MajesticBlueNTO
06-06-2004, 05:48 AM
i changed my oil today since I didn\'t want to wait for Avante to have a free saturday (first one at the toronto location is june 19th).
went to Avante at Yonge and Steeles and asked for the oil filter for the 2.3 and the older asian dude said that the computer was showing 2 part numbers for the oil filter.
the part numbers are:
LF10-14-302 which is the spin-on oil filter
L321-14-302 which is the cartridge oil filter (~$7.50 plus tax)
looks like mazda might have changed the design mid cycle. in any case, having not seen under the car before, i decided to buy both, just so that there wouldn\'t be any surprises and i\'d have to drive back to get the proper one. Avante didn\'t have the o-rings, but i wasn\'t going to change them anyway (not with 4050kms on a 3 week old car).
i followed the instructions posted by raitchison on mazda3forums (http://www.aitchison.org/robert/Mazda3/Mazda3DIYOilChange.htm) but i also took some additional pics:
1. i jacked up the car using 2 2.25 ton jacks at the stock jack points on both sides. i don\'t have ramps that will clear the front bumper.
2. i didn\'t bother taking off the engine cover. raitchison stated that he took it off so that no oil would spill on it...i just used a funnel.
3. that plastic cowling underneath the car is a PITA. if it weren\'t for that, no correction, if it weren\'t for the fact that the hole doesn\'t line up with the oil filter, the changes wouldn\'t take so damn long.
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_31_full.jpg
4. the 2 plastic tabs on the cowling are located at the back and go into the following holes
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_34_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_35_full.jpg
wiggle the tabs out of the hole (best to hold the opposite side up with one hand while freeing the tab with the other hand).
5. the oil drain plug is located towards the rear of the vehicle and is a 17mm socket
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_33_full.jpg
raitchison wasn\'t lying when he said that the oil shoots out a good 18 inches. don\'t place your drain pan directly underneath the drain plug, place it a few inches away and be prepared to move it with your free hand while the other is slowly removing the drain plug.
6. as the oil drains, you\'ll have to move the pan towards the drain plug. open the oil filler cap at the top of the engine to relieve the pressure. this also lets air rush in so that it drains better.
7. once the oil has finished draining, replace the oil drain plug and torque it down to ~30 ft-lbs.
8. next you\'ll have to move the drain pan below the oil filter housing. using the 6mm hex head, loosen the oil filter drain plug.
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_32_full.jpg
let it drain until it starts to slowly drip
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_38_full.jpg
9. next you\'ll remove the oil filter housing. i used this oil filter cap tool that i found at my local wal-mart to loosen it at first and then proceeded to unscrew it by hand.
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_36_full.jpg
more oil will come out so be prepared to get your hands dirty (i use nitrile gloves while doing this...keeps the oil off the hands and also protects it from any scratches and gouges from removing that PITA plastic cowling...but i digress :D )_
10. remove the old oil filter cartridge and replace it with the new one
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_37_full.jpg
here is what the oil filter housing looks like sans filter. slide the new filter onto the housing (i had pressed down on the filter when putting it in, only to have some oil come out from the bottom...be prepared to clean up any spillage)
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_39_full.jpg
11. when screwing back on the filter housing, be VERY careful not to cross-thread. there is spring tension when pushing it in and, if screwed in too fast, one side can get out of whack and start the cross-thread.
12. put the oil filter drain plug back on and tighten to 7.4 ft-lbs.
13. torque the oil filter housing to 22ft-lbs (read your housing and do the appropriate conversion from N-m...mine said 30N-m which converts to roughly 22ft-lbs).
14. add 4.3L of oil (as per the owner\'s manual) and then look under the car for any leaks. start the car to let the oil flow through the engine and, again, check for leaks.
15. replace the plastic cowling, lower the car and you\'re good to go.
These steps i\'ve typed and pics i posted are meant to go in conjunction with raitchison\'s good write-up. I\'m gonna use the same disclaimer and state that:
Use this guide at your own risk, I\'m not a Mazda trained mechanic and am not responsible for any damage or injury caused by using or mis-using this guide.
I replaced the oil with Castrol GTX 5w20 (found at the local wal-mart too).
i\'ll probably go to Avante for the oil change at 8000kms (since they should replace the o-rings and such...but if the parts counter was out of o-rings in friday, makes you wonder about the 3\'s that had oil changes that day).
the mazda/ford oil is a semi-synthetic and that should be good until 12000kms, at which point i\'ll put in Mobil1 SuperSyn 0w20 synthetic (it\'s approved for all honda and ford engines that require 5w20)...found at the local canadian tire (dufferin and 407 being \'local\' to me).
hope this helps guys. cheers.
went to Avante at Yonge and Steeles and asked for the oil filter for the 2.3 and the older asian dude said that the computer was showing 2 part numbers for the oil filter.
the part numbers are:
LF10-14-302 which is the spin-on oil filter
L321-14-302 which is the cartridge oil filter (~$7.50 plus tax)
looks like mazda might have changed the design mid cycle. in any case, having not seen under the car before, i decided to buy both, just so that there wouldn\'t be any surprises and i\'d have to drive back to get the proper one. Avante didn\'t have the o-rings, but i wasn\'t going to change them anyway (not with 4050kms on a 3 week old car).
i followed the instructions posted by raitchison on mazda3forums (http://www.aitchison.org/robert/Mazda3/Mazda3DIYOilChange.htm) but i also took some additional pics:
1. i jacked up the car using 2 2.25 ton jacks at the stock jack points on both sides. i don\'t have ramps that will clear the front bumper.
2. i didn\'t bother taking off the engine cover. raitchison stated that he took it off so that no oil would spill on it...i just used a funnel.
3. that plastic cowling underneath the car is a PITA. if it weren\'t for that, no correction, if it weren\'t for the fact that the hole doesn\'t line up with the oil filter, the changes wouldn\'t take so damn long.
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_31_full.jpg
4. the 2 plastic tabs on the cowling are located at the back and go into the following holes
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_34_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_35_full.jpg
wiggle the tabs out of the hole (best to hold the opposite side up with one hand while freeing the tab with the other hand).
5. the oil drain plug is located towards the rear of the vehicle and is a 17mm socket
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_33_full.jpg
raitchison wasn\'t lying when he said that the oil shoots out a good 18 inches. don\'t place your drain pan directly underneath the drain plug, place it a few inches away and be prepared to move it with your free hand while the other is slowly removing the drain plug.
6. as the oil drains, you\'ll have to move the pan towards the drain plug. open the oil filler cap at the top of the engine to relieve the pressure. this also lets air rush in so that it drains better.
7. once the oil has finished draining, replace the oil drain plug and torque it down to ~30 ft-lbs.
8. next you\'ll have to move the drain pan below the oil filter housing. using the 6mm hex head, loosen the oil filter drain plug.
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_32_full.jpg
let it drain until it starts to slowly drip
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_38_full.jpg
9. next you\'ll remove the oil filter housing. i used this oil filter cap tool that i found at my local wal-mart to loosen it at first and then proceeded to unscrew it by hand.
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_36_full.jpg
more oil will come out so be prepared to get your hands dirty (i use nitrile gloves while doing this...keeps the oil off the hands and also protects it from any scratches and gouges from removing that PITA plastic cowling...but i digress :D )_
10. remove the old oil filter cartridge and replace it with the new one
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_37_full.jpg
here is what the oil filter housing looks like sans filter. slide the new filter onto the housing (i had pressed down on the filter when putting it in, only to have some oil come out from the bottom...be prepared to clean up any spillage)
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/337000-337999/337094_39_full.jpg
11. when screwing back on the filter housing, be VERY careful not to cross-thread. there is spring tension when pushing it in and, if screwed in too fast, one side can get out of whack and start the cross-thread.
12. put the oil filter drain plug back on and tighten to 7.4 ft-lbs.
13. torque the oil filter housing to 22ft-lbs (read your housing and do the appropriate conversion from N-m...mine said 30N-m which converts to roughly 22ft-lbs).
14. add 4.3L of oil (as per the owner\'s manual) and then look under the car for any leaks. start the car to let the oil flow through the engine and, again, check for leaks.
15. replace the plastic cowling, lower the car and you\'re good to go.
These steps i\'ve typed and pics i posted are meant to go in conjunction with raitchison\'s good write-up. I\'m gonna use the same disclaimer and state that:
Use this guide at your own risk, I\'m not a Mazda trained mechanic and am not responsible for any damage or injury caused by using or mis-using this guide.
I replaced the oil with Castrol GTX 5w20 (found at the local wal-mart too).
i\'ll probably go to Avante for the oil change at 8000kms (since they should replace the o-rings and such...but if the parts counter was out of o-rings in friday, makes you wonder about the 3\'s that had oil changes that day).
the mazda/ford oil is a semi-synthetic and that should be good until 12000kms, at which point i\'ll put in Mobil1 SuperSyn 0w20 synthetic (it\'s approved for all honda and ford engines that require 5w20)...found at the local canadian tire (dufferin and 407 being \'local\' to me).
hope this helps guys. cheers.