[egon]

Ok, and I thought my Mom's old Saturn sucked. I did a 500 mile oil change yesterday and it took WAY to long. When I was done, it looked like was into bondage. My hands and forearms were covered in indents from the skid, err, dust shield. Do they put the filter on with an impact at the factory? Well, I'm done venting, till the next oil change.

A remote oil filter is really starting to look nice. Especially with that lawn mower oil filter.

--Matt

 

[Lonesome Crow]

I feel your pain! At least you did this job for yourself not like me and spent way too much time @ the Droolership.

see this thread

Hopefully this will go better for you next time.

 

[lj1983]

yeah, that first oil change is a bitch...that filter is on WAAAY to tight..

i just did my 20k one, and would've gone fine except....

last time i had merchants do my oil change, and they put a pennzoil filter on. well, amazingly, the pennzoil filter is a different size than the nissan OEM or the mobil1 filter i was using...so my freakin filter wrench wouldn't fit. gah. so, other than the huge pain in the ass it was to screwdriver the filter (with the front BP skid on) it went really quickly

 

[Muzikman]

It's pretty easy to take down the stock slid plate. Taking it down will also save you a mess.

I didn't do my first change, so I don't know how tight the filter was, but with my Shrock skid, I just reach in with a Channel Lock style filter wrench and break it free. I can use a small cut down cool whip container to catch the filters oil. I can change my oil in less than 20 minutes and that is 10-15 minutes of draining and filling.

 

[bluzfan]

I have a 2 inch scar on my left inner wrist from the recently healed gash I got doing my first oil change. The filter was a mother to get off. I ended up crumpling it to the point that I could get a grip with the wrench. Took me 2 hours but I got it done!

 

[RiNkY]

My filter wouldn't budge for shit on the first change. Was tough even with a filter tool to grip / remove it. Was just crushing the filter. It had at least 2 turns to many from the factory. I feel your pain, the skid scratched the shit out of me too before I gave up and went to buy the tool.

Oil Filter Pliers.

 

[hattrik21]

It's pretty easy to take down the stock slid plate. Taking it down will also save you a mess.

I didn't do my first change, so I don't know how tight the filter was, but with my Shrock skid, I just reach in with a Channel Lock style filter wrench and break it free. I can use a small cut down cool whip container to catch the filters oil. I can change my oil in less than 20 minutes and that is 10-15 minutes of draining and filling.

I just did my first oil change since putting on the Shrock skids and let me just say, I think half of it ened up in the skid. I think next time, I'll take the extra 10 min and take it off before trying to change it again.

The front skid for the most part worked out pretty good as far as gaining access to the oil filter. I stuffed a rag kinda up in it under the oil filter and it soaked up all that didn't run down the drain spout.

 

[Muzikman]

I am too fearful to take the skid off. First I'd have to buy all new bolts as the ones on it are so chewed up that it would be hard to get them off, yet a lone back on. I also have fear that I'll have a hard time lining it back up. It's smashed and dented pretty good. All my my skids look like they are 10 years old and pretty dented.

 

[bluzfan]

When doing my first change, I remebered a tip I read on here somewhere, I think from MC. He said to use a plastic freezer size bag to catch the drip of oil from the filter. It worked great! :cheers:

 

[BoonDox]

I go to Farm King and get my oil change.
total is 17.45 with mobil 1 dura-blend.
________
MAZDA KABURA PICTURE

 

[FrankB]

I have full Shrock skids (including the front radiator skid designed for use with the stock front bumper), and no place to do my own oil changes. Here are a few things I noticed that last time I had the local Nissan dealer change the oil:

- They used some sort of a filter-grabber on the end of a short pole (OK, so that's probably not the technical name for it) that looked like the thing you use to get a light bulb that is up on a high ceiling. Sort of a basket on the end of a pole that with fingers that fit into the indents around the filter. The tech had no trouble getting the old filter out or the new one in through the little round hole in the Shrock skid. The factory "skid" has a similar access hatch, and it's even bigger than the one on the Shrock.

- Oil drained out fairly well from the drain plug through the hole in the engine skid, but they did have to do some clean-up.

- The tech used some sort of spray (degreaser?) cleaner to clean the inside of the front and engine skids, and shot some compressed air in there to dry it out. He spent a fair amount of time cleaning, but I think he did a good job. I only noticed a small drop or two of oil around one of the skid plate bolts later.

- I noticed later (after I banged the heck out of the access hole) that there was still some oil residue inside the front plate, but not much.

- Bottom line: for $30 it was worth it to let the dealer do the oil change.

- The best part was when the tech had the truck up on the lift, about 6' off the ground, another tech walked out into the service bay, saw the underside and said "Holy moly! This thing really goes off road!". I don't think they see a lot of Xterra's that have probably spent more time in 4WD than in 2WD.

 

[syndicate]

REPRESENT!

 

[Graytshirt]

I did a 500 mile oil change yesterday and it took WAY to long.

Have any of the rest of you did your first oil change before the recommended 3750 miles?

 

[Muzikman]

I did mine at 1500 miles.

But yes, you really should change your oil before the 3700 miles that Nissan has listed as the first oil change. There is a break in period where lots of gunk and metal shavings are present when an ending is new. When I replaced mine at 1500 miles it was black as can be.

 

[usmc xterra]

Check out this thread http://thenewx.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=1837
I have about 10% use of right thumb and no problems. Someone is cranking your filter down way too tight. They sell an oil filter removal tool that you stick a 3/8 in drive into and that works great even with skids.
I see that hole you have but i don't use anything like that. MC

 

[lostboy]

I did a 500 mile oil change yesterday and it took WAY to long.

Have any of the rest of you did your first oil change before the recommended 3750 miles?

I did mine at 1500 as well and about to do the next on at 3500.

Use what MC said, thats what I used and it was great to just be able to crank a ratchet a couple of times to get it off.