DIY: Series II 2009 RX-8 Oil Change
 

Hopefully this will help other members who have been looking for a DIY oil change guide (and I apologize if one exists but I could not find a detailed one).

Oil Change Parts Required:

• Oil Filter - https://www.rx8club.com/series-ii-te...-ii-r3-188392/
• Oil Pan - Walmart
• Oil (5W-20) -
  Amazon.com: Royal Purple 12530 API-Licensed SAE 5W-30 High Performance Synthetic Motor Oil - 1 qt. (Case of 12): Automotive
  Amazon.com: Royal Purple 12530 API-Licensed SAE 5W-30 High Performance Synthetic Motor Oil - 1 qt. (Case of 12): Automotive
• RX-8 - http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/disp...RX8#/colors360

Oil Change Parts/Tools Optional:

• Fumoto Oil Plug Drain Valves (HIGHLY recommended) -https://www.fumotooildrainvalve.com/f106-for-drain-plug-size-14mm-1-5.html
• Funnel
• Socket Wrench with 1/2" Hex Socket
• 8 mm Alan Key
• Race Ramps - 56" Ramps - Car Ramps | Get your Car Up 8"! | Race Ramps, your best solution for Lightweight Low Profile Car Ramps!
• Chock Blocks
• Gloves
• BEvERage

Procedure:

Step 1:
Lay out race ramps on smooth even surface (sweep away any rocks or debris).
Drive up to the ramps, check to ensure even approach and readjust if needed.
Drive onto ramps put car in park (for Autos) or reverse (for manuals) and use the E-brake. Turn the car off.
Insert Chock Blocks behind wheels (as shown in Figure 1).
Lay out all needed tools/parts nearby.

Figure 1

Attachment 271256

Step 2:
Pop Hood
From underneath the car locate the silver oil sump cover and remove the 7x 1/2" hex bolts. See Figure 2 for reference:

Figure 2

Attachment 271257

Put this cover to the side for now.

Figure 3

Attachment 271258

Using gloves (as the oil may be very hot) use the 8mm alan key to remove the recessed oil plug. Be sure that your oil pan is positioned below the plug to catch all of the oil. This step will take about 5-10 minutes so go grab some shop towels and your BEvERage and take a break.

Figure 4

Attachment 271259

After all of the oil has drained from the sump, locate and remove the oil filter. Oil filter location can be seen in Figure 5.

Figure 5

Attachment 271260

This is the hardest step and I recommend picking up the same tool the technicians at the dealership use the remove this filter. If you have already gotten this far and cannot get the oil filter off then use the screwdriver method. (Not ideal as your used filter will look something like Figure 6.)

Figure 6

Attachment 271261

Essentially what you do is puncture the oil filter (use a hammer if needed) with a long screwdriver and use that as leverage to loosen the filter.

After the filter is removed lightly lube your new filter's seal with new oil. Then screw it on hand tight. (Or tighter if you have the correct oil filter wrench tool.)

Figure 7

Attachment 271262

Next, install your Fumoto oil plug (or regular OEM plug) back into the oil sump as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8

Attachment 271263

Fill engine oil reservoir with 5-6 qt's of quality 5W-30 oil. This is where a funnel is handy.

Figure 9

Attachment 271264

Now turn on the engine for a few minutes and look for leaks (I do not recommend going under the vehicle while it is running even with the chock blocks in place.)

If leaks are found simply tighten the leaking part. If no leaks are detected turn off the engine and reinstall the oil sump cover. CAUTION the oil sump surface including the Fumoto valve if used will be hot. Use gloves if needed.

Figure 10

Attachment 271265


Oil Change Complete.

Thank you all for reading. Hopefully this helps out with changing your own oil.
Feel free to add advice/tips/tricks or PM me errors in this procedure.
This was my first time ever changing my own oil (in the RX-8).

great guide!

Yay! Something for the 09's. Very nice guide.

Torque specs from the 2009 service manual:

Drain plug: 29.4 - 41.2 Nm (21.7 - 30.3 ft lbf)
under cover: 17.7 - 26.5 Nm (13.5 - 19.5 ft lbf)
oil filter: 11.7 - 15.7 Nm (8.7 - 11.5 ft lbf)

Good thread...

As I have done about 6 oil filter changes on my 8 there a a few things I would recommend.

Sump Guard....you do not have to remove all of the bolts...leave the middle rear one loose so you can swing the silver sump cover around (180 degrees ) and to the rear, it is out of the way, you can still start your car, and it is just that much easier to put back.

The only other issue is if you can't have your car level you are not draining all the oil that is in the sump as the drain plug is toward the front of the car.

Just keep in mind even with the larger sump pan/capacity in the Series II you are still leaving behind 45% of your old oil in the coolers and lines.

Some do the corner lift, one at a time at each side, but you are leaving around 25-30%.

What I am doing now is a double drain, that is a drain, fill, run car for 10 min, drain and oil filter change...it is not ideal but this way you are renewing around 85-90% of your engine oil with fresh oil.

Someone else can do the math...;)

I thought about this, but decided to just do the easy change yet do it more often (say 2500 miles instead of 5000). Also, since the RX-8 consumes oil do you think that adding fresh top up oil helps keep it clean and always diluting the oil dirty oil?

No, you are really only changing about 10% in top offs over an oil change period...

On the 09's does mazda still say to change your oil and filter every 5k miles? A long time ago Mazda sent me a letter stating that instead of changing it every 5k, to change it every 3,750. Every since i stopped getting free oil changes i change my oil every 3k.

I used this tool to remove my Harley oil filter. I had to mod it because when I was under the car it kept slipping open to wider opening so I used the wire to prevent it from sliding wider. The other pic is the dents no holes I put in the filter from the tool they do put the 1st filter on damn tight.

i notice that your using synthetic oil i dont wanna ask a dumb question but i thought were not suposed to.. well im new to this and my friend always tells me that i cant cause of performance and that it might fuck up the car

great write up. i love the choice of BEvERage

how much oil is needed? it says 4.6qt with filter change in the manual

You don't absolutely need an oil filter wrench, it can be done fairly easily with your bare hands and I bet even easier with a pair of those mechanix grip gloves. Just takes the proper positioning of yourself under the car to get some good hand torque on it. I have only done one oil change so far but it was pretty easy, other than that sump guard since I took it all the way off. Getting that thing to stay up while I put it back on was a bitch.

I do the thing where I jack on side of the car up and then the other to drain the oil out and it seemed to work quite good. I dont really wanna waste a bunch of oil and change it twice in the same sitting and it was pretty clean after the first change even though there was some dirty that got mixed in still.

I went to the dealer to change oil today
the guy changed the filter and put 4.5qt's of oil in the engine now its about 1-1.5cm above the full line. fuck

Im gonna change the oil myself next time. never trust someone else.

^^^^^ lol damn yea fuck mazda's shop they always fuck me over thats why i do my oil changes and shit at home :D

It is less of a bitch if you notice that the middle bolt on the passenger side has an open hole / slot in the pan instead of a closed hole. Just LOOSEN that bolt without removing it, then you can slip the pan off and on without having to align and hold that side of the pan in place. I found it to be very easy.

That said, I prefer the series-I set up much more. The entire oil change can easily be done with an oil extractor from the top without ever getting under the car. I'm beginning to believe that for the series-II, Mazda moved the oil filter under the car along with the additional sump guard and special drain bolt just to discourage people from doing their own oil changes, retaining more dealer control over the process. I really resent that.

ok, I found oil in my intake today, stupid dealer. taking it back and let them deal with it.

great illustrated guide!

here's the reasons why I don't use synthetic or semi synth oil:
-it's more expensive
-"regular" oil is recommended at 10w30,10w40 or 10w50
-it will not prolong the life of my engine
-Mazda tell me NOT to use it
-it will void my warranty
-don't want the hassle of disproving the above
-it will probably mess up my cat (not the meow-meow type)
-my car runs just fine on regular
-tired of countless debate on this


:sad:

Fumoto Oil Plug Drain Valves (HIGHLY recommended) is "guaranteed" to -40F, .....here in Chicago the temperature can drop to -60F with wind chill.

Move!

:sad:Although I signed up recently I read your forum. :icon_no2: I will advice you not to use synthetic or synthetic blend oil in your renesis engine. :rant:It will co$$$t you down the line. :( It happen to me on my 2004 RX8 with low mileage 15,102, 15,000 miles later (5 oil Changes) the car engine gasket needed to be replace coolant was mixing in with the oil. What a milky expen$$e. :rant: Stay away from Synthetic engine oil for your renesis engine go Castro GTX 5W20. :lol:They are great for piston engines.

As a newbie, I suggest you be careful on what advise you give.

You need to look around a bit more, there are thousands of RX-8 owners and their engine oils, while I personally use Castrol GTX3 15W40 Dino, there are many who use Synthetics with NO Issues at all, and since the 09 RX-8 model Mazda Japan Sell/use a Synthetic Engine Oil.

If you had Coolant seeping into your engines combustion area (I take it that is what occurred), you would have needed an engine re-build?, I can assure you this is not the Type of Oil Related.

Neither is a Foamy, milky dipstick oil type related..

Welcome to the club....:Peace:

Almost time to change my oil again.

Synthetic oil has been proven time and time again to be superior to mineral oil in every aspect. The chemical properties are simply better.

Also wanted to share that I have seen an average of 5% increase in my gas mileage on this oil vs. the break in oil...not sure if that's within the noise or not but we will see if it continues.

Wind chill does not affect the temperature of metal nor anything else for that matter. It applies to humans as the wind has an evaporation effect of any moisture on your skin, this evaporation requires heat which is why you body loses heat and is effectively exposed to a lower temperature with no wind.

What the wind chill factor will do for inanimate objects is cool them down to the actual air temperature at an accelerated rate vs. if there was no wind present.


Happy fumotoing.

yup, u r absolutely Wikipedia right!....still my butt gets cold really damn fast!

hi Ash, I notice Mazda classify the RX in Oz and NZ under "severe operating conditions"....I don't remember it being that bad in Sydney, or the west coast?
The synth/dino debate is for sure dead and buried, I tried both with no issues, just wish I could get the Mazda synth in US, they claim it leaves no carbon or other strange deposits.

Thanks for the write-up! I wasn't aware of these changes until now. It looks like there is no clearance to fit a larger filter either... hmm.

Question on this pic...

I can't quite tell from this photo... is the new drain valve protected by the shield or does it stick out a little?

Thanks!

Don't see adapter
 

Also, in relation to the pic above: I don't see an adapter being used here between the valve and the oil pan, is it not needed on the 09's as it was in previous models? Thanks.

A couple of thoughts.
 

First, this is a great write-up! I found the links and photos very helpful.

I just changed the oil for the first time and would like to voice a few of my opinions.

First, I tried one of those drain valves and it is inside the shield, mostly. See the attached photo. When looking from the front of the car you'll see that it is just about flush with the bottom of the shield... yaay for that!

Having said that I didn't keep it on the car for two reasons. I don't think as much oil will drain. The threads look like they stick up in the pan a bit further than the pan threads. It would be simple to fix this with some careful machining on the valve threads. The 2nd reason is that I like having a magnet in the oil pan. The stock drain plug has one and Mazda put it there for a reason. It isn't difficult to remove stock plug anyway, as long as you have an 8mm hex socket.
Note: I'm going to try to modify the valve so I can drain just as well since the magnet is elswhere.

One of the attractions that this valve held for me was that I'd be able to avoid removing the bottom shield every time. Unfortunately the oil filter is located on the front of the motor and is inaccessible without removing the shield.

Second, ramps sure are convienient, but a floor jacks let you drain so much more oil from the car. Since the drain plug is on the front of the motor, if you have it up on ramps (on a level surface), the oil will pool towards the back. After the jack was lowered a lot more oil slowly drizled out of the engine. I tested it while refilling, and it seemed like as much as a full quart was stuck in the back of the pan with the car jacked up (further than ramps, but it makes the point). Keep in mind I didn't empircally gather data by measuring quantities drained and so forth, but there is more oil changed when you do it this way.

Third, I didn't realize just how awesome the Mazda filters are! They remind me of K&N oil filters.

Finally, the suggested oil filter wrench from the above post is the perfect tool for the job! I got a cheap one from Harbor Freight and it fight in the tight location the first time, no muss, no fuss.

Umm, The Series II RX-8 does not have a Magnet in the 8 MM Hex Plug...None.
There is a Permanent Donut Magnet INSIDE your Sump Oil Pan.

https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...3&d=1232011578

Awesome! Thanks for the info! Now to modify the valve. :)

I thought it was at the end of the drain plug... there is a part that sticks up in but I guess that's just to help people find the hole blind.

BTW, where are you getting these awesome parts diagram pictures?

It doesn't need an adapter, it threads right in.

Warning!!!!!!!!!!!
 

OK, I am only posting this info as a DO NOT DO IT WARNING

This ONLY applies to Series 2...

I have noticed that one or two guys have said that they "prefer" to leave OFF the Silver Oil Pan GUARD or the Silver Sump Pan Guard for "Convenience" and changing Oil Filter...well I strongly suggest...DO NOT RISK IT...

ALWAYS PUT IT BACK...

WHY... Well here, an S2 owner left his Silver Cover OFF for months and then wondered why he got a cooked (semi) engine, MA came to the party with a replacement, BUT, while driving the guy picked up a small steel rod that was flicked up and went straight though his Oil Pan...it was still wedged into pan when he finally stopped to investigate his warning lamps....he did not even realize he had run over anything...

The oil pans in the Series 2 are a very light, ALWAYS put back the Silver Oil PAN GUARD...that is what it is there for..

Sorry, I know this a NO Brainer for most here, BUT...

It's the same reason they put the dumb ass sticker warnings on everything. You can never underestimate stupidity and in this case a lazy dumb ass. :pfanndina

/\..Hey how are you me Ole wanker?!!...;)

I'm doing good Ash. Just pop in now and than to see how the peanut gallery is doing.

Sorry for late response...
Drive from Adelaide to Darwin (South North) or across the Nullarbor (East West) for Severe Road Conditions...

New Zealand HAVE NO Severe (heat) Conditions, they do not have deserts like OZ or USA.

:beer05::crazy:

:yelrotflmI think they moved it because the new triangulated strut brace would be in the way of the old one. Just a guess tho.

The reason is actually technical and engineering..

Along with the all new Oil Pump and Oil Filter (with the higher PSI By Pass Rating), for the first time, ALL the Oil goes directly from the Oil Pump through the Oil Filter First (the Oil Pump and Filter are very close together), where as in all other Rotaries the Oil Filter By Pass was a lower PSI and the Oil Filter located at the Rear and Top of engine will filter Oil After it passes the rear engine Oil By Pass Valve, so in theory some oil could be returned to the Oil Pan without being filtered.
The Series 2 RX-8 does not have this Rear Engine By Pass Valve return.

I;m about to attempt my first oil change in this thing. The motor is cold and i just have to drive it on the ramps. Can I even shut it down, or is that a no no?

/\ Are you serious??

If you are, Engine OIL should be changed when Hot..Not Cold???...think about it..

Explain, What are you Talking about???

Less hast and MORE Details...

meaning can i shut down a cold motor i just started. or should i idle it and wait for the first tach bar light to go out..ya know, because its a rotary?

As I said I would wait for engine to get HOT..TURN OFF .then drain.

Ok I wouldn't say "hot", more like "warm" or else you will burn the ever loving shit out of your hands when you go to remove the filter and oil drips out. Drive the car on the ramps, wait till the car warms up a bit (till the tach indicators go from 3 to 2 lights), turn off. Wait a bit, go grab a drink. If the car is too hot then its going to REALLY suck going down there and working.

I'm almost at 3000 miles now, I'm gonna do the oil at 5000. The hell with it. If I could change the oil in 5 min with the car on the ground then maybe...Its never hot or humid here and I drive all under the Schedule 1 stuff anyway. I've got the 100K warranty!

The new design is a piece of shit..
Oil pan gaurd what the fux.....

I dont mind the oil pan guard .... i hate that the filter is so damn hard to get to compared to the S1

I agree. The oil pan guard is easy and doesn't really take much time (use the slotted hole to slip and hold while installing). Compared to the Series1 cars, the oil filter location is a disappointment.

Yea location sucks, but i understand why they did it (closer to the oil pump so > oil pressure). This is also a reason why it isn't recommended to use a filter reloaction kit for the S2 which totally screws you up if you want to monitor oil temps and pressure :(