Haha...I don't remove it but it's a pain in the *** to get that filter out! Weird angle FTL.

 

I haven't done this, and I understand that the "airflow" design is important, so that cutting holes in the diffuser might not be a good idea, but what if you cut the necessary hole and then made a "patch" that you could easily remove in the future.

 

That along the lines of what I was thinking. I would just have to conjure up a removable patch that would stand up to all under carriage wind

 

I was thinking that you would use those self tapping screws (4) to secure it.

 

The only bad thing about using tapping screws is that the thread part they would screw into would strip easily, being that the plastic is very thin. I was thinking more along the lines of using rivets to attach small hinges on one end of the access panel, then somehow using a fastener to keep it shut. Maybe some zip ties.

 

Not having been under there yet, I would agree if the plastic is thin. For the hinges, what about just drilling a couple holes on one end and using the zip ties as a hinge on that end and the zip tie on the other end to keep it closed. Seems like a winner to me.

 

Better yet, why not get a piece of plastic a little bigger than the hole, use a bolt, nut and washers, mount it on one side, then you could rotate it around out of the way when needed. And slide it back into place when finished.

 

zip ties seems to be the easiest way to go. They're convenient, strong, & cheap. I was just thinking of rivets because it gives me an excuse to buy a new tool, plus it looks cleaner.

 

Using bolts as hinges would not work because it would require you to loosen them to slide the patch panel, not to mention you'd have to have at least 2 bolts as a hinge. With 2 bolts as a hinge, you'd have to remove 1 bolt all together in order to get the panel to swivel on the remaining bolt.

 

If you use a rivet, just put one in the middle, I'm sure that it would slide/rotate enough to open the hole. Always need an excuse to get another cool tool)

If you put the bolt in the middle of one side, it also should slide/rotate out of the way. I'm assuming that this openning doesn't need to be larger than 6" or so. If it does need to be 8-12" then yes, 2 zip ties acting as the hinge on one end with one or two keeping it in place on the other end. If its that big, a couple of small brass wood working hinges pop riveted on to it should work. I would put the hinged side to the front so the wind wouldn't vibrate the zip tied part.

 

You could cut a piece out of the diffuser so you dont have to take it off, I've seen it done on a Z. I'd rather do the extra work to make sure nothing goes wrong Either way, its pretty straight forward. And all I have to say about Royal Purple is that its amazing. I dyno'd over 266whp and 250tq with just a motordyne spacer and pop charger!! The car runs smoother too. From reading other threads, people claim it burns faster than other oils but unless you are FI or you are constantly running the car hard, you dont have to worry about it. Amsoil is also a good oil. So far the purolator has done a great job, no leaks or anything. Any questions about this, just ask.

 

Has anyone tried one of these to avoid taking off the difuser?

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/oil_change_tips/

Or is everyone's gripe getting the filter out and not spilling oul all over the difuser?

 

BINGO!

 

The brass wood working hinges is what I was thinking of, or some galvanized ones. (cabinet hinges).. Using a bolt as a hindge wouldn't be feasible, because it would have to be fastened loosely in order to allow the hatch to swivel. If you tried to tighten the bolt down once you're ready to close off everything, the head of the bolt on the inside would just spin. Thus, you'd never be ablt to tighten it down and it would most likely vibrate loose. Unless of couse there was some way to rig some type of cotter pin like device on the inside.

 

Absolutely. I only remove the rear nuts, then bend it forward, wedge it so it stays, and crawl underneath. I've also never had oil drip onto it.

 

While I admire your tactful way of changing the oil, I doubt it if you've had a clean oil change everytime. Unless you're bending the diffuser at a 90 degree angle I would find it hard to place a drip pan under the filter & drain plug, drain the oil, and remove the filter while assuring that all the used oil falls into the drip pan only.

If the vehicle was on a lift, I could possible see this, but not while changing the oil on the floor.

 

I'll take a picture next time. I completely understand what you are saying, but the car is on jack stands just enough so that when the diffuser IS at 90^, it pinches against the carpet (yes, carpeted garage) and stays there. The silver brackets on the diffuser actually make doing this even easier.

 

That sounds about right then, if you jack the car up high enough to allow the diffuser to bend 90 degrees.

I have a question for you though. Do you think after so many times of bending the diffuser back and forth that eventually the metal framing of it is going to snap?

 

Synthetic oil helps to keep me from having to do it TOO often. Since they are aluminum, and aluminum work hardens over time, I try not to bend it, but just prop it against the carpet to hold it there. To answer your question, yes - IF the aluminum were bent over and over, it would eventually fail; however, the engineer in me believes it would take many, many, repeated strains to make this happen. I'll let you know.