[rtking]

Has anyone else seen the oil filters for the Murano? Wow! That is one REALLY small oil filter! No wonder they recommend 3,750 oil change intervals for "severe duty" driving! (I'd change the oil at 3,000 miles anyway...)

And per the owner's manual, the crankcase holds 4.25 quarts of oil? Wow... that's far less than I expected! I was expecting 6 quarts of oil!

I guess Nissan got this to work somehow! But I can be certain that I'll be very meticulous about oil changes in the Murano though!

Bob K.

 

[Eric L.]

I read over at the Maxima BBS that there is an older filter for the Maxima's 3.5L engine (perhaps from the older 3.0L engine) that fits the Murano's 3.5L thread. In theory, larger filter = more filtering capacity and longer life. I forget the part number, but its worth asking the nissan dealer for compatible filters. I do agree the Murano's filter is very small. 3000 miles is too often for oil changes, when I had my 97 Maxima, many people performed oil analyses on both normal and synthetic oil and found that regardless of oil type and driving conditions, 5000 mile intervals were still fine to use. But I guess you can what you want since the cost difference is not that great- I read about some people who change their oil every 2500 miles - I often wonder if they are advertising Jiffy Lube or something.

 

[Gonzo]

You're not kidding that is exactly what I thought. Its so much smaller than my Pulsar filter.... and not much more oil.

 

[Enforcer]

I think this is it. Same issue with the Z.

http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CP&Product_Code=15208-00006

 

[rtking]

OMG!!! That is one TIGHT filter!

I'm now at 688 miles on my Murano, so I thought I'd change the oil just to be safe. (Never know if there's any boring grit or metal flakes floating around somewhere!)

After locating the filter on the passenger side of the car, I decided to remove the plastic flap covering the accessory belt and oil filter. Easy enough... four push-pin style retainers removed and the plate comes right off.

But I have to admit that the factory worker in Japan who put on the oil filter probably had Godzilla envy!!!! That was one hellaciously tight filter! I ripped my latex gloves using both hands and all my upper body strength to twist that thing off!

Once I got the filter loose, I put some aluminum foil over the crossmember so that the oil wouldn't collect there and voila! The oil drained out nice and easily. I did the same aluminum foil trick draining the oil pan and that worked really nicely too.

I am surprised that the engine only took 4.5 quarts of oil. And I was a bit startled that it really did take 5 minutes for the oil to settle before I got an accurate reading on the dipstick.

Overall... it was kind-of a pain but now I know how to do it very quickly and can probably be done in 30-45 minutes. Especially since I know that I put on the filter correctly!

Bob K.

 

[tahoe_MO]

Great idea on the aluminum foil, Bob. I wish I'd have thought of that, had to wipe a bunch off the crossmember. My filter was on gol darn tight also -- ended up using channel-locks to get it free.

 

[GMTURBO43]

You can get an oil filter wrench for under 10 bucks.

 

[Eric L.]

The Murano's filter is so small, you will need an end-cap wrench like the one Courtesy sells to remove the filter. The normal clamp type oil wrench will not close enough to grip the filter. My factory filter was on so tight, I ended up denting it while trying to turn it with an end cap wrench. Finally I gave up and paid the dealer $20 to change my oil and filter.

 

[GMTURBO43]

The other thing I have seen is those "grip wrench" things. Kinda like a big rubber band with a handle. Dunno if it'd work in this scenario - but I thought of it when I was oil filter wrench shopping.

 

[SVTCobra]

I haven't changed the oil in the MO yet, the first one was free at the dealership. The filter on my Cobra is above the steering rack. I use a piece of cardboard with the edges bent up, slipped between the filter and the rack to "funnel" the oil away and into the pan.