Who was in charge of oil filter placement?

[nramsey]

I'd like to have a few words with them

Just got done doing my first oil change on my P5. What a PITA. If you plan on doing this MAKE SURE you have an oil filter wrench. Not the strap type, the type which is a little cap which fits over the end and accepts a ratchet handle. You aint getting this off with your hands. I finally was able to jerry rig my strap type filter wrench and get the filter off after about an hour of cussing. Must to my suprise no oil came gushing out of the filter which was nice. Looks like the filter is canted a bit which probably lets it drain nicely.

Anyhow, just a warning to the uninitiated. BTW, the cap type filter wrench you buy must be specifically for the Mazda filter...the Mazda filter isn't the same size as the Fram or whatever replacement you might buy at the parts store...just another heads up. You can buy a Mazda filter wrench here among other places: http://www.finishlineperformance.com/cgi-bin/shopper?preadd=action&key=M1001

My arms still hurt....

 

[cmack98]

I'm jealous it only took you an hour! It took me more like 3 hours. That included a trip to my dads house, a trip to pep boys...all for nothing.

While I was attempting the change, the brother in law got under the car to try...No avail. The UPS guy dropped off a package and was admiring the car. In my frustration, I told him how much of a pain it was...HE GOT UNDER AND TRIED!

Finally, I just put the oil back in. The next day the brother in laws friend came over. He used to work at pepboys. He had an oil filter wrench. It fit on a ratchet. This one tightened with pinchers as he turned. Even then it put up a fight! But once you did it the first time...my subsequent oil changes have been a lot easier!

I am still going to invest in that oil wrench, once I find someone that sells it.

I was glad to hear someone else felt the same frustration as me!

 

[Sir Nuke]

do NOT pay $10 for one of those filter SOCKETS.....you can get one at K-mart or Wal-mart for $3 that is the same....I know...I baught one...and YES it fits the MAZDA filter....as I had a stock filter in my hand and checked its fit before I baught it. I DO highly recomend getting one of these...it does make the job easier.

nramsey you are now familiar with the work of the "filter gorilla", thats the guys nick name that works at the factory putting on the filters....he LOVES twisting them up tight....I am the ONLY person I know of that their ORIGINAL filter wan't on so tight it nearly had to be cut off. lol

 

[Racer 5]

1 - 3 hours??

Guys, not for anything, but it took me like 15 min. to change mine. I had a little coaxing ~~ after I started, it began raining, so I had to hurry it up.

The filter placement isn't ideal, but I removed mine with my hand. No wrenches, no nothing. They shouldn't be that tight anyway. I am just wondering if maybe I am not seeing something you guys are, or if I am a contorsionist (sp).

BTW, My first change was done by Mazda. My Second (the one explained above) I did, using an OEM Mazda filter and AMSOIL 5w-30 oil. That was at approx. 8k miles. I do not plan on changing it until at least 16k miles. I currently have 13k on it, and the oil is still honey brown, and does not seem to have degraded much if any. IMO, make the $30-$40 investment and get some AMSOIL.

 

[Sir Nuke]

Re: 1 - 3 hours??

Guys, not for anything, but it took me like 15 min. to change mine. I had a little coaxing ~~ after I started, it began raining, so I had to hurry it up.

The filter placement isn't ideal, but I removed mine with my hand. No wrenches, no nothing. They shouldn't be that tight anyway. I am just wondering if maybe I am not seeing something you guys are, or if I am a contorsionist (sp).

BTW, My first change was done by Mazda. My Second (the one explained above) I did, using an OEM Mazda filter and AMSOIL 5w-30 oil. That was at approx. 8k miles. I do not plan on changing it until at least 16k miles. I currently have 13k on it, and the oil is still honey brown, and does not seem to have degraded much if any. IMO, make the $30-$40 investment and get some AMSOIL.

YOU probably didn't see it racer...for the simple reason YOU stated....the dealer did your FIRST oil change....its the ORIGINAL FROM THE FACTORY filter that everyone seems to have trouble with...NOT the ones that get installed after that.

 

[cmack98]

See dude...you said it yourself....

Your first oil change was done by Mazda. Those guys got the super tools to get them off from the factory rather easily. If you tried the first one yourself, I think you would have had a similiar experience.

I mean this was my first new car, therefore the first oil change I have ever had to perform straight out of the factory...So I don't know if this was normal for 1st oil changes or what. I have only paid a place to change the oil about 3 times (have been driving since '94). So doing oil changes isn't new to me (and lets be honest, its not brain surgery). Thats why it was so frustrating for me...I've done a hundred of these things, none of them were ever that HARD!!!

I am like 300 pounds, and by no means a contortionist! I had the car jacked as high as it would go...I did slide in under the car (shirt got really dirty). I was in a perfect position to get the filter off....It was just so hard, my hand was cramping up and all! It was crazy!

Sir Nuke...If I could've figured out how to cut it off, I probably wouldve tried to do it!

The filter was so hard to get off, honestly...It could've been on a lift. It was not coming off without any kinda tools.

 

[Sir Nuke]

I hear ya Cmack...beleive me .... you are NOT the first nor the last to experience this. I was REALLY dreading MY first change after reading this some time back...and was VERY pleasently surprised when mine and my wifes came right off....hmmmmm guess it was the filter gorilla's day off when our P-5's got made.

 

[Don]

I'd just borrow the wrench, as after the first change, you'll never need it again. Put it on properly by hand and you can remove it by hand with no problem.

Nate, you've gotta tell me how you had no oil running down your arm - I'm never that lucky. If I'm quick enough, I can get slid back out and not get it all over the rest of me, but I ALWAYS wind up with some running down my arm :mad: Of course, I guess if it took me over an hour to get the darned filter off, mine might be a little more "drained" as well

The filter placement . . . . . isn't really that much worse than a 1.8 litre Miata

Don

 

[fastdrvr23]

Ah yes.... the horrible first filter replacement.

Like Nuke said, that guy at the factory must be one really strong SOB. I was actually wondering how the threads were intact when I finally got the filter off.

I used a ratchet oil filter wrench, but it kept slipping off... A strap wrench, no luck there either. Finally, after about 15 minutes of horrendous profanity and very loud grunting, I managed to get the damn thing off. I used something a little different though... I used a jar lid remover out of my kitchen. It's a flat circular peice of rubber used for opening tightly sealed jars. Next time you go to the grocery store pick one up for a $1 or so, it was soooooo worth it. It lets you put enough pressure just using your hands to actually make some progress.

The only problem with that though, was my forearms were sore for about a week... between the angle and the amount of force needed, it was tough stuff. It's no problem now though, as the second oil change was easy as pie.

Anyways, if I ever go to Japan, I am going to go and find that gorilla and get my picture taken with him.... right before I hit him in face with a sack of old oil filters.

 

[Sir Nuke]

Ah yes.... the horrible first filter replacement.

Anyways, if I ever go to Japan, I am going to go and find that gorilla and get my picture taken with him.... right before I hit him in face with a sack of old oil filters.

ya know...I think you may want to be careful about smackin this guy....I hear that the "filter gorilla" is just working at the factory as a second job...his REAL job is as a SUMO wrestler! lol

 

[Racer 5]

OK, I misunderstood.

Yea, i must not have read that closely to realize that you were talking about the "Factory" filter. Sorry, i was still half asleep when i read it. I have experienced this on my fathers GMC 1500 Sierra. I know what you guys mean.

 

[nramsey]

Well I dunno if I'd even be able to do it on subsequent changes without a wrench...maybe but I am not betting on it. The problem I was running into was that my forarm was a bit too long, so that I couldn't get it up in the space above the frame member behind the oil pan to get a good angle on the filter. No matter how I tryed to position, I had to severely bend my wrist over the axle to touch the filter, meaning I was loosing all of my leverage.

Ah well, it's a "bonding experience" I guess. I have sacrificed my blood to the car gods and now it will be smooth sailing from here on out right?

As for the Gorilla, I believe I have met his handywork before. I believe they had him working on the Miata line at some point, as his trademark appeared in the forum of my tiiiight tranny fill plug, diff drain plug and seat bolts on my Miata I am sure I will get to know him yet again on this vehicle

 

[Chuktang]

The oil filter guy in Japan must travel to the Chrysler plant. I worked at a Dodge dealer for 7 years and hated to do the first oil change. Those filters were stamped factory installed and boy they were tight.

The factory oil filter installer motto is "If a little bit of tight is good. ... real f#'in tight must be real good."