changin oil

the dealership said it takes a special tool to change the oil due to the cover over the filter. can you buy this tool or is there another way? trying to find out b/c i dont trust the dealership. please let me know.

that sounds liek bull to keep you from doing your own service. No offense to you but would you say you look like someone they would think may not know what they're doing when they open the hood? Like an easy target (most dealers think this of girls, teens, etc.) The oil filler cap should twist right off. The filter should need just an appropriately sized wrench socket, or allen wrench or something.

yea they are b.s. -ing you, but when/if you do change your own oil, i reccomend full synthetic oil. had it done in my car and is well worth the extra bucks, plus your car well thank you in return

dealerships will target you if they think can can slip something by you. I took my car in to get a headlight fixed and they made this big story up about my car being in a wreck, when them themselves actually bent the quarterpanel so they made up a story so they wouldnt have to fix it out of their pocket. Sadly they have fix the headlight again....which is going to be an interesting battle...cuz they dont want to pay for it!

So it has happened before so dont let it happen to you!

thnx for the tip. the dealership isn't a good one in the area. i let me g/f take the car last time and they over charged her 22 dollars for the oil change b/c they told her the intake was in the way and they had to remove it. hmm..i got under the car and thew intake wasn't near it at all. i returned to find out they were lying to her about it to get extra money. neddless to say i got my money back on it and i haven't returned since. since i have read the replies i just removed the cover over the oil filter and honestly, it doesn't even lock into place when you put it back on. i just haven't had much t ime to mess with the car since i've had it.

oh, i haven't had any luck finding a header for my 3. searched web and local performance shops. anyone own a 3 with a header? if so, where can i find one. thanx

www.tunerfix.com has alot of Magnaflow products, maybe you could check them out to see if they have a header for your 3.

how is it well worth the extra bucks? besides from what you read on advertisements, what dramatic improvements have you noticed over conventional oil that makes it worth almost 2x as much as a regular quart of oil?

Oh wait, you may need a special tool http://www.mazdaforum.com/m_3204/tm.htm

will one thing it only costs just under $10 more then the normal oil change, and i actually felt the engine start up smoother and felt a couple extra horsepower which i never noticed with the conventional oil so i thought it was worth it. i figure if its making the engine run better then the normal oil, then i didn't waste my money. if you've never tried the stuff then you don't have to if you like the oil you are putting into it. its really for the person who wants the best for their car

i was just curious because i have heard alot of mixed reviews about using synthetic oil. for instance the manager of service or whatever at my Mazda dealership thinks synthetics are a waste "all they are is glorified mineral oil." ...hes under the impression that conventional oil isnt in the place it was 10 years ago - quality has gone up and refining techniques have improved so...he, and a few other mechanically inclined people ive asked - seem to think that conventional oil is just peachy.

i think full synthetic oil would only be worth it if you wanted to put on alot of miles between oil changes....personally - i dont like to leave oil in my car for more than 4000 miles so, having an oil that can be used for 7500 and up isnt really what im looking for. plus im on a budget.

i think what most of car reliability boils down to is how you maintain your car and the quality of the engine - not solely the oil that you use...my dads 93 toyota camry has over 220k miles and has only used conventional oil (no engine problems...still starts like a champ)...just like hondas and acuras that go over 200k miles - im sure all of them weren't using synthetic oil...

The Mazda 3 manual states that a special wrench is needed to remove the cartridge type oil filter housing. The housing is a casting that stays with the engine, the cartridge filter inside is replaced.

I asked my mechanic friend about this and he sent me an exploded view of the filter assembly. His judgement was that you might simply be able to use a band type oil filter wrench like that used for regular spin-on filters. Another friend suggested using a punch to put small dents or sharp edged holes in the band from the outside to give the band better grip on the housing. I'll be trying this after I get my free first oil change.

the first time i did my own oil change i just got a really good grip on it and turned it, kind of hard on the fingers but it worked, on my last change i just got a pipe wrench that would get big enough and with very little presure i got it to come right out. so i would say that that is you best bet or mabey a chain or strap wrench. make sure you take out the drain plug first to avoid a mess.

One note of caution on changing your own oil and filter with the cartridge style filter and plastic cover cap. Use the filter cap wrench available from Mazda. They should retail for under $20 and are used with a 3/8 ratchet to loosen and tighten the plastic cap. Using anything else that could crush or otherwise damage that plastic cover could cost you an engine out of your own pocket. Have now replaced 4 engines in both 3 and 6 due to the plastic cover cracking and spraying crankcase full of oil out onto the road. All were denied warranty coverage because the filter caps showed definite signs of using a tool that gouged into the plastic cap. Even using a strap type is not recommended because it works by actually squeezing the cap tighter and tighter untill it can be turned. This too can cause stress cracks on the cover that may not show up for weeks or months untill you are on the freeway at 4000rpm and 90psi of oil pressure when the stress crack will finally let go. That's how all 4 engines became siezed so far. Not enough time to get slowed down and off road and shut off before the damage was already done. It is not necessarily the dealer that will deny the claim but Mazda itself.
The have come out with several warnings regarding this and will call for every engine to be returned and inspected.
The choice seems fairly simple. $20 filter cap or $4000 engine.

The dealer has to order the filter cap thru Mstore and not regular EPC. Part number is AKS75140 and list price to dealer is $11.15.
Here also is that exploded view of cap and filter.


Thumbnail Image

They used to sell universal oil filter grips - plastic deal with a bunch of different filter sizes molded into it. Anyhow, that doesn't fit perfectly, but it fits good enough to change the filter. The one I got is from walmart and orange - should be easy to find most anywhere.

Why not just buy one the right size. It is a 76-14 (76mm, 14 flats). They are available through Mazda, or many online parts suppliers.

um, my '07 mazda3 doesnt have the cartridge styly oil filter...
it has the common kind... im not sure what the technical term is for it...
anyways, i just had to take off a plastic shield under my car to get to my oil filter....
so then i guess this "special tool" would be a socket wrench and 10mm (i think) socket....
 
and synthetic is the way to go.... my engine felt smoother, sounded better, and i managed to get way better fuel economy.. at least for teh first 1000 km's....

quote:

ORIGINAL: dentinger

um, my '07 mazda3 doesnt have the cartridge styly oil filter...
it has the common kind... im not sure what the technical term is for it...
anyways, i just had to take off a plastic shield under my car to get to my oil filter....
so then i guess this "special tool" would be a socket wrench and 10mm (i think) socket....

and synthetic is the way to go.... my engine felt smoother, sounded better, and i managed to get way better fuel economy.. at least for teh first 1000 km's....

 
Disposable spin-on filter.

I just ordered a filter wrench yesterday from Wayne Mazda, $5.25, see new vendor list at the right side of the page.

i took my mazda to an oil change place and i watched them do it.that so called basic tool was just a 6mm allen wrench.

quote:

ORIGINAL: MikeMzda3

i was just curious because i have heard alot of mixed reviews about using synthetic oil. for instance the manager of service or whatever at my Mazda dealership thinks synthetics are a waste "all they are is glorified mineral oil." ...hes under the impression that conventional oil isnt in the place it was 10 years ago - quality has gone up and refining techniques have improved so...he, and a few other mechanically inclined people ive asked - seem to think that conventional oil is just peachy.

i think full synthetic oil would only be worth it if you wanted to put on alot of miles between oil changes....personally - i dont like to leave oil in my car for more than 4000 miles so, having an oil that can be used for 7500 and up isnt really what im looking for. plus im on a budget.

i think what most of car reliability boils down to is how you maintain your car and the quality of the engine - not solely the oil that you use...my dads 93 toyota camry has over 220k miles and has only used conventional oil (no engine problems...still starts like a champ)...just like hondas and acuras that go over 200k miles - im sure all of them weren't using synthetic oil...

 
I agree with you, lots of engines running conventional have lasted a long time.  How you drive your car matters.  If you are constantly punching the gas pedal, and taking the RPMs over 4000, the best oil in the universe isn't going to prevent the significan extra wear this type of driving causes.
 
The link below is to the famous 90s test of oils in New York city taxis.  An interesting comment is in the article about STP oil additive actually changing the viscosity of the oil ... and whether or not you really need to change your oil every 3K.  I personally do not intend to stretch it much, but I am not going to freak out if I go an extra 500 miles beyond 3K if I cannot easily fit a change into my schedule.  Unless its 100F outside.
 
http://www.xs11.com/stories/croil96.htm
 
 
Also for your reading pleasure, a link to an article about 5w20 oil.  I do not like having less film and sheer strength, so I go with 5w30.
 
http://bestsyntheticoil.com/dealers/amsoil/5w20-cafe.shtml