Getting a stock G35 Coupe ready for the track and/or drifting, requires a lot of preparation. Given the time constraints, I plan to do the most important things first. The most important thing is to make sure that the engine has fresh engine oil. Doing an oil change on the G35 is quite easy, and I outline the steps here.
CAUTION: The old oil should be considered very toxic, so it is advised to use gloves to do the work.
Step 1: Make sure you have 5 quarts (US) of 5W-30 oil and an oil filter which fits. I used Mobil1 5W-30 High Mileage oil (Figure 1) and the Purolator oil filter (Figure 2) for this task. You may also need to buy appropriate copper crush washers for this process, but I ended up reusing the older washer. I did buy a pack of 10 crush washers later from Amazon though for my next oil change.
Figure 1. 5 quarts of high mileage 5W-30 oil
Figure 2. Purolator new oil filter
Step 2: First raise the car on a lift or jack stands or on ramps. Make sure the car is stable when in the air before going under it. Drive the car about 5-10 minutes and then let it cool for about 10 minutes, before you do this so that the engine oil drains faster.
Figure 3. Car is up on our mid-rise lift
Step 3: Using a 14mm socket (Figure 4) open the drain plug which is under the car (shown by the red arrow in Figure 5). Remember to place a container appropriately below to collect the old oil while it drains (Figure 6).
Figure 4. 14mm socket
Figure 5. Engine oil drain plug
Figure 6. Engine oil is draining
Step 4: Open the inlet cap (Figure 7) in the engine bay for the oil to drain faster. Oil drains out in about 10-15 minutes.
Figure 7. Open the engine oil inlet cap
Step 5: Once the oil has drained out, close the drain plug. Tighten with your hand first and then using a 14mm box wrench tighten it by 1/4 or 1/2 circle so it is snug. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN THE PLUG. If you overtighten the plug, it will slip and you may need to change the oil pan. This is a known problem in these cars. You could also use a Fumoto Valve for this, but that is going to be explained in another post, as it arrived later.
Step 6: To remove the old filter, you will need to remove one of the screws (shown by the green arrow in Figure 8) of the plastic shield that blocks the oil filter (shown by the red arrow in Figure 8). I had to use an oil filter wrench to remove the oil filter as it was on very tight. Once the filter is removed (Figure 9) you should use a shop towel to wipe down the area of the old oil.
Figure 8. Old oil filter
Figure 9. Oil filter removed
Step 7: Now lubricate the new oil filter with a little oil from the new can, and fill up half the filter with oil and wait for the filter to absorb it all in. It should be ready to then install it in position within a minute or so.
Figure 10. Lubricate the oil filter
Figure 11. New filter installed
Step 8: Using a funnel pour in all the 5 quarts of the 5W-30 oil into the engine slowly. Then put the inlet cap back on.
Figure 12. Use funnel to pour the new oil in
Step 9: Drive the car for a few minutes and check for any oil leaks.
