hello all

am going to change the oil filter and oil on my V6 this weekend, if it stops raining!!! just wondering if there any particular pitfalls or problems that i should be aware of i am also going to change the plugs and filter.

i have looked in the guides section and couldnt find anything. would it be useful to take a load of pics and post them in the guides section thanks for any help

Will

To gain access to the filter you'd need to take off the driver side wheel to reach the filter then sit in the wheel arch. The rest should be easy form there if you've done a change like this before?

Assuming right hand drive yeah?!

Here we go again.....




Mark

No No - Please No Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrghhhhhhh !!!

ok, you have me concerned

STOP THE PRESS!!

The oil filter for the [b]V6 [/b]can be accessed from under the front of the vehicle. Look straight up the centre of the engine and you will see it clearly.

The only pitfall is that the filter is a little difficult to get off without sending some oil down your sleeve!!


I think the previous advice applies to the 1.5 and possibly 1.8s.

cheers wai

i was slightly bemused by the thing about the wheel taking off as i have crawled under the car before and seen the filter fairly near the back, was wonderin if some one has mr tickles arms!

do u know the correct sump plug washer type and the torque setting for the sump plug? i asked at the motor factors i just bought all the bits at and they didnt know, figured one of u guys must! that o its going to b a case of going to the factors and askking for 'one of these please mate!'

thanks for any help

is it the same for the 1.5 as im plannin on a full service soon

1.5 & 1.8 have the oil filter on the back of the block (near the bulkhead) and the 2.0 has the oil filter on the front of the block (near the radiator). Sump plug torque is 35NM, don't know what that is in old money and Mazda part number is 9956-41-400 for 1.5 & 2.0 and 9956-41-800 for 1.8 I wouldn't be taking the wheel off to change either type

[quote="will"]do u know the correct sump plug washer type and the torque setting for the sump plug? [/quote]

The sump plug washes should be copper, of a slightly larger (say +- 0,5mm) bigger internal diameter than the external diameter of the sump plug thread bit. I've never used a torque spanner on the sump; I usually make it pretty much as tight as I can with a standard 19mm ring spanner. As long as it doesn't leak or fall out - about that tight ...

hey guys

thanks very much, really useful stuff. we should have this as a guide, like i said i will take some pics and see what they turn out like, who do i send them to?

i spend a lot of time at work writing 'how to's' basically a one page word document on how to change some thing or check something, would something like that be useful? what do people think?

will let u know how i get on.

will

I think it would, changing the oil on the V6 is easiest car I've ever done it on, you only need to jack the car slightly to get a trusty washing up bowl under the front valance and the filter is in a sensible place at the bottom in the centre at the front, another bonus is that you don't have to take the undertrays off to get access to the filter or the sump plug.

Anyone know the best way to drain the cooling system as there is no drain plug on the radiator on my 97' car and there doesn't appear to be any easy access to the hoses??

If you can't find a washer for love nor money like me then make your own from some cardboard. Just cut out a circle of the same diameter as the sump plug head, and cut the inside so the plug fits through. I used genuine Woodstock pre-mixed bourbon case cardboard.

Some service centers I've been to didn't fit any washer at all, the cardboard one works a treat

Also when flushing the radiator on my '95 it was easy, just pull off the bottom hose from the bottom of the engine, easy as pie. Haven't seen the '97 so don't know the best way of doing things there. When you flush the rad get some Wynns radiator flush, it breaks up the dirt and crap in the block. Also try sticking a hose in the block and cover the rest of the hole with your hand so the water comes out the rad, then do it the other way as well. I did this and then connected the hose up again, filled the system with water, ran the engine for 30 seconds, pulled the hose off and re-flushed. Did this about 6 times until the water ran clear. If I'd used radiator flush I reckon this would have been a lot quicker

morning all

ok this is what i did (applies to V6 only, not sure about any others)

1, jacked the car up, on the passenger side

2, put a large container underneath the sump (which is on the drivers side)

3, used a 19mm spanner to undo the sump bolt but took it out using fingers so as not to drop it in the container which the oil drops into.

4, allowed all the oil to drain out

5, turned the engine over and allowed to idle for between 3 and 4 [color=red]seconds[/color] to flush out any oil that couldnt drain out (heart in mouth!!!)
[color=red]DO NOT RUN YOUR ENGINE FOR LONGER THAN THIS!!! (i will not be held responsible for you cooking your engine!)[/color]

6, put the container with the oil under the filter and remove the oil filter. It is near the front of the engine just behind the radiator. mine just unscrewed and didnt require any force to remove it

7, allowe any excess oil to drain from the filter area into the container, placed the filter into the container.

8, after it had all drained out put the container with the old oil in it well out of the way as you dont want to be trying to clean up 4 litres of oil off of your drive as you can guarentee that it will get kicked!

9, put a small amount of oil onto the rubber seal of the new filter to stop it from bunching up and screwed it into place, make sure you dont cross thread it! make sure that it is on tight.

10, replace the sump bolt washer and then put back into the sump, make sure that you dont cross thread it or strip the nut!

11, lower the car back down and then refill with oil, remember to keep checking that you dont over fill it. with the oil filter the V6 holds approx 4 litres of oil. when you have put in approximatley the correct amount stop filling and check the dip stick, then top up as required.

12, check that there are no leaks anywhere before starting the engine, when starting for the first time check that the oil light goes out as normal.

13, get rid of oil at local tip not down the sink or toilet and check after a couple of hours and over the next few days the oil levels and that there are no leaks.

14, run hands under warm tap for approx 15 mins to defrost!

i hope this helps someone, if there is anything wrong please let me know so that i can change it.

dont try and sue me if you bugger up your engine this is a guide only, if you are unsure, dont do it! I had help from a mate who knew what he was doing!

Well done lad, and welcome to the world of home maintenance!
One thing ...
[quote="will"]5, turned the engine over and allowed to idle for between 3 and 4 [color=red]seconds[/color] to flush out any oil that couldnt drain out (heart in mouth!!!)
[color=red]DO NOT RUN YOUR ENGINE FOR LONGER THAN THIS!!! (i will not be held responsible for you cooking your engine!)[/color]
[/quote]

I personally wouldn't recommend this course of action. I usually remove the sump plug first, while the engine is good and hot, then remove all the filters/plugs etc. Then I turn the engine over a couple of times with the starter (note - plugs are all ready out). The engine turns fairly quickly without compression, and usually drops another 1/2 a pint or so (Make sure the drip tray is also under the oil filter mounting !). I wouldn't like to run the engine without oil in, even for just a couple of seconds. Wouldn't feel right, somehow ...

cheers smooter

engine was still warm when i drained it and when i turned it over it drained another half pint or so as you said. i didnt have a pan large enough to go under both the sump and filter so had to do one after the other. am thinking i will investing all of £8 in a decent pan for next time as i dont want to use an old 5 litre bottle with one side cut out of it again! (not the easiest!)

must admit i wasnt to sure about turning it over but my mate who does a lot of work on engines etc promised me that that was what he does. up to personal preferance i guess.

has anyone used one of those engine oil cleaner things, i think you put it in after draining the oil and then drain that and put in the proper stuff, anyone any ideas?

Flushing oil? I used some once on a VW motor and a camshaft oil seal started leaking. More than likely a coincidence but I never bothered again....

[quote="Captain Phil"]

...Anyone know the best way to drain the cooling system as there is no drain plug on the radiator on my 97' car and there doesn't appear to be any easy access to the hoses??[/quote]

There is a 10mm radiator drain plug in the front of the radiator on the bottom left behind the O/S fog lamp/fog lamp grille

[quote="will"]has anyone used one of those engine oil cleaner things, i think you put it in after draining the oil and then drain that and put in the proper stuff, anyone any ideas?[/quote]

Every 3rd or 4th oil change, I put in a bottle of Wynns Engine Flush about 200 Km's before I do the oil change, and try to drive gently ! I think it seems to help ...

I've used to oil flush, didn't seem to make any difference, but made me feel better that the block was clean and tidy, and so shouldn't clog up! Just peice of mind really.

Marky Mark, the camshaft oil seal probably started leaking because the Wynn's pushed the crap out, so it was probably only crap/sludge that was sealing it anyway! Maybe?!

You're probably right. Perhaps I'll take a deep breath and use it on the ZXi for the next oil change (imminent)....