I finally got round to changing the fuel filter on our Mazda 2 1.5 diesel, a job I had been putting of for a while. I thought I would post my experiences on here in case anyone else is considering DIY maintenance.
I reversed the rear of the car on to 20cm ramps to improve access and then removed the plastic cover just in from the rear nearside sill (10mm nuts and bolts X6). Remove the 2 bolts holding the cable and move it to one side.
Access to the filter is very poor and the way the procedure is described in the service manual seems to be physically impossible.
The filter had been overtightened by the dealership as usual and provided very stubborn to loosen. First I tried a 3 legged spider wrench but this was too big. Then I tried a nylon strap wrench which snapped. Lastly, I tried a metal strap wrench which I had to adapt to make it small enough to grip the filter. This finally worked.
I emptied the filter using the drain valve and unscrewed it. Then I fitted the new filter which I had already filled with diesel. To finish I nipped the filter tight and replaced the plastic cover and screws. The car started first time and ran normally.
The original Mazda fuel filter was fluted and there is a laser cap filter wrench (7554) that you can buy but I cannot confirm whether it will fit as access is so tight. The Bosch filter I replaced it with was not fluted.
