Holy oil change pita!!!

[rdaex]

Just did my first oil change myself... holy mother of god.

Not only are the designers complete retards for not cutting the hole out properly, but the socket adapter filter wrench I got from advance was the wrong size, even though every bit of info I could find said it was the right size.

Had to go get a metal band type, which was STILL a pain in the ass.

Finally got it done, but I think Ill be investing in the spin-on kit before the next time I do it.

 

[ALIEN3T]

IF you buy the filter wrench from MAzda, fits perfect. And some dealers had an offer floating around on the net, you buy like 10 filters or something wrench was free.

 

[Wurf]

Med Center Mazda has a deal like that. You get 5 genuine Mazda cartridge filters which come seals and with the special wrench for the OEM cartridge housing. The deal is under $40 but I forget if there is shipping costs to include.

I tried to buy just the wrench from my local dealer and he didn't have them in stock, but said he could order one for me. Then he quoted me $25 for it and I laughed and hung up the phone.

 

[Jon MS3]

i have one like this. very versatile, works good

 

[spdjnke]

ahahhhahahah !! been there done that, now it's I supply the oil and the rest is done at the dealer for a wooping $18 bucks and I don't even have to get dirty...

Just did my first oil change myself... holy mother of god.

Not only are the designers complete retards for not cutting the hole out properly, but the socket adapter filter wrench I got from advance was the wrong size, even though every bit of info I could find said it was the right size.

Had to go get a metal band type, which was STILL a pain in the ass.

Finally got it done, but I think Ill be investing in the spin-on kit before the next time I do it.

 

[rdaex]

I may have to go that route.... holy mother it was a beach.

 

[oaklandopen]

i have one like this. very versatile, works good

I use that too. Just too bad it can strip the housing after a while, its really only meant for the spin on filters

And to the op...just wait till those nuts for the air diffuser break loose and thus allow the bolts to spin freely. Then you have to get a wrench around the back of the diffuser to the front on top to hold the nut while you loosen it from the bottom. The 2 middle ones on mine do that, even when I use my air ratchet and pb blaster

The other thing ppl do is cut out an extra window directly under the filter. I refuse to

I have yet to own the perfect oil change vehicle. I thought my tacoma was easy because the filter was on top, but I still had to attach a hose to the overflow cup so it wouldn't just drain all over the engine when I took it off

 

[MikeHTally]

Spin-on conversion, pronto!

 

[tazman34685]

Hell I use a 3 in c clamp. A bit of a pain but it works.

 

[Jon MS3]

strip the housing? not putting it on nearly tight enough to worry about that. it does have plastic threads after all

 

[oaklandopen]

strip the housing? not putting it on nearly tight enough to worry about that. it does have plastic threads after all

The edges of mine are rounding out a little. My next oil change I will be replacing that piece

Not for the reason of stripping with that oil filter wrench, however. Its because that little drain plug is starting to crack rigt around the head. And, unfortunately, you CAN'T simply buy that allen wrench bolt. Yyou have to get the entire assembly

And when I put it back on, I only tighten the housing by hand. Then, I tighten the drain plug with a ratchet, which ends up tightening the housing a little more

 

[rdaex]

And to the op...just wait till those nuts for the air diffuser break loose and thus allow the bolts to spin freely. Then you have to get a wrench around the back of the diffuser to the front on top to hold the nut while you loosen it from the bottom. The 2 middle ones on mine do that, even when I use my air ratchet and pb blaster

The other thing ppl do is cut out an extra window directly under the filter. I refuse to

Yea, that happened to me... what I did was scoot further under the car, and instead of farking with the bolts at the front, I just dropped the skid plate down, stuck my hand up into the hole I cut out to access the filter in the proper spot, and was able to remove it without taking the entire skid plate down.

I would recommend cutting out the hole, then you can get your hands up in there without farking with those bolts youre talking about.

Re: the spin on kit... that seems like a HUGE pain in the ass, dont you have to replace the whole metal block and gasket and what not too??

 

[Hank3]

Hurry and get a spin-on kit and a Fumoto Valve. Oil change will be cake and less messy. Make sure you get the right part number spin-on kit as there's one out there for NA engines.

 

[Mike240SX]

Re: the spin on kit... that seems like a HUGE pain in the ass, dont you have to replace the whole metal block and gasket and what not too??

Yea, but you only have to do it once. It's the first thing on my list of "to do"s once my powertrain warranty is up.

 

[MikeHTally]

... Re: the spin on kit... that seems like a HUGE pain in the ass, dont you have to replace the whole metal block and gasket and what not too??

It's actually very easy, especially the second time . I broke the filter off mine and it damaged the threads. Had to replace the conversion platform. (burn)

 

[chubbs]

be careful if mazda sees scoring on the housing your warranty will be voided.

 

[saxmanbrad]

+1 on spin-on conversion. It's not that bad. I also added to the hole already in the undertray so I can change the filter without removing it. Also, you can run a bigger filter.

 

[rdaex]

Its an 07 with 66k, warranty schmarranty

 

[bbrich57]

Spin-on conversion, pronto!

+1!!
So much less messy and if you don't CRANK the new filter on (<3/4 turn), you can later get it off by hand too.

Oh yeah. That hole was never intended to be for the filter. It is a final inspection view hole for QC at the factory.

 

[blue-sun]

+1!!
So much less messy and if you don't CRANK the new filter on (<3/4 turn), you can later get it off by hand too.

Oh yeah. That hole was never intended to be for the filter. It is a final inspection view hole for QC at the factory.

I just assumed that since the Mazda3 and MS3 have the same part # for that splash shield, the NA motors have a diff oil filter location.