ibluevirus

Okay, this car belongs to my sister and I don't have it in front of my face so I can't tell and don't have the owner's manual... Questions..

- What engine oil do I use? way? qrt?
- AT tranny fluid? kind? qrt?
- Differential Fluid? kind? qrt?
- Just one belt? Or crank and cam belts?

I am going to do everything myself (maybe not the belt(S)). including all filters, other fluids, and spark plugs. Don't worry too much, my friend works at a dealership (not mazda), and he'll be guiding me with this. Just don't feel like spending $700 plus to replace fluids and filters. Any pointers and hints would be nice. Thanks!

ibluevirus

no one? that's fine, I think I'll ask the dealership..

turbonium959

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. For oil, you can use any brand of 10w30, as for tranny, and belts, I would go to a dealer. You have definately more then one belt, and unless you take out one of the headlights, you have no easy access to it, so I would let the dealer worry about it. But why worry with the belts, unless you can see that they are wearing off?

ibluevirus

wow I have to take off the headlight? I love my horizontal oppose. Here is the thing, I don't drive that car at all, my sister does. So I just don't want to wait until one day she calls me on the side of the road. You know what I mean? Why do I need to go into the dealership with tranny fluid change? It's simply drain and refill thing right? I MIGHT take it in for the belt, but it's $280 parts and labor! We'll see, thanks for the info..

turbonium959

If you do not want to take it to a dealer, then you can just stop by a NAPA or Auto Zone, and they can sell you the right tranny fluid for the car. Then just raise the car, drain the old fluid, and refill with the new one. Make sure that you have the owners manual with you, because when you add new tranny fluid, depending if the engine is hot or cold, there is a certain amount that you must add. If you over fill, or underfill, you can run into some problems. Lastly, once you have refilled the fluid, and it is at the right level (make sure that the car is running when you check the level of tranny fluid). Run the car through all gears (I assume it is an automatic), and leave it in each gear for about 20-30 secs and do it at least twice. Then take it for a drive and see if there are any thing out of the ordinary.

As, for the belt, it is only my suggestion to take out the (left) headlight. When I took it off, it created so much room to work with, and allowed me to see all the belts at once. Once again, if you want to do those yourself as well, go to NAPA or alike, buy them, and replace them (assuming you have done it before).

Good luck.

ibluevirus

thanks again for the info. I've only done this on my own/type of car. I don't know jack about mazda. but figure, changing fluid is all the same except for the type and amount.

ibluevirus

DONE! Got everything done except for the brake fluid and drive belt. total part for $120!!

while i was at it, drive belts needed to be done. I'll get to it some other time. Timing belt wasn't as bad as the damn fuel filter. is there a better way to get to it? i did the brake pads and rotors too. that was cake. Thanks all!