Just got my 1st Fd today. The car idles well but hesitates when I try to rev it (at standstill. I think its the fuel filter or possibly the plugs. How do I get to the filter?

look above the differential...

have fun and expect fuel down your arm. when i did mine i had 101 in the tank, felt real nice in the arm pit!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats! Check plugs first. Mazda recommends changing the filter out every 30k miles. Not sure it's necessary quite that often, but probably every 50k. It's a PITA to change out. Above the rear differential, in front of the crossmember. Hard to see and it would make "Gumby" swear. Far easier IMO to do on a lift, so if you've got the money this is one of the few things I'd let a trusted shop do for me.

Afterward, consider some good fuel system cleaner, I like the Chevron Techron stuff.

If you decide to tackle it yourself, a downloadable Factory Service Manual is available in several places and many owners relocate it for the future.

check here

tie a rag or towl around your arm and there is no fuel in the pit

Yeah, but goggles or eye cover is a good thing.

They have cool little "hose clamps" that pinch off the line so fuel wont pour out all over you... there like $5 for two at O'reillys..



I dont like being covered in gas ether...



oops... didnt see that the thread was this old.. sorry guys!

Last one I did took me 40 minutes and not a single drip of fuel on me... Just take your time and look at things from many different angles, its really not that big a of a deal...

I am about to relocate my fuel filter. Makes it easier to change as I like to change mine every 25k miles and then cheaper as we use a common filter that is like 8-12 dollars. I will document it this time and post it. Might take a few weeks to get to it.