I want to know who Mazda has in Japan tightening down these oil filters. I mean this is beyond freakin' rediculous. I am by no means weak but I can't get the thing to budge by hand. Curling 50 lbs dumdbells is meaningless for this. I've tried the F cap wrench and it's too big. I've got a size 5 from Kragen and it fits the new OEM and Mobil 1 filter one of which I'll use to to replace the one the idiot in Japan put on.
I do my own changes and never have had a problem when I hand tighten the filter. Someone needs to search and destroy that ****...ok just kidding, but maybe a slap upside the head.

 

Use one of those rubber pads that opens jars. Best oil filter wrench I ever had.

 

I just put my hand in there and twist that sucker off! But thats me.
You can go to autozone and get a oil filter belt and that will grip around it so you can twist it off.

 

from the factory they are on there.. just reach in there by hand and unscrew it takes some grunting, but I've got mine off.

 

a lot of people go to the dealer for the first oil change because of this.

I think they don't want the oil filter falling off the car while it's on the boat. You know, if the car falls into the ocean, you want to make sure sea water doesn't get into the engine.

 

Ja, rubber pad is he best.

Here's the trick. Stand on the side of the car looking forward. Bend down, slide your hand between the lines. Now you got your best grip. And YEE HAW ......... It works.

 

you noobs...don't you know using the right tool for the job will make everything easier??? use a 3/8" ratchet, long extension, and "the claw" type oil filter wrench. stop messing around with jar openers and junk *** strap-type wrenches. i've posted about this "claw" type filter wrench before...SEARCH. i would make so much money taking peoples oil filters off...

 

WTF, are you serious?

 

Dead serious...

 

Tried it...more than once. No luck!!

 

Grunting huh??.. I think I applied more force on that thing than anything related to a DP stud on my 7.

Anyway I picked up another filter wrench from Walmart mentioned in a thread I searched. We'll see how that one works.

 

 

That's exactly what I was doing. I was holding on to the wheel/rim for stability and gripping that sum-bitch like there was no tomorrow. I think I came close to busting an artery.

I don't think they lubed the filter gasket before putting it on.

 

any luck?

 

I followed the same advice as many others did on a similar thread...take it to Mazda for the intial oil change. Often times, they give you a voucher for one free oil change when you buy the car anyway. The one they put on is 10 times easier to get off...as you'll find.

I've always been one to change it myself too...always have always will. But you, along with all the others are right....that factory filter is screwed on there SOOO f-in tight, it'll take some impressive strength, or inginuity to get that thing off.

 

If the engine is hand built that is one strong SOB.

 

theres always the method of last resort... use a hammer and pound a long screwdriver through the filter and use the screwdriver as a handle for more leverage

 

that's nex to last.. my mom left the oil filter on my old dakota for about 40,000 miles and it was BAKED on there. i stabbed it witha screwdriver and promptly ripped the oil filter in half.. then it's an oil filter removal nightmare. i ended up using a double prong tool for a porsche,vw fan to grip the hole in the bottom of the filter and twist it off. if it wasn;t on a truck where I had room, I;d have been really sol.

 

I'm going to run home for lunch to see if the Walmart/Valvoline wrench fits. If that fails I may just take it to the dealer as many suggest. I also have a mechanic friend who has vice grips for hands.....

 

good plan

 

I had to use sandpaper inside a claw grip thing to get it off.

 

Agreed, those things made life easy for me in my oil changing grunt days...

 

oil change? you have to change it? Who knew?

 

I finally got pissed and stabbed mine with a screw driver. came right off with a big grunt and some scared knuckles and back of hands.

 

hadn't thought of sandpaper. Tried my wife's dish gloves but when I got my hand in there I couldn't flex my fingers. Then tried a costco disposable latex glove but still nothing.