Iāve read the post saying the correct oil filter is LF10-14-302A.
However just picked up a new filter for my 2014 NC and have been given S550-14-302 9A
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Dealership insist itās the correct filter. Is this the new correct part?
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Thanks Steve
Iāve been getting my filters from Mx5parts and used the above filter model you have for around 4 to 5 oil changes with no problems. I even gave one to a well respected service shop to do an oil change with and mentioned āis it correctā no problems was the reply.
If you look on Mx5parts and find the filter in question there is a review which mentions maybe their supplied one is not a recommended filter but they still send them out.
Mazda dealers sold and used them for years with no harm comming to any engine.
The new filter is a slighty smaller diameter on the flutes than the old one and it is difficult to get them off with a cup wrench that worked with the old filter as it is too large.
You have to use one of the three leg tools that are not as easy to use and can catch on the little copper tube hiding down there next to the oil filter.
Got the 3 legged oil tool here, it does the job ok but if I bought it again Iād get the small one for bike filters.
Iām sorry if I confused people, the old one which was superseeded was SH01-14-302A , this is not the one I have
The SH01-14-302A was replaced by LF10-14-302A.
I have been given S550-14-302 9A which I presume has now replaced the LF10-14-302A
Steve
Yes I was getting confused in my reply.
Yes they have all been specified at various times by Mazda but some only when Mazda Europe ran out of one specific part number.
One issue is that Mazda have also given out different recomendations to the after market filter makers at different times and not always the same info.
From what I can see they will all work on the NC cars as well as other Mazda cars incluing Diesel 2.2 litre cars.
Clear as mud.
Lots of people fret about this probably far more than is necessary.Ā
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Standard spec for our cars is basically one that fits and has a bypass pressure of 1atm [pressure drop across filter medium].Ā Change them and the oil regularly as Iām sure you do [people donāt come here to neglect their babies], use a good quality filter and all will be well.
Even if you stretch out oil changes to the 12500 standard interval specified by Mazda then it will still be fine.
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I use a smaller [Mann W712/43 rather than W712/73, same spec + has anti drain back valve not specified on the original] filter on mine due to an oil filter sandwich plate for the pressure gauge causing clearance issues. Itās fine and dandy
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I went with Mann because they have a really great catalogue you can compare the specs of filters:
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I think they are about Ā£5 from ECP
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Personally I will always buy OEM filters, both air and oil.
I worked for a very large multinational vehicle manufacturer for forty years. I was involved in quality, NPI and service engineering. Our technical specifications for oil and air filters ran to about forty pages each.
Filters are a very technical product with a huge number of requirents. Like many other vehicle manufacturers a significant portion of our income and profits were obtained from selling service and spare parts so in no way would our specifications be shared with after market providers. Our specs were considered proprietary information and of great value. The specs were very stringent because the quality of parts directly affects the bottom line in the form of warranty costs on engines and systems. Never mind customer satisfaction.
As a sales aid we would produce a stand which had sectioned filters from all after market suppliers. Including many famous ones, the stand would also include a sectioned OEM filter. The difference in design, materials and performance was staggering. But not one was of the standards of our products.
But you pays your money and make your choice.
Here is a useful comparison of various oil filters. Youtube has many similar ones, but I chose one from UK.
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Sorry for wasting your valuable time.
I found it useful as general interest. Obviously you arenāt looking at this from a DIY owner/enthusiast point of view. The great majority of us here are not designers, but only wanting to know if they are suitable to fit to our cars (as does the OP). Weāre certainly not trying to design a filter to outperform all other manufacturers.
Itās useful to know if an āexpensiveā oil filter is exactly the same inside as a less expensive one, because they are obviously made on the same production line.
The average person fitting any oil filter (professional mechanic or whatever) has absolutely no idea about burst pressure or particle filtration size, there is no way of knowing because as you say, those figures are ātrade secretsā and certainly not printed on the box!
What I do know, as someone who has been working on engines for over half a century, is that one of those filters in the video I linked to totally unsuitable for any engine where the filter housing axis is horizontal, although the average owner might not. I was caught out once and only briefly, over forty years ago, by fitting a filter that was sold as suitable for my carās engine, although it was not. Nothing to do with burst pressure or filtration size; it had no anti-drain back valve. The engine rattled on start up but thankfully I soon realised why and put on a different filter.
Iām sorry Paul, I didnt mean to offend, I appreciated you taking the time to find the video and post it.
Iāve only recently joined both the forum and the club and have had amazing help and advice from people like yourself.
I appreciate your apology, thank you.
Thanks Paul, it was good to see the Mann filter come out on top [in that bloke opinion at least] as thatās the brand i had chosen for mine. Having looked at the disassembled filters it was not clear which I would chose had I had the information up front. It seems a toss up between flow and filtration, how much flow is enough? The only way to know for sure I know would be the oe filter but in my case thatās not an option and even then you are at the mercy of whichever target the manufacturer is looking at. In all cases cost is going to be a big part of that tempered by how good is good enough to allow the engine to last the length of the warranty with the specified service intervals. You would expect at least the oe to be consistent however the myriad of different part numbers over the years on just the mk3 would suggest otherwise. Iām happy with my choice as itās cheap, fits and works. I change at 3-5k anyway so even if itās a little under specced the job is still a good un
That turned more rambley than Iād intended. Hopefully it makes sense. On mobile so some words may be replaced with others that look similar
Thanks Paul, it was good to see the Mann filter come out on top [in that bloke opinion at least] as thatās the brand i had chosen for mine. Having looked at the disassembled filters it was not clear which I would chose had I had the information up front. It seems a toss up between flow and filtration, how much flow is enough? The only way to know for sure I know would be the oe filter but in my case thatās not an option and even then you are at the mercy of whichever target the manufacturer is looking at. In all cases cost is going to be a big part of that tempered by how good is good enough to allow the engine to last the length of the warranty with the specified service intervals. You would expect at least the oe to be consistent however the myriad of different part numbers over the years on just the mk3 would suggest otherwise. Iām happy with my choice as itās cheap, fits and works. I change at 3-5k anyway so even if itās a little under specced the job is still a good un
That turned more rambley than Iād intended. Hopefully it makes sense. On mobile so some words may be replaced with others that look similar
That was an interesting video. As an owner of several 90ās vintage mercs I have seen the cutaway filter stand at the local dealership and it is impressive.
However I think the days of quality over price have long since left that particular building.
I often buy parts for those cars from the likes of Mann, Meyle, Pagid and others. You canāt often say that any of those brands are the best as each type of part is often made in a different factory or country. Individual parts however can be bought on recommendation as good replacements for a particular car model.
I recently bought front and rear ARB endlinks for the 5 and wouldnāt hesitate to recommend them for both price and quality.
Back to Mk3 oilfilters, in the Stateside forums where there are many more higher mileage Mk3ās there is plenty of anecdotal evidence about engines which exhibit start up rattle being helped by using an aftermarket filter with the anti- drainback valve.Ā
Regular oil and filter changes along with the correct level are probably the most important factor.
Steeveās comments are interesting but it must be worth noting that the car makers only provide a specification for the filters which are then made by third party companies; often more than one and often located in different countries.Ā Meeting a performance specification does not necessarily require an identical design.Ā Thereās no doubt that āgenuineā filters are provided by these various suppliers under their own brand names.Ā As an example, I recently put a Mann air filter in my Audi.Ā It was clearly identical to the Audi unit that came out and no surprise, the Audi part number was included in the various numbers printed on it.Ā
As mk375 says, Iād happily buy consumable items from āreputableā companies.Ā Iām intrigued by his comment about Mk 3 cars suffering start up rattle and being cured by a filter with an anti drain back valve.Ā Given the mk 3 filter screws on from below and so is at the lowest point, it cannot ever empty when the engine is shut down, Iām unable to think of a mechanism that would cause the filter to empty.Ā Start up rattle is most commonly a result of high mileage hydraulic tappets draining out.Ā
JSĀ
My take on the start-up issue was that any oil in the passages above the filter may not drain back to the filter after the engine is stopped and therefore the engine tends to stay primed with oil.
Donāt know whether this is the case but there is a definate group opinion on Miata.net
I had a look at some old filters this morning and neither the SH01 or LF10 prefix Mazda filters have the silicone flap installed.
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I remain confused, miata.net opinion or not. The filter is at the lowest point and will be full of oil in operation and will remain like that when the engine is stopped; no more oil can drain into it. Iām sure the filters donāt have a flap. In this location, they donāt need it. The top of the engine certainly does drain back when it is stopped, but this oil will end up in the sump, via the normal route it takes during operation. Hydraulic tappets at the top of the engine are always going to drain out if they are worn.
Maybe just that an oil and filter change reduces the start-up tappet rattle, rather than using a non-standard filter gives the benefit.
JS