Air filter testing 2005 December 28
While trying to figure out of there were any tricks to replace the low beam headlights in my 2003 Mazda 6s*, I was side tracked by reading about air filters. Since my air filter was about ready to be replaced, I decided to search the Internet for some information about which ones are better. I did find one scientific test, which (not surprisingly) showed that filters the block the most dirt, also restrict the air flow the most. Other web sites suggested (at least as far as paper air filters go) that the best air filter make and model will depend on the car and that you really need to just look at them and decide which one looks like it has the best design and filter area. That is what I’ll do when I go to the store and decide which one to purchase. Incidentally, during my search for air filters, I found an interesting oil filter study.
* There is no trick, but you need to have a lot of patience. Some fourms on the Internet claim that you have to take the front bumper off. The manual says you have to take it to the dealer. I did not have to go to the dealer or take the front bumper off, and was able to replace the lights. The only thing I ended up having to take off was the radiator overflow tank on the passenger side and the fuse box cover on the driver side. The passenger side was easier for two reasons. First, there is a little more room to maneuver the bulb and see once the radiator overflow tank is off; secondly, I already replaced the other one so I had some clue what I was doing. The thing that was odd about this was that both low beams burnt out at the same time. At first I was thinking something else was at fault, but the fuses and everything were OK, and it was indeed the case that the bulbs broke at the same time.
Hey. I’m glad you got the headlight thing figured out. Still kind of a pain that you actually have to remove stuff to change them, but it definitely beats taking the bumper off or taking it to the dealer.
As far as air filters go, I would definitely recommend going with a K&N filter. I put one in my mazda and the difference is noticeable. It’s not a huge difference, it’s kind of subtle, but you feel it most at wide-open-throttle. The best thing about it is when it gets dirty you just hose it off and re-oil it.
Another thing I did that helped substantially was completely remove the plastic intake in front of the filter box. On the protege, this is a big bulky plastic thing that has all kind of channels and loops in it that severely limits air intake. So right now the air goes in through the big 3″ diameter hole right in the filter box.
I originally did it as a temporary measure until I got one of those CAI (cold air intake) pipes, but I kind of forgot about it and that was like 80,000 miles ago.
[...] As I wrote once before, the official way to change the headlights on a 2003 Mazda 6 is to take off the front bumper. However, with skinny hands and some patience, you can get it done without going to such extreme measures. Recently, a low beam headlight on the passenger’s side and a fog light on the driver’s side went out. Having already changed the headlight once, it was pretty easy to do (you just need to move the radiator overflow tank out of the way). The fog lights, however were more confusing. However, thanks to a few Web sites, it wasn’t that bad. You still need some patience, but it can be done. The sites I looked at for hints were: [...]