 5L of oil, 100mL in the engine wont make much difference. Plus, do you guys change your sump plug washer everytime you change your oil? Otherwise it will leak. If you know exactly how much oil goes into the car, pour it all in. Then run the car until the oil light goes out, wait another 10 seconds then turn the car off and check the oil. There is no need for huge drives, just enough to pump oil around the engine. If the oil mark in a few millimetres from the "Full" position on the dipstick, leave it. The oil will drain back into the sump and fill that up. While you are draining the oil, go though and check the underside of your car as well. Steering boots, oil leaks, CV boots, fuel filter, that sort of thing. Once you have gone through and checked all that, then the oil will have finished draining. Don't bother about waiting for every tiny drop to come out, there will always be some left in there. Dont worry about contaminated oil too much though, that is what an oil filter is there for!!

And finally, DO NOT FORGET TO TIGHTEN THE SUMP PLUG!!!! A hand tightend sump plug will not leak straigt away, but within a few kms it will fall out and its goodbye oil, goodbye motor, big, big trouble! That is the most important step of the whole procedure!

highway cruizing (100km/h in 5th or top) is the only way to check true oil pressure, oil pressure will not build up on idle. its not something you have to do straight away, but it gives you a good indication of the oil quality etc. currently in the car.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Hi guys . Can someone help me  I bought an Android screen for my Nissan fuga but it won't turn on   
    • My guesstimate, with no real numbers to back it up, is it won't effect it greatly at all.its not a huge change in position, and I can't see the air flow changing from in turbulence that much based on distance, and what's in front of it. Johnny and Brad may have some more numbers to share from experience though.
    • Which solenoid? Why was it changed? Again, why was this done? ...well, these wear..but ultimately, why was it changed? Did you reset the idle voltage level after fitment? I'm just a tad confused ~ the flash code doesn't allude to these items being faulty, so in my mind the only reason to change these things, would be some drive-ability issue....and if that's the case, what was the problem? Those questions aside, check if the dropping resistor is OK ...should be 11~14 ohms (TCU doesn't throw a flash code for this) ~ also, these TCU designs have full time power (to keep fault code RAM alive), and I think that'll throw a logic code (as opposed to the 10 hardware codes), if that power is missing (or the ram has gone bad in the TCU, which you can check..but that's another story here perhaps).
    • Question for people who "know stuff" I am looking at doing the new intake like the one in the picture (the pictured is designed for the OEM TB and intake plenum), this design has the filter behind the front bar, but, the filter sits where the OEM duct heads into the front bar, and the standard aperture when the OEM ducting is removed allows the filter to pulled back out of the front bar into the engine bay for servicing, a simple blanking plate is used to seal the aperture behind the filter This will require a 45° silicone hose from the TB, like the alloy pipe that is currently there, to another 45° silicone hose to get a straight run to the aperture in the front bar Question: how will it effect the tune if I move the MAF about 100-150mm forward, the red is around where my MAF is currently, and the green would be where it would end up Like this This is the hole the filter goes through  Ends up like this LOL..Cheers    
    • Despite the level up question, actually I do know what that is....it is a pressure sender wire.  So check out around the oil filter for an oil pressure sender, or maybe fuel pressure near the filter or on the engine. Possibly but less likely coolant pressure sensor because they tend to be combined temp/pressure senders if you have one. Could also be brake pressure (in a brake line somewhere pre ABS) but maybe I'm the only one that has that on a skyline.
×
×
  • Create New...