5-AT Stopped Working while driving

sensinitas

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08 Mazda 5
So I was taking a "spirited" drive home from Palm Springs yesterday. The first hill section of the drive is quite steep and windy. So I had my 5 in 3rd gear for the majority of the drive up the hill. Probably around 10 minutes or so, switching in and out of 3rd and 4th, but mainly staying in 3rd. Then as I neared the top, the 5-AT stopped working. Meaning, the display in the cluster that shows you what gear you are in went blank, and I couldn't manually shift gears anymore. As I continued to drive, I kept switching in and out of manual to see if it was working. It took around 20 minutes before it started working again.

Has anyone experienced this? I'm guessing it's some kind of preventative measure the car takes to save the tranny. Although I've done this drive before without any issues.
 
What gear were you in and did you vary road speed for AT to change gear?

Any possibility of ATF overheating?
 
ATF overheated, suggested you change the fluid as the lfuid in there now is quite likely cooked, or old and abused. If you drive hills like this often, invest in an auxiliary ATF cooler
 
ATF overheated, suggested you change the fluid as the lfuid in there now is quite likely cooked, or old and abused. If you drive hills like this often, invest in an auxiliary ATF cooler

Whoa...where do I find one of these? My car only has 7,200 miles on it.
 
i guess its more of a service duty thing, you can ask your dealer, tell them that you want to install an aux ATF cooler and change the fluid. That will also be arsenal in case the tranny fails later on, you can say you did the nessecary service and even a step further. Go to a tranny shop if u dont trust your dealer. After that and with regular fluid changes, the chances of service related (overheating) failure will drop dramatically, and you shouldnt need to ever make a claim on it.
 
There's no factory auxiliary transmission cooler. I doubt dealer will install one. The most they will do is ATF flushing.

You can however install an aftermarket unit yourself. A small plate & fin type will reduce pressure drop and a thermostat to avoid overcooling.
 
i guess its more of a service duty thing, you can ask your dealer, tell them that you want to install an aux ATF cooler and change the fluid. That will also be arsenal in case the tranny fails later on, you can say you did the nessecary service and even a step further. Go to a tranny shop if u dont trust your dealer. After that and with regular fluid changes, the chances of service related (overheating) failure will drop dramatically, and you shouldnt need to ever make a claim on it.

I took the car in for a 7,500 mile service today and asked the service advisor about this situation. He said he's NEVER heard of this happening. They checked the fluid, and everything was fine. He told me to continue driving the car and if it happens again, to bring it back in. So that's what I'm going to do.

Although I would like to check for codes. Can I do this at Autozone with one of their units? Or are Mazdas like VW's where you can only use one special progam/computer?

There's no factory auxiliary transmission cooler. I doubt dealer will install one. The most they will do is ATF flushing.

You can however install an aftermarket unit yourself. A small plate & fin type will reduce pressure drop and a thermostat to avoid overcooling.

Yea the service advisor said Mazda doesn't make an auxiliary transmission cooler. Although I've never heard of this unit and don't have a clue where to start looking...
 
No Mazda doesnt make them, but some dealers (most people feel they have to go through dealers) that are cool do this sort of thing, they'll install say a Hayden 404 for the customer. Doesnt matter if theyve heard of it before, (sounds like whoever you asked doesnt know much), but I do know these transmissions fall into a safe mode when the fluid gets too hot.
 
No Mazda doesnt make them, but some dealers (most people feel they have to go through dealers) that are cool do this sort of thing, they'll install say a Hayden 404 for the customer. Doesnt matter if theyve heard of it before, (sounds like whoever you asked doesnt know much), but I do know these transmissions fall into a safe mode when the fluid gets too hot.

Boom - that's the answer I was looking for. That makes sense, but I'm new to Mazdas, so didn't know for sure. (2thumbs)
 
Yea the service advisor said Mazda doesn't make an auxiliary transmission cooler. Although I've never heard of this unit and don't have a clue where to start looking...


B&M makes dual purpose coolers (engine and transmission). I used one of these on my mazda6s tranny up until I sold it. They're rated in BTUs or GVWs. The higher the number, the better the cooling. They're not a bad investment at all imo. You'll also need extra hoses as the ones that come with the kit are usually not adequate. You can get the hoses in most auto stores. Look for transmission cooler hose.

I bought mine from Summit Racing:

http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.asp?N=700+115+300221&D=300221

It's pretty simple to install but you need to find a place to mount it (preferably where it can get a stream of air across it). I took the front bumper off and mounted it in front of the radiator. Not sure how much space the Mazda 5 has in front so I can't advise you there. Also be sure your Mazda 5 doesn't already come with one. I remember some Mazda sixes having them, I believe the wagons did.

If your Mazda 5 has one then all you need to do is upgrade it.


Here's a how to for the mazda 6 to demonstrate the basics:

http://www.mazda6tech.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=35
 
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