The commanding Armada is more than just powerful—it’s a roomy escape from the world, offering a quiet and luxurious ride whether you’re just making your daily commute or you’re trekking across the country. To keep it in tip-top shape, you’ll want to make sure you’re holding to a regular maintenance schedule, and that includes oil changes.

We have your guide to the engine oil capacity of the 2018 Nissan Armada, including the best type of oil for the job and a quick guide to a DIY oil change.

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2018 Nissan Armada engine oil capacity

The 2018 Nissan Armada has an engine oil capacity of 6.9 quarts—sometimes written as 6.5 liters.

Under the hood of every Armada from this year is a 5.6-liter V8 engine with an oil capacity of 6.9 quarts. 5.6-liter refers to the displacement of the engine, or how much room the V8 takes up under the hood. 6.9, on the other hand, is how many quarts of oil are required to complete an oil change.

What kind of oil does a 2018 Nissan Armada need?

The amount of oil you need for your 2018 Nissan Armada is pretty cut and dry, but you may be overwhelmed when it comes to the sheer amount of options when it comes to motor oil at your local auto parts store.

To keep it simple, you only need to know three things about the oil for your Nissan Armada:

The viscosity should be 0W-20.

Look for full-synthetic motor oil, not conventional or a synthetic blend.

The maker recommends genuine Nissan oil if you can find it.

Oil viscosity is coded with these letters and numbers to give you an idea of the thickness of oil at different temperatures. The 0W represents the viscosity of the oil at low temperatures—"W" stands for winter and freezing temperatures—so we can tell that this oil has a low viscosity in the cold.

The 20 represents the oil’s viscosity at higher temperatures of around 212°F. Twenty is still a relatively low number, which gives us an idea that this oil is thin at even higher temps.

Full synthetic oil is a man-made product of chemical compounds, which allows for a cleaner product with fewer impurities or sediments that can build up in the engine and cause issues. Synthetic oil also tends to last longer, which means you can go for longer periods between oil changes.

While Nissan recommends Nissan synthetic oil, you can substitute a different brand if you aren’t able to find the genuine article. As long as it is fully synthetic and 0W-20, you should be in the clear.

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How often to change the oil on a 2018 Nissan Armada

Now that you know what kind of oil you need for an oil change on a Nissan Armada, you may be wondering just when you’ll need to put this information to use: How often do you need to change the oil in your 2018 Armada?

Because the Armada uses full synthetic oil rather than conventional or a synthetic blend, you can get between 7,500 and 10,000 miles out of your car before you need to change it. If you don’t drive very often, you can also change it about once a year to make sure it stays clean,

If you’re not sure exactly how long its been since your last oil change, keep an eye out for the following signs that you’re due to swap yours out:

Gritty oil texture

Dark brown or black oil

Knocking sound coming from the engine

Oil warning light comes on

Car vibrating when idling

Excessive exhaust smoke

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How to change your oil and oil filter

Once it is time to change your oil and oil filter, you’ll need just a few materials to get started:

6.9 quarts of 0W-20 engine oil

Socket wrench

Drain pan

Filter wrench

Replacement filter

Car jack

The first thing you’ll want to do is find a level parking spot to keep your car while you do the job and engage your emergency brake to be sure it won’t be going anywhere. Then, run your Armada for about five or 10 minutes to get it up to normal operating temperature. Once you’ve done this, pop the hood and get started by following these steps:

Raise the SUV on the car jack so that you can comfortably get underneath it.

Remove the engine undercover.

Place your drain pan under the drain plug.

Remove the oil filler cap.

Remove the drain plug and drain the oil.

If the filter needs to be changed, you can do so now with these steps:

Loosen and remove the oil filter.

Wipe the engine oil filter mounting clean.

Coat the new filter's gasket with clean engine oil.

Screw in the new filter.

Then, continue on:

Reinstall the drain plug with a new washer.

Refill the engine with the engine oil.

Secure the engine oil cap.

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll want to run the car for 10 or 15 minutes to be sure there are no leaks and check the oil with a dipstick after it cools down a bit to be sure the levels are good.

One very important thing to keep in mind: never throw engine oil out or down a drain, as that heavily pollutes the environment. Instead, place it in a sealed container and bring it to a nearby recycling center!

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