I was probably about a mile from home today when the oil light went on. Just as I am about to pull into my driveway, the oil pressure guage drops to nothing. I get out of the car and look underneath and oil is just POURING out. When I turned the car off, it stopped. I started it up again and oil starts pouring out again. I know for sure it is not the drain plug. It is leaking closer to the front of the car and it is not the oil pan. The only thing I can think of is a loose filter? I had my last oil change about a month ago. The car has never leaked a drop before. That filter doesn't just work itself loose, does it? What else could it be? I'm not too mechanically inclined, but what would be the easiest way to get in there and look at the filter to see if it is loose? I'm not even sure exactly where it is. Or I'd appreciate any other suggestions. I don't want to have to get this car towed out of my own garage!

 

Maybe you took a rock(big one) in one of the oil coolers?

 

Your filter is located deep down near the dipstick but a little to the left (facing front of vehicle). At least mine was when i was wattching them change it.

 

The oil filter is on TOP of the engine, near the firewall, on the left side.

 

Sounds like your OIL COOLER not FILTER. The cooler is right behind the fog lights. Check that area. If its leaking in the front it has to be those oil coolers.

 

nvm

You can see the filter if you pop the hood and remove the engine cover and look close to the firewall directly behind the engine

 

Most likely an oil cooler hit.

The filter is best seen from the driver's side, sandwiched between the engine & transmission. It is above the centerline of the engine, basically facing down.

 

DAMN. Looks like I'm getting towed out of my own garage. It's definitely not the filter. Based on the location of the leak, it must be one of the oil coolers. The leak is pretty much between the oil pan and the fog lights, more towards the drivers side of the car. And I'd figure a punctured oil cooler would not be covered under warranty? Am I right?

 

You are right, not covered if it is a puncture. Maybe you will get lucky and its a bad fitting.

 

Any idea how much that might run me to repair?

 

Sorry to hear the trouble. But it may be a simple problem (i.e loose bolt, blown o-ring..) BUt if you have taken a rock, screens should be your next mod.

http://www.racingbeat.com

 

After looking at it again, I don't think it's the oil cooler. If I look at the area around the foglights, there is absolutely no evidence of anything hitting it. Plus, there were no cars anywhere around me when this happened, so that makes the getting hit by a rock theory a little less likely. Now I'm thinking when my intake and APV motor were replaced a couple of weeks ago, they may have screwed something up when they reassembled everything. They told me they removed the entire engine and tranny during that repair process. Maybe something wasn't tightened or reassembled quite right. Also, can I actually call Mazda roadside assistance for a tow, even though my car is already at home. My hands are tied since the car is undriveable right now.

 

If you suspect shoddy work done previously, I would think a Road Assistance call is in order. Good luck.

 

Yes, they'll tow it to the nearest dealership.

 

Aren't the "wiggly grate" looking things right behind the fog lights a screen?

 

APV motor?

 

^^^RX8Maine...I had never even heard of the APV motor until I had a CEL that was diagnosed as a malfunctioning APV motor. Trust me, you don't ever want to hear those words from your service department. It's bad news. From what I understand, it is a small motor that helps keep the intake clean, but if it isn't working right like mine wasn't, it requires a complete tranny drop and engine removal to replace it.

 

I think the "wiggly grate" you are seeing is the oil cooler itself, it looks like a small radiator so it will have fins just like the coolant radiator. These thin fins bend very easily and if a decent sized rock hits it at speed it can puncture the unit. I just received my order of screens for the oil coolers and air conditioner condenser. Will install next weekend.

 

APV (Aux Port Valve) motor removal does not require an engine removal. Definitely no need to remove the tranny either. I would NOT take your car to that dealer again.

 

mjd --
Do you have an automatic or 6 speed? Where there any symptoms that existed with the CEL?

 

I had to do an oil cooler replacement when a stone hit the 'wiggly grate'. Cost was about a grand. But it rose to closer to $2000 when the peice of sh** tow truck driver that came from Mazda Roadside scratched up two of my rims(only 2000 miles on the car) and sliced the side wall of one of the tires from not positioning the chains properly. Oh...and he was also kind enough to get oil on the leather interior that had to be professional detailed.

I filed an insurance claim and paid my $500 deductible.

 

^^^With the APV motor problem, no symptoms except the CEL. Car ran fine at all RPMs. Didn't notice anything different. Got the diagnosis for the oil leak today. It was a blown hose in the oil cooler, luckily getting replaced under warranty, and I guess a free oil change as well since most of the oil leaked out.

 

Thats good news!

 

The Workshop Manual suggests that the lower intake is removed and then the APV motor removed.I have not tried to remove it with the manfold in situ,but it looks tight.

 

[QUOTE=valpac]Sorry to hear the trouble. But it may be a simple problem (i.e loose bolt, blown o-ring..) BUt if you have taken a rock, screens should be your next mod.


hey valpac I have the AEM intake, ive been wanting to purchase the oil screens for a while now, would i Have to take off the intake too install them? I'm not very good with the mechanics of things, but can do basics like taking off the front bumper.