Buying a 2008 CX9 GTAWD

C

cvan0485

I am looking ast buying a 2008 Mazda CX9 GTAWD with 127,000 miles on it. No issues detected on the test drive. But I don't know the service history. The trans fluid was a little on the darker side of red, di I don't know when it was last changed. The other concern is the water pump? Does anyone know when these typically go bad? The owner just replaced the transfer case a couple of months ago so I think I'm good there. Any other concerns that I should have? Any thoughts on purchasing it? Price is a little below KBB average.
Thanks in advance!
 
The water pump is a crap shoot, they fail at seemingly random mileage.

The transfer case is also a crap shoot. Some people are on their third or fourth. These just don't seem to last very long, even with regular maintenance. It's good that it was recently replaced, but it isn't a guarantee it will last very long.

Personally, I'd pass, unless I could get a ~$2k discount off the price to replace the water pump.
 
jal142 said:
The water pump is a crap shoot, they fail at seemingly random mileage.

The transfer case is also a crap shoot. Some people are on their third or fourth. These just don't seem to last very long, even with regular maintenance. It's good that it was recently replaced, but it isn't a guarantee it will last very long.

Personally, I'd pass, unless I could get a ~$2k discount off the price to replace the water pump.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input! Glad I did research before just buying it!
 
Mazda purists be damned. The truth is these Gen 1 CX-9s are nice cars with 2 weaknesses: PTU and water pump. But the drive train is actually reliable if you take care. And these are nice cars with plenty of power and utility for carrying families and their stuff.
The PTU is reliable with 30K fluid changes. DIY gear oil change is possible, but even if you paid this would not be an expensive service.
No guarantees, but it is rare that the water pump fails at under 100 - 150K. Being chain driven the water pumps actually last a long time - well over 100K miles. But, for the car you are considering you should include the cost and try to negotiate - unless the current owner can prove it has been changed.
The water pump is advanced DIY, but it can be done. I'd love to find a Gen 1 CX-9 being sold because it needs a water pump that was caught in the early stage of failing
 
I'm no Mazda purist, but people do need to be aware of the issues. Would I buy a used one? If it was FWD, probably. If it was AWD? No thanks.
 
My fwd 08 is for sale. One thing to consider with the water pump is that it is lubricated by motor oil. If you use low quality oil and infrequent changes, that may have an effect on pump life. That's one reason I change full synthetic every 5k miles.
 
puma said:
well if you buy it awd it will eventually becomes fwd so that doesn't change anything :)
Click to expand...
I wish that were true. Actually the PTU is constantly spinning the propeller shaft to the rear differential. A clutch is used to engage the rear wheels as directed by the computer. The problem: Many times when the PTU fails it can create an extreme load on the transmission and fry the transmission. In this case you never get chance to simply disconnect the PTU and propeller shaft and call it FWD.

helbigtw said:
My fwd 08 is for sale. One thing to consider with the water pump is that it is lubricated by motor oil. If you use low quality oil and infrequent changes, that may have an effect on pump life. That's one reason I change full synthetic every 5k miles.
Click to expand...
It is important to use synthetic oil and change it in the 5-7.5K mile range - unless you are getting oil analysis done. But under that front cover the oil lubricates and extends the life of the timing chains - and does little good for the water pump. The water pump fails at the shaft or pump housing seal(s) that keeps the oil and coolant separated. The shaft seal functions as a sleeve bearing and can go bad and seize. The more likely failure is either one of these seals fail and allow oil and coolant to mix. For some people the first clue is disappearing coolant. Others may also get a timing related trouble code. If you are paying attention this does not need to be the ruin of your engine. Better: Plan on replacing the water pump around 100 - 120K miles. Treat it like a timing belt service on an interference motor and these cars will last a long time.
 
well i have yet to see a transmission that was fried because of the PTU, at least i haven't read anything about that here, when people change the transmission because of a bad PTU it is because the splines are sheared in the main diff which will only affect the awd system.

Have you had a transmission shot because of a seized PTU? I personnally can't remember seeing that.
 
exactly what i said, transmission still works, only the splines and PTU are shot, car can be driven in 2wd
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Does my 2008 CX-9 FWD have a PTU/Transfer case?
Replies
1
Views
293
puma
P
J
2007~2015 Mazda CX-9 water pump replacement/service expected costs?
Replies
13
Views
6K
moto932
M
S
Considering a 2018 CX-9 but concerned about 2.5T oil consumption
Replies
10
Views
4K
PTguy
P

Latest posts

Back