I've never seen an impossible oil change before, but when I put my "new" (2004) wagon up for it's first oil change I was astounded at the location of the filter. It's bad enough that when the filter comes off, oil is going to get dumped all over some random bit of exhaust plumbing that runs directly underneath it, but the real kicker is that there is not enough clearance between the engine, frame, and exhaust bits to remove the filter from the engine compartment!

This engine (6 cyl) is absolutely CRAMMED into the engine compartment. I seriously can't even get my hand behind the headlight assembly to change the bulbs! If there is not a service position for the front end I've just bought a car that needs a mechanic to change the oil and headlights.

 

Headlights are much easier to change if you remove the front bumper, which is actually not as difficult as it sounds.

 

Ah... welcome to the modern car and Mazda family, UTMyEarz....

Keep in mind, the V6 6 series is a Ford under the skin, and even the Japanese built cars, like mine, can be a bugger to figure out sometimes.
If you think the Mazda is bad, you should look under the hood of a Mini, or even a modern Cadillac. That'll drive ya' nuts.
They don't make 'em for the DIYer anymore. They make 'em for the professional. Its up to US to be creative and figure out HOW to work on them with what we've got.

I got OUT of the business in early '90 for primarily that reason. The manufacturer's were making it nearly impossible for the little guy/independent shop to work on there cars. They finally figured out that by complicating the issues w/BS, they could get more business for themselves from people that were too scared to work on them, or have their local mechanic work on them. Ford in particular has been good at this for years before, mounting one thing on top of another so it became too frustrating for the average "shadetree" mechanic to tackle.

I realize this is oversimplification of the facts, some of which have to do with mpg's and safety, but basically that's when it all started.

 

Update::

After doing some research I've discovered that part of the problem is a faulty torque mount allowing the engine to sag, which reduces certain clearances under the hood. After jacking up the back side of the engine a bit, enough room was created to allow the filter to pass between the exhaust and the frame....Anyone want to guess what my next repair is going to be?

 

Hmmmmm. No. What?


I kid you. I kid you all the time.

 

I totally agree and the problem just gets worse and worse. I've had an 85 RX-7 (1st gen), a '95 626, an '02 millenia, and this wagon. Each car is more difficult to work on than the last (though the '02 millenia beats anything I've ever owned as far as parts availability goes) and the space under the hood gets smaller and smaller. I think I'm gonna restore the '85 RX-7 for my daily driver...it's a breeze to work on compared to the newer ones.

 

Hmmm. That sounds like a pretty good idea! Perhaps you could even upgrade the steering and brakes in the process.
Something about those 1st gens that refuses to die. They were sexy in their day, and imo still are.

 

Nothing says quality like 200hp from a 90 cubic inch engine and an engine note that sounds like an angry banshee!

 

Plus it's OBD1...straight pipe + turbo! You know you want to.