How do you change the oil in an '85 12A? The filter is sitting up top and will spill all over the place when you crack the seal. How do you keep it from going everywhere? What are the tricks?

 

put a hole in the top so that the oil drills out before you take it off

 

That sucks. How did the dealers do it?

 

just like that

 

yep

 

I always just let it sit til the next day and change it then before starting it.

 

Just pop a hole in it . Its easier than waiting all night .

~T.J.

 

Don't ask a question if you don't want to hear the answer. Its not hard. Get a phillips head screwdriver and a hammer.

 

you know what the odd thing is, when I had the beehive on there i could slowly inscrew it and it would drain back into the engine, but now that i have just a pedastal there i have to poke a hole in it. weird.

 

I used to drain it and wait till it was trickling, then disconnect the ignition coils and crank the engine a seccond or two, and that cleared out the oil filter.

But yeah... Actually, I believe the solution to poke a hole in it is actuall a TSB from Mazda... If you have a copy of Mitchell On-Demand, it's in there...

 

Remember: there are no stupid questions - only stupid people

 

That actually a good question - I'm surprised it hasn't been posted more often. Or maybe people are finding this out the hard way and are too embarassed to post the results of their "oil change / engine bay lub"

 

I don't mind hearing the answer as long as it isn't stupid. What the hell were the engineers thinking? They could have just as easily put the thing in upside down, there's plenty of room.

Luckily I can let the car sit between changes. Is there a replacement "beehive" or whatever it's called with a drain plug in the bottom of it?

So, assuming you are poking holes in it, do you poke one down low and then one on top to displace the oil (prevent a vacuum)? Or does one do it?

I just can't believe the engineers were that short sighted!!

 

"Why didn't they place the filter somewhere underneath the engine that would be hard to get to but it wouldn't spill any oil on my nice clean driveway?"
Maybe having the oil filter there helps in the flow of oil at start up? Yeah, that was stupid of those engineers to be more concerned with the performance of the oil system than how clean your hands are after changing the oil filter. Jeez dude, try changing the oil on a 73 F100 with a 360- the drain plug is aimed directly at the suspension crossmember- the only way to catch the draining oil is to properly aim for the oil deflection.

 

Have you ever changed the oil in a car with the filter opening pointed up? Oil spills all over the place from the engine side because it can't drain out. It's a terrible mess. I wish they were all as well thought out as the rotary.

 

I've never had to do anything special. Drain all oil out, slowly unscrew filter, take filter off, put new filter on, put drain plug back in, fill back up with oil. I love how they designed it, oil changes are INCREDIBLY simple and clean.

 

you dont really want to let the car sit, and then change the oil. It should run a little bit, then be changed after shutting it off. That way any crud in the system get stired up and comes out with the oil. Otherwise it will just sit at the bottem of the oil pan, and not budge.

 

can you use motor flush on a rotory engine?

 

i gto a stupid question.. whats motor flush?

 

It is something that I do to all my older used vehicle purchases. Before you change the oil the first time, you put the 'motor flush' stuff in the oil and let the car idle for like 15 minutes (see directions on container). It is a solvent, and it removes all the sludge and crap from the engine. You don't drive it with this in because it would ruin the engine. You drain out the oil and solvent, and change filter and oil like normal.
BUT with the way a rotory engine injects(drips) oil into the combustion chamber, would this damage the engine?!?!?! Could you pre-mix to do this safely????

 

im not gunna say yes, but i tihnk you could. id try it at your own risk tho. do you know what the stuff contains? maybye the equivalent to this stuff for a rotary is the MMO or ATF treatment.. do a search if ya aint sure what that it is.. plenty of info.

 

I'm not saying to put it under the car like other conventional cars but to leave it EXACTLY where is but put the "beehive" thing on top.

You don't drink from the buttom of a glass, do you?

Now if the filter completely drains after the engine is off, then it would be fine. Most filters have a check valve in them to keep some oil in them.

 

I wouldn't advise cranking the engine over without oil in it. Oil is what lubricates ... well everything on the rotary. No oil means metal on metal which means engine damage and .

I use the Mazda OEM filter and I don't have to do anything special to drain oil out of it. The oil just kinda flows out? I suppose it's pulled by gravity... but what do I know, I'm just in high school.

 

well if you dont want to poke a hole you can always just pull it off and use a rag to clean it!!!

 

I love changin oil on the 1st gens over any other car. ESPECIALLY if you get a header, it makes it really easy to loosen the drain plug from above the car. Simply slide your drain pan under the car and let 'er rip. And yeap, just simply loosen the oil filter till it starts to drain the oil out and wait five minutes and take the filter off and put the new one on. If the oil starts to leak around the filter, put a damn rag around it and you won't have a mess.

Seriously, what other car can you change the oil without raising the car up(assuming you have a header on your '7 and its not lowered)? My '88 SE is not as easy because the drain plug is in the middle of the oil pan under the car.