Skarbro
06-07-2007, 07:01 AM
I've been meaning to write this for a few weeks now. I changed the oil myself on this car for the first time recently.
Side thought: A lot of people had their undercover shield cut to access the oil filter by a certain dealer. After looking at it objectively - if it is cut correctly, there should be no problems whatsoever. Granted I would be pissed if someone did that without consulting with me, but it doesn't appear to be a big deal. You're not exposing anything to any more danger.
Anyway, some of the bolts/clips on my undercover shield were rusting already (the car is not even a year old). On of the bolts needed some WD-40 to get loose. There is a TSB on these things, so if they are messed up too much, you should be able to get them replaced with new stuff. I just added all-purpose grease to them when I put them back on. This should prevent any further rusting.
I replaced the oil drain plug with my new magnetic drain plug. Fits perfectly! And since the block is aluminum, the magnet won't stick to anything on the way in (unlike my Corolla with an iron block! :bang)
I have the 2.3 with the cartridge oil filter. A lot of people are either afraid of changing it, or have switched to the spin-on filter by getting the housing for the 2.0 engine. After changing this once, I will NEVER switch to spin-on. It's so freaking easy to change the cartridge filter!
Now I have heard of some people changing it themselves and the plastic oil filter cover failing, causing oil to leak and eventually engine failure. Then the horror stories about how its not covered under warranty because you f'ed it up yourself. To these people, I say, LEARN TO READ AND LEARN TO USE A TORQUE WRENCH. If you follow the torque specs precisely, then there will be no problem. The torque specs for the cover and the oil filter drain are VERY light. Hell they are stamped right on the cover! Don't over-torque it any you'll be fine. Also, get yourself the PROPER oil filter wrench cap tool. I got the Mazda OEM tool - the exact same one the techs use at Mazda. If you get the proper tool, you will do zero damage to the plastic oil filter cover. If you use something that wasn't meant for it, I can see you messing up the plastic over time, eventually making it difficult to loosen.
And it's nice to see the actual dirty cartridge filter (as opposed to a closed spin-on). You can see what is happening as far as what the filter is catching in your oil - a definite plus on monitoring your engine's health.
Anyway, overall, the first time took me a little bit because I really took my time to do it right. Now after doing it once, I'm sure I can change it almost as quickly as any other of the billion oil changes I've done over the years on other cars.
If you're thinking about doing it yourself, just make sure you follow my warnings above. If you do it right, it's a piece of cake. :bana
Side thought: A lot of people had their undercover shield cut to access the oil filter by a certain dealer. After looking at it objectively - if it is cut correctly, there should be no problems whatsoever. Granted I would be pissed if someone did that without consulting with me, but it doesn't appear to be a big deal. You're not exposing anything to any more danger.
Anyway, some of the bolts/clips on my undercover shield were rusting already (the car is not even a year old). On of the bolts needed some WD-40 to get loose. There is a TSB on these things, so if they are messed up too much, you should be able to get them replaced with new stuff. I just added all-purpose grease to them when I put them back on. This should prevent any further rusting.
I replaced the oil drain plug with my new magnetic drain plug. Fits perfectly! And since the block is aluminum, the magnet won't stick to anything on the way in (unlike my Corolla with an iron block! :bang)
I have the 2.3 with the cartridge oil filter. A lot of people are either afraid of changing it, or have switched to the spin-on filter by getting the housing for the 2.0 engine. After changing this once, I will NEVER switch to spin-on. It's so freaking easy to change the cartridge filter!
Now I have heard of some people changing it themselves and the plastic oil filter cover failing, causing oil to leak and eventually engine failure. Then the horror stories about how its not covered under warranty because you f'ed it up yourself. To these people, I say, LEARN TO READ AND LEARN TO USE A TORQUE WRENCH. If you follow the torque specs precisely, then there will be no problem. The torque specs for the cover and the oil filter drain are VERY light. Hell they are stamped right on the cover! Don't over-torque it any you'll be fine. Also, get yourself the PROPER oil filter wrench cap tool. I got the Mazda OEM tool - the exact same one the techs use at Mazda. If you get the proper tool, you will do zero damage to the plastic oil filter cover. If you use something that wasn't meant for it, I can see you messing up the plastic over time, eventually making it difficult to loosen.
And it's nice to see the actual dirty cartridge filter (as opposed to a closed spin-on). You can see what is happening as far as what the filter is catching in your oil - a definite plus on monitoring your engine's health.
Anyway, overall, the first time took me a little bit because I really took my time to do it right. Now after doing it once, I'm sure I can change it almost as quickly as any other of the billion oil changes I've done over the years on other cars.
If you're thinking about doing it yourself, just make sure you follow my warnings above. If you do it right, it's a piece of cake. :bana