'08 Mazda 5 Sport Nav manual gearshift / power & economy

Hi all,

We are proud new owners of a lovely UK Stormy Blue 2008 Mazda 5 with 44000 miles, 2.0 Diesel with nav, xenons, electric doors, leather etc.

The car is great but i have a few queries.

The gearshift seems really notchy, its almost impossible to get a clean 1st to 2nd change and so on......now I am used to crap gear shifts (I drive a Renault Clio FFS) but I did expect better from this car. My mum has a Mazda 2 Tamura and the gearshift is excellent, as is the Mazda MX5 etc. Are there bushings or anything like that that can wear and need replaced?

Economy wise, this car is only averaging out at about 34mpg......which is utterly pathetic imo for a 2.0 diesel. As far as I recall, this car should be rocking out an AVERAGE of 43.....no chance.

Finally, not so sure on the power the car is producing. I appreciate that 6th gear is usually an overdrive gear to be used when up to speed, but 5th doesnt even produce acceptable overtaking power at motorway speeds. There are no CEL codes shown on the dash at all.....I have also not noted any of the traits of the DPF regen issues, though I may be wrong.

Any and all thoughts appreciated.

Regards
Andy

I think the easiest and most logical place to start would be to check the engine mounts, there have been some posts about engine mount failure so that's where I'd look first. I live in the country so no problem with the merging onto freeway, really wish we could get the diesel here, but with our EPA regs, they've really complicated our light diesel trucks.

Congrats and welcome. I must say I am envious of your model as that packing contains my ideal combo that is not avail here in the US (manual, color, leather, diesel, electric doors). The Mazda5 looks great on paper but the real life example have tradeoffs you have to accept.

Are you getting notchy shifts from 1-2 only or also across other gears? Are you only experiencing this when the transmission fluid is cold or also when the car is fully warm (driven, not idle, for about 20 mins)? I noticed the OE transmission fluid can take a good 10-20 mins before it is warm for quick/smooth shifts. Once it is at full operating temp, it shift pretty good. Just to be clear, you are referring to notchy gear engagement in the shifter and not the clutch engagement, correct?

Mine (also purchased used so there is unknown history) also have a notchy 2nd gear shifter engagement but only 2nd gear when cold. I don’t know about the Mazda2 but earlier Mazda MX5 (NA Miata here) also are known for notch 1-2 shifts (only 1-2). Mazda5 do not have turrent oil and I suppose a shifter bushing could be worn but unlikely. Only thing that was a working solution for the MX5 is changing the transmission oil. I just purchased Ford Motorcraft transmission fluid will be changing mine soon (at 30K). Folks here seem to comment the OE transmission fluid is very low quality and should be changed by 30K. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone having issues across all gears so your problem may be unique. I would recommend replacing the fluid with a TOP shelf transmission fluid first.

Additionally, if you search the Mazda5 sub forum, you will see some older posters reporting the same issue with 1-2 shift and a new clutch worked for some.


EDIT: Also try double clutching to see if it will engage smoother and check/bleed/replace the clutch fluid.

Hey guys, thanks for the responses.

Well, car is just back from local dealer as it is stil under a warranty of sorts. They concluded that there was nothing wrong with the car after comparing it with 2 other diesels. All in my head of course.....we will see over the next few months.

I can confirm that a gentle drive down the motorway returned about 45mpg......which isnt too bad i guess. Same as all diesels though, the engine REALLY needs to get up to temperature or else it will return poor economy. Most of my wifes trips will be local for the next while as we have a brand new baby so the mpg hit will stay for a while.

The gearchange is still tough in my opinion SilentNoise.......yes, it is only the 1st to 2nd change. The rest seem fine.

I will take a look through the threads as you have mentioned and I will look into a good brand gear oil of the correct spec.

The clutch is in super nick to be honest, the only problem i noted is the clutch release bearing sounds shot and rattles when in neutral.

Thanks for you kind comments, it is the exact spec i was looking for and it works so well with our small and relatively new fanily

Regards
Andy

Does it grind from 1st to 2nd? Could be a very prematurely worn synchros.

I consider my Mazda 5's shifter to be one of the best out there. Of course dealers will always sway the responsibility away.

Most trannies have trouble shifting into second. It's the nature of the design. I suggest Amsoil or Redline MTX fluid. Really good MTX fluid is very expensive. Car companies don't like expensive when there's cheap. My brand new Civic Si did the same thing until I put Amsoil in it. Problem solved. No big deal.