First set of maintainence to do!

[RemarkLima]

Hi all,

As you may know recently picked up 3rd Gen RX, fresh off the boat from Japan so obviously no known history... It has an oil sticker on the driver door area with 88,000km oil change which I\'m hoping is the next one due, but just for peice of mind I\'d like to do a basic service.

So oil, looking at a 5w30 mineral effort from reading around, no semi of fully synth... Gonna give the RP a miss for now as I\'d need to order that.

Plugs, need to get a couple of NGK-BUR9EQP and a couple of NGK-BUR7EQP, no better options I guess? And how long do these last?

Oil filter, any preferences?

And do you think I should change the leads at the same time? I was reading that you have to remove the throttle body to get to the top of the leads but that doesn\'t look too bad a job (*touches wood*).

I\'d also like to clear some space in the engine bay as it\'s pretty full, and quite funny how you really can\'t see any of the engine at all! Removal of the airpump... Should a PFC be fitted before getting rid of this?

Anything else I should consider while I\'m there?

Cheers :cheers

Mark

[John Yorke]

Looking at your post it sounds like you know your way around an engine or you have done a fair bit of reading!
Air pump removal usualy goes with de-cat so, yes a PFC + commander.
Oil - unless you intend doing real hard driving or trackdays, go with cheapo Castrol 10-40 - Halfords special \'bout £12.00 [change every 3k miles]you can also get the cheap filter there [patern type \'bout £5.00]
Plugs - if you de-cat go with 9\'s all round [might be easier to get hold of]
Leads - Magnicor 9mm are the ones [see vendors section]
Always worth getting a sump plug washer!
Fresh import - change brake fluid [DOT 5]
Gearbox and axle oil - worth replacing.
Nasty job but new fuel filter is a worthwhile job - seeing as you are starting from scratch.
HTH:WaveBye

[RemarkLima]

Hi John,

I\'ve done plenty of work on my past track cars and current race car, nothing massively drastic but generally I\'m not too shy when getting my hands dirty Often to my detriment when that one nut just decides it\'ll never come off!

Thinking about it, I think I\'ve got a can of Castrol SRF, top brake fluid! Needs to be used really

Decat... I take it without the airpump the cat will get cooked?

I\'ll not be doing any trackdays until I\'m happy with the car really, so not for a while so cheapo oil it is! And cheapo filter if it\'s going to changed often.

So should get the 7\'s and 9\'s do you think while i\'m running it in a standard way?

Gearbox oil definately needs changing, so I\'ll need it up on some ramps for that, so will get the diff done and the fuel filter while I\'m at it.

Cheers for the tips! Be prepared for more questions

[Jit]

Ive found sets of magnocors which dont quite fit properly...nothing aftermarket fits as well as OEM mazda leads....theyre perfectly up to the job...no need to go with magnecors at all. waste of money IMHO.

Im running 9s all round (well i was) in my standard engine and it gave me no issues...

Fuel filter can be a long task but if you got ramps and not overly large hands you should be ok.

[RemarkLima]

Sadly I can only borrow proper ramps, otherwise it\'s jacks and axle stands... I dream of a double garage with a 2 post ramp... All I\'d need is a bed in the corner...

Good to hear another view about the leads, I had magnecor\'s cause some ECU misfire detection issues on a previous car which was a little frustrating to say the least

Let\'s see how it goes from here onwards!