Recognition!!

http://jalopnik.com/5570865/11-terri...yline=true&s=i

How to Ruin Your Car's Reputation With Just a Fuel Filter

A smart designer puts the fuel filter in a location where you can just reach over and replace it with no hassle. A bad designer makes you crawl under the car to find it. With the third-generation RX-7, Mazda didn't just require crawling under the car to replace the filter; you had to disassemble the rear suspension to get to it. Many of these cars lost their engines to owners who just didn't want to change out that filter –- they put it off and put it off, right up until the filter clogged up and leaned out the turbo Wankel under boost.

EDIT:
Way to represent Tom!

 

hahah so true.

Pretty interesting article too. Entertaining read.

 

man because of that article I just looked up stuff about the 1961 Oldsmobile Jetfire with Turbo Rocket Fluid (seriously)

3.4L aluminum V8 with a side draft carb, 10.25:1 compression and factory preturbo pneumatic methanol injection

look at this commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3Km9qlhaR0

 

^ that car's required special attention isn't out of the question for us :P

 

This comment made me raise my eyebrows:

"The RX-7 reminded me of the Gen II (1996-2002) Dodge Viper GTS. To get at the fuel filter in that car, you have to remove the hatch carpeting and cut an access panel in the fiberglass body, and then rivet it back together once you're done."

Btw, they must have an age limit for joining that forum, the guys posting seem about ten levels above 75% of this place. Not being negative, just sharing my opinion

 

This reminds me of the new GM and Ford turbodiesel trucks that require a trip to the dealership to refill the urea-injection exhaust fluid tanks. If your truck runs out the ECU sends it into limp mode so you can drive slowly on the side of the highway and not pollute the air.

I'm pretty sure that at this point only the dealership is able to add the urea fluid and reset the low fluid light. Hopefully it will be available at the auto parts stores fairly soon.

I know the turbodiesel MBs and BMWs have a similar system

 

Anyone point out to them that their "facts" are just plain wrong? I've only changed my fuel filter once, but I know for a fact that no suspension parts have to be removed.

 

Last time i did my fuel filter it took me 45 minutes in it's stock location. WTH are you guys doing that takes so long?

 

took me a while to change my fuel filter, but that was because a took a ten minute break after each step in the process. dodging the fuel that drips down isn't that hard either.

 

There are plenty of cars out there that are actual pieces of crap that deserve to be on that site a lot more than the FD or even that stupid thing about the 13B Mazda bus. Seems silly that out of all the vehicles out there something like an underpowered rotary bus or a hard to get to fuel filter made the cut. How about the DeLorean, Pinto, Aztek, Cadillac Cimarron, Mustang II...anybody want to add to the list? I know there are jap cars out there whose last 1 or 2 spark plugs don't get changed because they are difficult to get to. There is a whole generation of DiamondStar cars that smoke like crazy.

 

no doubt an oversight from the fd designers. A big pain in the *** to get to. I now just go to Mazda and pay them $45 bucks to get fuel in their faces rather than mine.

 

I would have thought the overly-engineered sequential twin turbo system would have made it on the list than the fuel filter location, although I wouldn't call the factory twins a "disaster".

I would vote the the worst automobile engineering disaster in the USA as the Oldsmobile diesels in the early to mid 80's. My parents had one of these boat anchors and it split the engine block while we were on a road trip in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico, well before cell phones were around/popular. Me, my brother, and dad had to hike over 13 miles in 110*F heat to find the nearest service station.

Great idea Oldsmobile...take a normal gasoline engine, do nothing internally or to the block, and make it a diesel. Fail.

Those engines are 90% of the reason why diesel motors aren't popular in the USA in passenger vehicles.

 

wow. it only took me 1/2 hour to to change the f filter.

 

Pretty sure a fuel filter change is at least two flag hours, probably more. What mazda dealership have you found that works that cheap?

 

Make sure to ask them to give you the old filter... not that I've heard of Mazda mechanics doing this but it might be tempting for them to just say 'yep we replaced it' and not replace it.


Personally I didn't have much trouble with the OEM fuel filter in the stock location, I suspect the people who wrote that list have fat stubby hands, or didn't read the service manual's description showing the proper removal procedure. I think 45 mins is a pretty accurate estimate for anyone who's done it once before, and that's putting the car on ramps/jackstands in an average-joe's garage/driveway/street parking. I suspect a real mechanic with a proper automotive lift they should be able to do it in more like 30 mins.



I'd give them that the OEM cooling system sucks (even with a stock engine), or that the twin-turbo control system is difficult to troubleshoot (although mine has never failed). But I've gotten messier and cursed more often when changing the oil filter on a 2000-ish Honda Accord, and swapping spark plugs on an early-90's V6 Chevy Blazer required removing the damned fender-liners!!!


Haven't read the list, but they'd better have VW electrical & wiring circa 2000, and BMW water-pumps and 'coolant level sensors' on there if they're griping about the RX-7's fuel filter.

 

The FSM is extremely unhelpful on fuel filter removal. Its entire instructions (page F-103) are:

Oh, then it has an additional note: When installing, the filter, push the fuel hose onto the fuel filter.

The figure is even less useful than the instructions (and very misleading).

It took me well over an hour to do mine. It would be a five minute job if the filter were in a sensible location.

 

Half hour of work at the mazda dealership in Conroe texas. I bought a filter at an autopart store for $25. They knew what they were doing and did it fast. Their only oversight was not de-pressurizing the fuel system. When he budged the filter loose, the gas errupted all over his face.

I watched them change the filter and they gave me the old one anyways.

 

yeah i saw that the other day and posted 2 replies. LOL

 

I HATE changing the oem fuel filter! It's damn near impossible to remove the fuel hoses in that tight of a location without cutting the hoses off, or at least I couldn't do it. Thats why I decided to relocate it to behind the rear subframe and it was def worth it.



I recommend doing this to everybody who hates changing the fuel filter in the stock location as much as I do

 

I know dawg didn't you see my edit?

 

Damn its been 4 years since i changed my filter.

Almost makes me cringe knowing i should do it again soon. I had a shop do it for me last time.

My dads toyota pickup took me 30 seconds to do the filter. It was right next to the shock tower, in clear view. Held by an aluminum band. With 2 tiny rubber hoses.

Damn i wish our car was like that lol

 

I'm sure it could be relocated somewhere more convenient

 

why is everyone taking this so offensively? the fuel filter location is idiotic. let's be real about this as there a lot bad designs on the FD. Engines lasting sub 100k, oil leaks that can only really be resolved with aftermarket braces, inferior stock cooling system, a vacuum leak nightmare waiting to happen, etc..

I love the FD, but come one folks this isn't the best designed car. It doesn't make it any less of a cool car or less fun to drive.


To put the fuel filter into perspective, I changed the fuel filter on a neighbors pontiac the other day lying flat on my back with 1 hand, no jack and a 10mm socket wrench. Took me less than 5 minutes to do it totally blind. Now that's a good design. It's a 93 .. just like my FD.

 

Mazda should of keep the fuel filter in the same spot as the fc.

 

It says on there that Chrysler invented the first EFI system in the 1950s....surely they mean MFI system...?..?!