Guide ATF Drain/Fill

I checked last year when original issue was discovered and it seemed spot on. I'd have to call it a weep more than anything as it doesn't seem to be affecting levels on either oil or AT. In fact if this rig was post warranty I would probably leave as is but with warranty still left I will get it addressed.

+1....A good writeup by Tomcat posted above.
 
just FYI, I was able to check the transmission dipstick WITHOUT having to disassemble the air intake........
I can understand why some may want to, it makes it easier, but just giving another option that it's not necessary......
Thanks for another really nice write-up with plenty of pictures!

probably do drain and fill at around 35,000 miles, will do as above and measure what drains out and get a long flexible tube funnel and pour back thru the dipstick hole the same amount. I like the fact that car can be done level on the ground, and no need to remove air intake assembly; just need to remove the plastic paneling which needs to be done anyway to get to the transmission drain plug, and most of all can do it myself without going to dealer, I'm sure those monkeys would get tons of dirt into the fill hole.
Feel the same unfortunately and wish Mazda can have a better design on dipstick preventing dirt accumulation in the area.

BTW, when you cleaned those dirt, did you go from underneath without seeing the dirt or from the top? In other words, is there any space from top to do any part of work (such as taking the ATF measurement while engine is running)you'd done without removal of the air box?
 
Thanks for another really nice write-up with plenty of pictures!

Feel the same unfortunately and wish Mazda can have a better design on dipstick preventing dirt accumulation in the area.

BTW, when you cleaned those dirt, did you go from underneath without seeing the dirt or from the top? In other words, is there any space from top to do any part of work (such as taking the ATF measurement while engine is running)you'd done without removal of the air box?

Thanks yrwei52, appreciate the compliment, there's no space from the top to clean without removing the airbox assembly,

I do recall reading somewhere that the radiator tube bracket can be easily detached to try to wiggle the radiator tube out of the way to reach the dipstick but I didn't try , the air box housing is the main component obstructing most of the path to the dipstick and bolt, and also it's quite deep, even if you take out the airbox , you have to really reach all the way down to get to it.....

also, shout out to Chris_Top_Her for his write up (post#1) a lot of useful info, but one thing I noticed was when I opened up my hood, his access to the dipstick was cavernous compared to mine, obviously he has the Corksport intake.....

also thanks to Gova (post #91) for pointing out the dirt accumulation, his heads-up helped a lot, otherwise I would have never caught it, and I'm 100% absolutely positive Mazda dealer mechanics wouldn't even care,...........

I had to try to clean it blind, I ripped a small piece of my detailing clay bar and used clay slowly over the dirt and the clay grabbed most of the debris, then like Gova used a damp cleaning wipe to clean the remaining residue, worked quite well, obviously, I threw out the clay, no way I was going to use it again for detailing, the encased debris will cause scratches.

the Mazda design is questionable, the dipstick basically rest on a "stage" if you will that allows all sort of debris and dirt to accumulate, most of my previous cars was just a metal tube and the dipstick was a long metal with a rubber cap, no "stage" for dirt to accumulate.
 
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Hopefully Mazda still continues to maintain dipsticks if even at minimal level. Toyota... for example for about 10 years or more has eliminated dipsticks on ATs and claimed life-time fluid. It can still be partial-swapped but not without an extreme level of difficulty and dealer aversion if you can find one that will do it. I like to do my own maintenance and cringe greatly!!!! when thinking about the PIA doing this on my GX.
 
awesome write up again tomcat, this is a lot easier than taking out the whole air intake system every single time to get to the dipstick....(especially if you need to check 2 or 3 times when car is running or when it reaches 122F temp)

I recall a fellow member removed the air intake system and followed the instruction in the video link below but forgot to re-attach the MAF connector and threw a check engine code....

https://www.carcarekiosk.com/video/2013_Mazda_CX-5_Sport_2.0L_4_Cyl./transmission_fluid/check_fluid_level
 
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Nice pics Tom Cat. I just want to point out that the torque specs for the ATF drain bolt with new crush washer is 23-30 ft lbs. I found 25lbs to be sufficient and with no leaks.
 
Just did my 2nd CX5. Got ~3.8 qts out this time.

YMMV of course, but I find removing the filter assembly much quicker and convenient than dropping the undercover to get to AT fill hole/dipstick.

I find it very inconvenient to access anything from the floor level vs top of the engine bay.
 
Thanks for the write-up Tomcat.

You must be one skinny person to not jack up the CX-5.(spin)

Anybody else have the car throw a P0601 code with a dash message about tranny after the refill and dip check? Before I reset the code with a restart the tranny was seriously fubar as if it was in learning mode. It also threw MAF sensor codes but I expected that given I still had the air filter disassembled.
 
I could not open the picture you posted. where can i find the dipstick for the transmission fluid on a mazda 6 2.5?

for lower mileage its ok, but when you are changing trans fluid at 60k+ you always want to change the trans fluid filter as well. otherwise, you're basically throwing your money into the garbage.
 
I could not open the picture you posted. where can i find the dipstick for the transmission fluid on a mazda 6 2.5?

for lower mileage its ok, but when you are changing trans fluid at 60k+ you always want to change the trans fluid filter as well. otherwise, you're basically throwing your money into the garbage.
Same location like CX-5 - driver side front in the engine bay underneath the air box. I agree, the transmission filter cartridge should be replaced at certain point. Since it's huge so it should last long. And there's no gasket for ATF pan, some DIYers, including me, may hesitate to do it. Nevertheless drain-and-fill ATF even without filter cartridge change is still better than not to do anything.
 
I plan to put mine up on 4 Rhino ramps, drop the front splash shield. I can reach the dipstick. I can get a pre-drain reading from the dipstick. If it appears factory fill is accurate I am going to do a drain into container I purchased with measurement marks on it. Let it sit overnight in the garage along with the new fluid. The next day replace with same quantity of fluid. One can use some of the OBD tools to catch the temp reading to check it at. I can't remember offhand but it was in the 120-130 degree (~48-54 celsius) range. I will need to double check FSM or find the previous stated post.
 
Missing files.
 

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I plan to put mine up on 4 Rhino ramps, drop the front splash shield. I can reach the dipstick. I can get a pre-drain reading from the dipstick. If it appears factory fill is accurate I am going to do a drain into container I purchased with measurement marks on it. Let it sit overnight in the garage along with the new fluid. The next day replace with same quantity of fluid. One can use some of the OBD tools to catch the temp reading to check it at. I can't remember offhand but it was in the 120-130 degree (~48-54 celsius) range. I will need to double check FSM or find the previous stated post.

I wouldn’t lose sleep over getting every last drop out as several pints will stay in. It’s another reason I wouldn’t go adding my “favourite brand” as it’ll just end up a blended mess. I don’t care how expensive the Mazda blue stuff is, it’s all that’s going in mine if I ever get round to doing it.
 
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Thank you very much! This official ATF replacement procedure is truly needed for DIYers and we really appreciate it! (cool)

Yes don't use any other ATF's no matter how good the fluid you think it is, as you'll mix it with another half of old OEM ATF which WILL cause issues! This applies to all automatic transmissions.
 
Thanks for the tips everyone. So what is the consensus on the OEM fluid level after checking it for most of you? It seems like most of the factory levels are low. Even the engine oil and the manual capacity as an example, I find myself adding more than 5 quarts at each oil change. So I was wondering if the transmissions were also shipped low(uhm)
 
Thanks for the tips everyone. So what is the consensus on the OEM fluid level after checking it for most of you? It seems like most of the factory levels are low. Even the engine oil and the manual capacity as an example, I find myself adding more than 5 quarts at each oil change. So I was wondering if the transmissions were also shipped low(uhm)
Some checked and said low. I might add the engine coolant level and rear differential gear lub are also low from factory.

Like oil change capacity in owner's manual, the specs listed for rear differential gear lub capacity is also way low.

ATF expansion is very sensitive to temperature. Make sure to verify the ATF temperature with a capable OBD-II reader, or wait for the blue coolant light off and measure the ATF level either from the top side (with air box off) or the bottom side. 4.5~4.8 qts is the refill capacity for ATF drain-and-fill.
 
Some checked and said low. I might add the engine coolant level and rear differential gear lub are also low from factory.

Like oil change capacity in owner's manual, the specs listed for rear differential gear lub capacity is also way low.

ATF expansion is very sensitive to temperature. Make sure to verify the ATF temperature with a capable OBD-II reader, or wait for the blue coolant light off and measure the ATF level either from the top side (with air box off) or the bottom side. 4.5~4.8 qts is the refill capacity for ATF drain-and-fill.

Thanks, I've done oil changes and it seems like it's about 5 qrts. 4 oz. to fully fill the engine. I also did the front differential and also feel like that took more than the capacity listed in the manual. the fill plug was completely dry on the front diff. So I imagine it was much lower than the fill hole since there wasn't even enough to slosh up to the plug to dampen it any. I've yet to do the rear, but I've read the rear has been pretty low from the fill hole.
 
Thanks, I've done oil changes and it seems like it's about 5 qrts. 4 oz. to fully fill the engine. I also did the front differential and also feel like that took more than the capacity listed in the manual. the fill plug was completely dry on the front diff. So I imagine it was much lower than the fill hole since there wasn't even enough to slosh up to the plug to dampen it any. I've yet to do the rear, but I've read the rear has been pretty low from the fill hole.
You have a 2018 CX-5 and you've already changed the gear lub from your front transfer case? This's the first time people here are reporting the gear oil in front transfer case is low!

Everyone who checked his/her rear differential gear oil from factory and all says it way low from the fill-hole! It requires ~0.75 quarts to fill up during the change but the manual says 0.48 quarts! This's for gen-1 CX-5 AWD, the manual says the capacity on rear differential oil for gen-2 CX-5 AWD is 0.37 quarts! It'd be interesting how much it really need. Please report back your findings.

For engine oil change, if you drain the oil long enough without using Fumoto valve, it would need 5.3 quarts of fresh oil to make the oil level at "Full" mark of the dipstick.
 
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