Oil Change and Oil Filter on a Nissan Skyline GT-R

Oil change and filter for an RB26dett engine

Oil, the engines life blood. In a high performance car like a Nissan Skyline GT-R, it is a good idea to have a regular oil change schedule, and stick to it. Some people say every 3,000 miles, or every 6 months. Some push the changes out to more than that. For any car you are going to run at the track, it is always a good idea to change the oil before and after every track day. Cheap insurance.

That blue end, that is an oil filter. This is an R32 GT-R

Oil - The original Nissan specification was 7.5W-30 for the R32, 10-30 for R33 and R34. 4.5 liters in the pan, 0.4 liters in the oil filter.

We now really like a 10w-60 in an RB26. Its been several years now, and I agree with the Aussies. We have used Redline 15/50w or 10/30w full synthetic, and 10w-60. We are on Royal Purple 10w60 now, and seems to be working well for us. 4.5 liters, stock. Filling it to the bump on the dipstick is generally considered acceptable.

We ran Royal Purple XRP 10w60 in the Bluecar. There are some crazy oil guys out there. Check Bob is the Oil guy if you want to go oil nuts.

K&N HP-1002 , Wix 51361, Mobil 1 M1-208

Oil Filter for RB26dett -

OEM 15208-60U00
OEM R32 AY100-NS007
K & N HP-2008 (discontinued)

3/4-16 thread
4.280 inches height (108 mm)
3.120 OD (79 mm)
Anti drainback valve

Replaced by the K & N HP-1002

3/4-16 thread
3.75 inches height (95 mm)
3 inches OD (76mm)
Anti drainback valve

MOBIL M1-208 (hard to get locally)
WIX 51361

3/4-16 thread
4 1/8 inches height (104 mm)
3 1/4 OD (82mm)
Anti drainback valve

OEM(R34, smaller filter) 15208-9E000

Engine oil, and gear oil viscosity is based on ambient temps. This is the chart from the R34 GT-R service manual, but will work for R32, and R33.

Engine Lubrication and Cooling Fluid Capacities for Nissan Skyline

Engine Oil Capacity (quarts)
Item	RB20E/RB25DE	RB25DET	RB26DETT
H Level	4.2	4.3	4.8
L Level	3.2	3.5	3.7
Oil and Filter Change	~ 4.4	~4.8	~4.9

Coolant Capactiy (liters)
	RB20/RB25DE/RB25DET	RB26DETT
Capacity	~9	~9.2

Engine Oil Pressure(kg/cm2, psi)
RPM	Idling	2000	6000
RB20E	~1.0, 14	~3.8,54	~4.8,68
RB25DE	~1.0, 14	~3.3,47	~5.3,75
RB25DET	~1.0, 14	~3.5,50	~5.6,85
RB26DETT	~1.5, 21	~3.0,43	~4.6,65

Tools - Getting at the oil filter on an R32 GT-R with Hicas can be a trick. It is under the collector. Between the Hicas lines on the frame rail, and the various coolant and air lines under the collector, getting at the oil filter can be a bear. We recommend you buy a 3 claw oil filter wrench. Sears/Craftsman have them. They are about $15-$20 and will get the oil filter off about 99% of the time on an RB26.

3 claw oil filter wrench. Stubby flex wrench. This combo will slay most Skyline GT-R oil filters

Some people use a screwdriver to stab the filter if they can't get it off. While it can work, it makes a mess, and if you do it wrong (we have seen it done wrong), you can end up with a nub of a very stuck oil filter.

A strap wrench is possible, but again not a lot of room to swing any tools under the collector. Oil filter pliers, same deal.

In real life all oil filters would be 1/4 turn past hand tight, but even then they can still be difficult to take off.

K&N HP 2008 oil filter

The K&N HP 2008 oil filter has a 1" nut on the end that makes removal a bit easier. It also has a provision to safety wire the filter in place. Most people wouldn't safety wire/lock wire their filter in place, but in the race world, it is a great idea.

Trust oil cooler kit with oil filter relocated in front of subframe. Not our favorite place to put an oil cooler

Other Options - An oil filter relocation kit is a popular way to make oil changes a little easier. There are a number of ways of doing it. If you are putting a relocator, we highly recommend an oil cooler at the same time. The OEM filter is a 3/4-16 thread. Some oil filter relocations change the filter thread pitch, so make sure you check the instructions before you buy a gross of oil filters.