Ok so here's the deal:

I can't find a damn oil filter wrench for this car, and the Canadian dealerships don't even sell them (wtf?) so my question to you is: What are the chances I can get the filter off by hand? Do you guys use the wrench or no?

I would just go ahead and try it but my car is parked 500km away (winter etc) and I won't get to it till this weekend and I'd like to know whether or not I can get away with doing this by hand or if I have to get my oil changed at the stealership this time untill I can order one online.

 

Unless your name is Samson you'll never get it off by hand ...

 

Wow I'm a 140 pound Samson!

The first change is difficult, but long, thin arms help quite a bit, especially if you know how to get leverage on them. The changes after that are easy.

 

Team...you must really crank them down

I can get them off by hand...or with a piece of sandpaper......

 

Wow I work out like a **** and I can never get them off by hand.

 

the car only has 6400 miles on it and the oil filter has only been changed once; the original factory filter, and I had a hard time getting it off with tools even, eventually I just shoved a heavy duty 2 foot long screwdriver through the middle and levered it off

I think they must employ Samson down at the factory with all the free sushi and daiginjyo sake he can consume

 

I had to use the screwdriver method also the first time.

 

part of the cause is that they didn't lube up the filter before they installed it and its seized on the mount.

 

umm... No problem here.

there's a special technique to take it off.

 

We live in the same city and I was able to find filter wrenches at multiple Canadian tire stores.

Keep looking.

This is what they look like.

 

Whatever you do, don't tell anyone, or Mazda will have you whacked...

 

buy a cap wrench use screws to attach it to the filter then hit it with a 600lb/ft impact gun?

 

more like stand by the drives side facing forward and shove your hand down towards tv filter with you palm facing back.
That wills plow you to get a full hand, firm grip on the filter. Enought to be able to twist it off...

 

You will just constantly have scrapes and gashes on your hand

Mine used to just heal in time for the next oil change.

This was the big reason for the oil filter relocation project

 

Yea I'm not a fan of those. I'm not sure how you'd manage to stick that all the way in there and still have room to turn it. I'm looking for this one:

 

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...cat=273&page=1

 

schwing!

also, i'd stay away from accolade fenders. i saw one pic of them being fitted. they were 1-2" too short. rofl.

 

Yep just hoping to get it locally as I need to do it this weekend.

Yea those are scratched... just gotta update the sig

 

K&N has one with a 1'' socket makes it so easy.


EDIT: just noticed that there is an adapter on the top, it blended in with the black and i didn't notice it at first.

 

its not an adapter, its a knuckle joint. it allows for using a socket wrench 90 degrees to the shaft.

 

Nobody knows how tight your filter is or how strong your grip is, so how could we answer your question?

Just wander into the service bay at the Mazda, and nonchalantly pocket one of theirs. Wear cargo pants.

 

Don't know if you have Sears up there. Exactly like the Mazda one but pretty much universal.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...ord=oil+filter

 

Mine is easy to turn by hand. The secret is to smear some oil on the gasket before it goes on.

 

Thats what I use if I use normal filter

when I use K&N filter, I will just change the filter wrench with the 1" socket.

 

I do the same thing, but still I never got it off by hand.