Hey guys

it's time for me the change my oil on the FD for the first time and I wanna learn. I've heard way too many horror stories from Jiffy Lube and other import "specialist" places soo...

does anyone know a good write up to a "do it yourself" oil change for the 94 FD?

anyone on the forum that does their own oil change got any tips or any other helpful info that I might need??

I'll try to take some pics and post it so other's can also see and learn. Thanks guys~

Mike

 

It's no different than on any other car:

*Remove filler cap.
*Remove drain plug.
*Replace filter -- wiping clean oil on the filter o-ring.
*Replace drain plug with new crush washer (don't forget or you'll be pissed to see a quart of fresh oil pouring down your driveway!)
*Pour ~3.5 quarts of oil in.
*Start car and let it run a couple of minutes.
*Wait a few minutes and check oil level, top off if necessary.

 

Changing the oil on my RX7 is really not much different than any other car, except the 7 is lower, and the engine bay is hotter.

1. As you may know, oil flows better when warm. Try to change your oil while the engine is still somewhat warm. I usually wait 5-10 minutes after shutting my car off to change the oil.

2. Since the 3rd gen is pretty low, you'll need to get the front a little higher off the ground. You can put the front wheels on jack stands, use ramps, or if you're lucky you'll have a pit or a lift. Most of us either use jack stands or ramps. My little variation of the ramp is to drive the car halfway up the curb, so the driver's side of the car is up on the curb, and the passenger side is on down low on the street. This gives me just enough room to work with.

3. Get under the car. You'll want a drain pan, preferably one of those shallow ones. Use your wrench to loosen the drain bolt. I usually remove the drain bolt with my hands, wrap your hands in a rag so they don't get any hot oil on them. Hot oil is... well... hot, and you won't like to get it on your hands. Be sure your drain pan is positioned so that it will get oil when it shoots out at an angle, but still catch the oil when it's almost empty, the oil will be dripping straight downwards.

4. Once the drain bolt is removed and oil is flowing, go back up top and remove the oil fill cap. This will help the oil to drain better.

5. When all the oil has drained, remove the oil filter. It helps a lot to use a nice oil filter wrench, like this one. Look for them at your auto parts store.


6. Replace oil filter. I recommend using Purolator PureOne, it's blue.

7. Replace drain bolt.

8. Fill 'er up. 4.0 quarts of 10w30, non-synthetic is what Mazda recommends, or 5w30 if you're going to be driving where it's freezing outside.

9. Start the car, idle it for a bit. Check the dipstick and make sure it's towards the full line. If not, add some more oil.

10. Repeat no more than 3000 miles later. Personally I change every 1000-1500 miles, I'm not sure if this is necessary though. The way I see it, oil is cheap and it gives me peace of mind.


Have fun,
-scott-

 

Here's the text of an email I got a while ago, a little humor for all the people who might be tempted to deem this thread a 'waste of bandwith.'


> Yet another Man vs Woman Comparison:
>
> Men:
> 1. Go to AutoZone auto parts and write a check for $50 for oil,
> filter, oil lift (AKA kitty litter), hand cleaner and scented
> tree.
> 2. Discover that the used oil container is full. Instead of
> taking back to AutoZone to recycle, dump in hole in back yard.
> 3. Open a beer and drink it.
> 4. Jack car up. Spend 30 minutes looking for jack stands.
> 5. Find jack stands under kid's pedal car.
> 6. In frustration, open another beer and drink it.
> 7. Place drain pan under engine.
> 8. Look for 9/16 box end wrench.
> 9. Give up and use crescent wrench.
> 10. Unscrew drain plug.
> 11. Drop drain plug in pan of hot oil; get hot oil on you in
> process.
> 12. Clean up.
> 13. Have another beer while oil is draining.
> 14. Look for oil filter wrench.
> 15. Give up; poke oil filter with Phillips screwdriver and
> twist it off.
> 16. Beer.
> 17. Buddy shows up; finish case with him. Finish oil change
> tomorrow.
> 18. Next day, drag pan full of old oil out from underneath car.
> 19. Throw oil lift (AKA kitty litter) on oil spilled during
> step 18.
> 20. Beer? No, drank it all yesterday.
> 21. Walk to 7-11; buy beer.
> 22. Install new oil filter making sure to apply thin coat of
> clean oil to gasket first.
> 23. Dump first quart of fresh oil into engine.
> 24. Remember drain plug from step 11.
> 25. Hurry to find drain plug in drain pan.
> 26. Hurry to replace drain plug before the whole quart of fresh
> oil drains onto floor.
> 27. Slip with wrench and bang knuckles on frame.
> 28. Bang head on floorboard in reaction.
> 29. Begin cussing fit.!@$#@##&%*@!!!!!
> 30. Throw wrench.
> 31. Cuss for additional 10 minutes because wrench hit Miss
> December (1992) in the left boob.
> 32. Clean up; apply Band-Aid to knuckle.
> 33. Beer.
> 34. Beer.
> 35. Dump in additional 4 quarts of oil.
> 36. Beer.
> 37. Lower car from jack stands
> 38. Accidentally crush one of the jack stands
> 39. Move car back to apply more oil lift (AKA kitty litter) to
> fresh oil spilled during step 23.
> 40. Drive car quart low for 7000 miles when it'll be time for
> another oil change.
>
> Women:
> 1. Pull up to Jiffy Lube when the mileage reaches 3000 since
> the last oil change.
> 2. Drink a cup of coffee.
> 3. 15 minutes later, write a check and leave with a properly
> maintained vehicle.


PS, take an Auto Shop class, all owners of 3rd-Gen's should already be able to change their oil without spilling or getting dirty. It should be a pre-purchase requirement or something.

 

I've always been an advocate for including simple car maintenence as a requirement before getting your drivers licence. Maybe include it in the driver's education program that many are required to take before getting their licence.

Oil/Filters/Battery/Tires/Coolant/SparkPlugs with emphasis on knowing how to change a freakin tire.

 

4.5 quarts if you change out the oilfilter, 4 quarts if not

 

Scotty, I loved that.

I won't say anything about having just spent $30 on two friggin' A/N wrenches.....

 

I'm staying the hell away from Jiffy Lube

 

scotty: best ive read in months
insane: LOL

 

I've never heard of this, just use the original drain plug with no "crush washer". What is a crush washer? please excuse my ignorance here .

 

It's a washer that's designed to "crush" down to form a seal as the bolt is tightened. However, they are metal so they are a "one time crush".

 

Get a Fumoto Valve and oil changes will be a breeze everytime after. Best $10 I ever spent.

 

Right now I'm trying the Fram SureDrain valve, it's easier to get ahold of than the Fumoto. I put it on last oil change, and flushed a bit through. We'll see how well it works in a few weeks.


InsaneGideon, that picture is nuts, it's a good thing it's only an SUV, and not an exotic.

-s-

 

If you buy the mazda oil filters from a dealer they usually give you the washers with them. If they don't, ask for them, they should be free.

 

Do the oil change when the car is cold, after it has sat for several hours, or preferably overnight. This way, the oil filter will have drained. Removing the oil filter, when it is full, will make a mess.

Some people say that the oil drains better when it is warm. While this is true, oil drains just fine when it is cold. I don't think anyone has ever needed to "warm up" a quart of oil before pouring it into the car. The same holds true when draining the oil. Cold oil drains just fine

 

I thought oil capacity on a 3rd gen was 3.8 quarts? but who's counting. 4.5 if you change the filter? I guess I didn't know that.

I once went to pep boys to get my oil changed a long time ago and the guy was asking me where the coil was. He kept asking me where the coil was. I told him to just change the oil, but he said it was dangerous to do it to a turbo engine because there would be no oil in the turbo.

I can't tell you how annoying it was. He had my car up and everything.

I have never encountered this before. I just changed my oil two days ago as every 3 months myself, its very easy. I used a bosch filter. and i use non synth, 10 w 30.

 

If so then you are using cheap oil filters without the anti-drainback valve. It's a one way valve that traps oil in the filter so oil arrives to the engine sooner at startup. They hold the oil and don't drip when you remove them. In fact you can shake the filter and feel the oil inside it, but it doesn't come out.

I like the Purolator Pure One filters but there are plenty of others with the anti-drainback valve. Read the fine print on the box; none of the "cheap" filters will have them. I pay about $5 each for the Pure Ones I think. Keep 4 or 5 of them and a case of motor oil stocked at all times

I use the Fram Sure Drain valve on the pan drain and like it. It doesn't stick out much which is what I don't like about the Fumoto. The sure drain also has a hose that snaps onto it so I now drain all my oil into empty 2 liter soda bottles. 2 of them needed for each change and the caps screw on nice and tight. I never screw around anymore with messy oil drain pans that I'm afraid to take to the store and drain because you know it's going to leak at any time. You can drop a soda bottle full of oil and not worry. Try that with those damned pans; haven't seen a decent one yet and I've tried 3 different kinds.

Oil capacity on a car with dual oil coolers is 5 quarts. The pan however only holds 4 (3.8?) so that's all you get out when you change the oil. I drain the pan and dump 4 quarts back in whenever I change oil.

 

OEM Mazda filters are cheap??

 

Just because I am a Cheap Bastard, doesn't mean that I am using cheap oil filters In fact, I use the Mazda OEM filters. Of course, I do get them cheap from Mazda Motorsports Even with an anti drainback valve, you will still get some oil spillage when removing the filter right after running the engine. I don't want to clean up any more than I have to.

 

No, they're fine. It's the $2.99 filters that are cheap. Cough *most Frams* cough, cough

I've been using the Pure One's for years and I let the engine cool about an hour and then remove the oil filter. Haven't had any oil run out of one and make a mess yet.

 

While we're on the subject, does anyone use alternative filters? The filter from the 2nd-gen turbo II fits, as well as the one from the 626. Both have a larger capacity (and larger filter surface area) than the stock filter, with the Turbo II filter being the biggest.

Are there any other things to consider besides volume of the filter? I'm assuming that since all are PureOne filters, they should be just as effective in filtering. Would the Turbo II's have a different pressure rating or anything else I haven't considered?

-s-

 

I use oil filters from the MX-6, not sure if the TII is the same. The MX-6 filter is taller and lots of people go with a bigger filter so there is more filter area just as you said. It does make it much tighter though as there is barely enough room to clear the TPS when removing/installing the filter. In fact I have to unplug my TPS in order to have room to remove/install the filter.

 

Im using the filter from the 626. It is quite bigger in size. The only reason I use it is because Tri-Point put one on when they did my rebuild and I have been using them since.

 

I stated my previous question because you said that the cheap filters don't have that anit-drawback valve, and from what I can tell, the OEM Mazda filters don't have it either.

 

I have the Greddy oil filter block adapter on my car, so you have to unplug the TPS harness to get the STOCK oil filter out, so no larger filter for me.....