2009 Mid-Year Change For Oil Filter

[jrp]

Greetings fellow Mazda5 owners,

I apologize if this is already common knowledge, but I was surprised to find out today that my 2009 Mazda5 has a spin-on type of oil filter. I was doing my first oil change and had purchased the cartridge type oil filter.

So, if you purchased a late-2009 Mazda5, make sure that your verify what type of oil filter you need before draining the oil.

Holiday wishes to the forum.

 

[M5Gonz]

I just signed up and getting familar with the website. (thumb)

 

[jatco]

I haven't change my 2010 mazda5 oil yet. I better check and make sure before buy the filter. Spin-on oil filter is way easier than cartridge filter.

 

[SGT_OKINAWA]

They are all "spin on" type for the Mazda ...

(squinty)

Peace!(rei)

 

[rweatherford]

Perhaps we need pictures because my 07 is definately what I would call a cartridge. Just a filter with no covering. Installs inside a housing with a plastic cover.

What he discribes for the 09 is a metal housing with a sealing surface where it screws on to a mounting plate. That is what I consider a spin on.

 

[Saluki]

My late-2009 has a spin-on filter as well. It confused the heck out of the quick-lube place.

 

[ExDusterRacer]

Spin on filter?

Hmmmm....I guess I'll have to take a look. That means I'll have to
remove that plastic plate or protector or whatever you want to call it.

So far I've been letting the dealership change the oil, but come spring I'll
attempt to do it myself. Too cold now, even here in the El Paso desert
to do it in my driveway.

We had a bit of frost on the windows this morning. I started the engine and
turned on the defroster before using the scraper on the outside of the
windows. It wasn't too long before I noticed the outside rear view mirrors
were ice free. So I guess I have heated outside mirrors. Amazing!

I wish the owner's manual was written a bit better. It doesn't say anything
about the mirrors or the oil filter either.

Bye for now.

 

[CaptainSpalding]

A Picture is worth a Thousand Words.

I can't say for sure when the switch to spin-on filters happened, but . . .

Top: Photos of cartridge filter element taken from this post wherein Mazdas24/7 member dommo_g describes how to do an oil/filter change on what judging from the date of the post must be an '06 Mz5.

Bottom: A picture of the spin-on oil filter as seen from underneath my 2010 (viewed through the inspection hole.)

 

[was98strat]

They are all "spin on" type for the Mazda ...

(squinty)

Peace!(rei)

Bzzzt Wrong!!!!!!! The MAzda 3 and 5 both use the annoying cartridge system of filters!!!! looks like they finally they've switched to spin-ons! Time for a conversion kit!!

 

[CaptainSpalding]

While I appreciate the convenience of a spin-on filter, I think there are benefits to the cartridge style.

For one, they can't grenade like spin-on filters sometimes do.

 

[professorhank]

For one, they can't grenade like spin-on filters sometimes do.

Can you describe what "grenade" is and how often/under what situations it might happen? Sometime happened to an old car of mine that might've been an oil filter grenade but I'm not sure.

 

[Max Power]

Arrrrrgggggggggg....

This makes me sad. Not only do I have to deal with the annoying cartridge type, now I know if I had waited a bit longer I wouldn't have too. It's already annoying enough to remove the 834708297486066041342 screws and plastic clips to remove the splash shield....

 

[opus]

Glad to see Mazda has finally figured out that the benefit of a cartridge style filter, avoiding maybe 1 in 500,000 "grenading" is not worth the total headache of dealing with the drain plug, double gaskets and trying to clean out the cartridge during an oil change.

 

[CaptainSpalding]

Can you describe what "grenade" is and how often/under what situations it might happen? Sometime happened to an old car of mine that might've been an oil filter grenade but I'm not sure.

Grenading is either a failure of the gasket on the base of the filter, or a rupture of the metal housing at the seam. In either case it means oil is getting dumped all over the street.

Glad to see Mazda has finally figured out that the benefit of a cartridge style filter, avoiding maybe 1 in 500,000 "grenading" is not worth the total headache of dealing with the drain plug, double gaskets and trying to clean out the cartridge during an oil change.

I don't know what the rate of failure of oil filters is, but I think it's higher than 500,000:1. If you google "Oil filter failure" you will find plenty of anecdotes. While anecdotes ≠ proof, there are still plenty of them, especially with regards to Fram filters, one model of which was recalled due to the high incidence of failures.

I remember reading this somewhere, but I don't know if it's a fact. Another possible benefit of cartridge style filters is a higher bypass valve threshold. Because there's no risk of failure of the metal filter housing the bypass valve pressure is set higher, so more oil is filtered more of the time.

Don't get me wrong. I'm really glad my car has the spin-on filter. But if it had the cartridge filter I wouldn't be crying in my beer.

 

[mazdadude]

I find this a very interesting subject.

I would love to know Mazda's official reason for changing to the paper element, and then the reason for changing back to the spin on.(burp)

 

[Fivo]

This makes me sad. Not only do I have to deal with the annoying cartridge type, now I know if I had waited a bit longer I wouldn't have too. It's already annoying enough to remove the 834708297486066041342 screws and plastic clips to remove the splash shield....

All you need to remove are the front 3 screws. Then the shield can be moved down enough to remove and re-install the filter.

 

[CaptainSpalding]

I would love to know Mazda's official reason for changing to the paper element, and then the reason for changing back to the spin on.)

An educated guess: in general, automakers started with cartridge filters. Spin-on filters represented an advancement in filter design, and it didn't take long after their introduction before almost every new car had them. In recent years it has been suggested that filter cartridges represent less of an environmental hazard than the spin-on filters (it's easier to extract waste oil from cartridge filters before disposal.) I would not be surprised if that was Mazda's reason for going with cartridge filters. It would also not surprise me if an outcry the likes of that seen in this thread were responsible for them switching back to spin-on filters.

 

[SGT_OKINAWA]

Bzzzt Wrong!!!!!!! The MAzda 3 and 5 both use the annoying cartridge system of filters!!!! looks like they finally they've switched to spin-ons! Time for a conversion kit!!

Sorry I meant "All Mazda" = The Mazda 5 and the Mazda Premacy (What I drive, both are spin on type)

An educated guess: in general, automakers started with cartridge filters. Spin-on filters represented an advancement in filter design, and it didn't take long after their introduction before almost every new car had them. In recent years it has been suggested that filter cartridges represent less of an environmental hazard than the spin-on filters (it's easier to extract waste oil from cartridge filters before disposal.) I would not be surprised if that was Mazda's reason for going with cartridge filters. It would also not surprise me if an outcry the likes of that seen in this thread were responsible for them switching back to spin-on filters.

(iagree)
Agree, glad they DID NOT try the cartridge crap on the Premacy

Peace!(rei)

 

[CaptainSpalding]

Just an update:

I went in to the dealer today to pick up an accessory for my 5 that wasn't in stock when I took delivery a few weeks ago. I figured while I was there at the parts counter I'd pick up a couple of oil filters and crush washers. The parts counter guy insisted on using my VIN to determine whether my '10 M5 had a removable element or spin-on filter. I expressed to him that I thought it odd that it could be either/or for the '10 model year, but he insisted that that was the case. Very strange.

 

[bulwnkl]

Grenading is either a failure of the gasket on the base of the filter, or a rupture of the metal housing at the seam. In either case it means oil is getting dumped all over the street.

Curious: How does making the housing out of plastic (cartridge filter system on the 5) make these issues less likely than using a steel can (spin-on filter system on the 5)?