On first oil change

I never found it that bad on my old '91 but I guess they may have made changes in the intervening 9 years to make it more difficult. But if you really hate the task and plan on doing more oil changes yourself you might want to consider relocating the filter.

This is one example of a kit to do the job:

but there are probably others. You could always install a cooler while you are at it.

Get your wife, girlfriend, sister, female neighbor, or kid to do it for you...little hands work better than big ones, and "hand tight" is good enough for the new filter going on as well. :) Just let the engine cool off a bit more before they stick their arm in there, and then they can unscrew the filter and let it fall into their hand "right-side up," then bring it up beside the engine and safely out.

It also helps to stuff a few paper towels under the filter before unscrewing it, to catch the excess oil. Be sure to open the oil filler cap on top and drain as much oil out the bottom as possible first before removing the filter.

Jeannie '90 A

Ya, it's a huge PIA to say the least but, I don't recommend that you resort to the girlfriend / wife or child, that's ridiculous. And yes, the NB IS more difficult than the NA was (hard to believe after fighting the NA for years but it's true!).

I generally drive the car up on ramps for the oil change but, once up there and stopped, I crank the steering wheel all the way to the left and access the filter thru the wheel well. By hand it's do-able but still close to a blind operation. If you buy the "end cap" type of filter removal tool (make sure you get one that matches your filter type and then make sure you don't change filter types willy nilly as they aren't all the same size / shape) this works pretty well in conjunction with a 3/8" rachet. Obviously, hand tighten or at least hand start the filter before you use the rachet to re-install it. I find that a properly creased paper plate works pretty well to catch the oil spill and get it into the drain pan. Properly location of this "oil slide" is critical. I'd love to have the relocation setup and love an oil cooler even more but, it never seems to raise to that priority level with kids in college and such.

Oh, and be carefull, I've got a "quarter sized" permanent burn scar from the time I decided I was going to get my arm in there from above, no matter what! Not too smart.

Good luck, Chris

99BBB

Chris, Go buy a "Thompson" relocation kit. Make the change once and you will "never" suffer again. :-) The Thompson kit puts the filter behind the RH headlight. It's so easy, it will make you smile. :-)

Bruce Bing '03 LS

How much do they get for that kit?

Chris

99BBB

What's up Chris, google not working for ya? ;-)

They want 190 miata spending units plus shipping for that kit.

Pat

I guess if I want it cheaper I can watch for one to come along. Every now and then someone buys one thinking it's a good idea and then decides it's over their head to install it properly. I'll watch for this brand though.

Thanks guys, Chris

99BBB