no, you misunderstood. you have it backwards.
transmission spline failure only occurs when there is a transfer case failure.
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2007~2015 Changing CX-9 transfer case gear oil (photos)
- Thread starter avidien
- Start date
no, you misunderstood. you have it backwards.
transmission spline failure only occurs when there is a transfer case failure.
Thanks for the picture Bargain,
that's the cleanest used 7 years old rear differential gear oil I've ever seen.
That's what the transfer case oil should look like @40,000 miles if it's lifetime oil !
makes me wonder that perhaps the rear differential isn't as stressed as the transfer case.
I might be mistaken, but I don't believe the CX9 is full time four wheel drive only when slippage is detected then the rear wheels engage. I know the transfer case is always turning no matter what so maybe that explains the huge difference in oil quality and color.
This might also explain why we rarely or even never see a rear differential failure, always a transfer case issue (usually a leak from the top breather valve @ around 30k/40K mark when the oil starts to decay to sludge and the transfer case overheats).
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Warm climate, no slippage......I started to write and decided to check location of the vehicle...surprise surprise LOL Australia...Yeh, no slippage and your car is pretty much FWD 99% of the time. Rear diff did no work at all. Rear diff fluid in my subaru looks worse after week of driving lol
Agreed, makes me think I'm throwing my money away doing the rear differential oil changes. That 7 years old rear diff oil looks brand new !!!!
If front transfer case was truly lifetime oil, that's what the oil should look like too.
I Still don't understand why Mazda/Ford designed the transfer case and propeller shaft to be turning all the time, very inefficient,
should have the clutch controls between the transmission and transfer case so transfer case only turns when there's slippage.
astriuminc
Member
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- CX-9 2013 AWD
Freaking weird story guys: first big a$$ snow blizzard in New York city today and what do I see ?? a CX9 spinning its front wheels at the end of my block trying to get up a moderately steep hill, I went over to try to help the driver out thinking he must have bought the FWD model but nope, as I got closer I saw the AWD emblem on the trunklid!! WTF?? I smelled the infamous putrid burning oil and told him to turn the engine off and we both looked under the car and sure enough we saw dripping black oil. I recommend him to stop driving and get the car towed otherwise he may damage the transmission if not already. I asked him to check his odometer, it read 88,000 miles, I checked his registration sticker, 2008 model. Driver had absolutely no idea about the transfer case, I gave him this forum's link and recommend him to insist that Mazda cover the cost of the transfer case AND if necessary the transmission spines. He thanked me and said he couldn't wait for a tow truck and will get it looked at after the storm. He turned around and took another route around the hill. Poor guy doesn't even know it but because of the spinning wheels, he's already got a decoupled AWD system, just a matter of where it's decoupled: 1) transfer case looking at maybe $650 plus labor or 2) transmission splines looking at close to >$4000 for new transfer case plus new transmission plus labor. I suspect he's looking at #1 (transfer case replacement which Mazda will cover under the extended 90,000 warranty... wow he just made it at 88,000 miles) and his splines are still good because the burning oil and dripping black oil indicates the transfer case gears are spinning (thus splines are spinning the transfer case gears). If the splines were sheared off, there would be no burning oil smell or dripping black oil because the transfer case wouldn't be spinning at all.
This got me worried, so I warmed up my AWD and followed his exact tracks to the hill, I had absolutely no problems getting up the hill.
HEY GUYS, LIGHTBULB MOMENT (flash)!!! whoa just thought of an AWD system check test, can this be a legitimate test ?
if AWD transfer case feels cold and NOT HOT after a long drive , it's an indication of sheared splines ??
my thinking is if the transmission splines are sheared off and decoupled from the transfer case, the transfer case is just basically "dead" and shouldn't get hot at all unless the exhaust will heat it via convection but still it wouldn't get as hot as working good transfer case... maybe if someone has an infrared no touch thermometer they can measure the temp of the transfer case after a long drive then compare to one with a known sheared spline CX-9, this would be an excellent and very easy test for people looking to buy a used CX-9, just inspect and measure the transfer case housing temperature after a test drive. just a thought.....
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Astriuminc, I actually think this is a legitimate test to check for sheared splines ! excellent point.
it makes sense, if splines are sheared off , the transfer case will not get hot or leak oil,
there's nothing moving inside the transfer case if it's decoupled from the transmission,
the transmission output shaft is just spinning not doing anything.
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NO! I understood it allright! That;s my point all this time. Your mechanic guy said that he only has seen 1 sheered tranny splines but only when TC failed. Well, duh ...why would there be messed up tranny splines situation if TC is working properly. I hope I made myself clear this time.
According to mazda TSB cars produced 7.28.2009 through 12.2.2013 are included in this "recall". You have to be under 90k. My question is, if it is just for original owners ? I am still searching for cx 9 so that information changes everything for me. I will call mazda on Monday to verify. Also, they are full of s*** since the car I drove was 2008 and it clearly had the AWD turned FWD syndrome. They are trying to minimize their costs obviously. Someone on edmunds forums I think also mentioned that later designed TC doesn't have that issue ...which again smells like BS to me
So basically what the tsb is saying that any vehicle made from july 28 2009 till December 12 2013 are the only ones with bad designed transfer case? So any cx-9 before or after shouldn't have this problem. Why is that do we have a different transfer case? I don't think so. They are still made the same way even the new ones.
Mine is a 2008. Transfer case failed shortly after 100,000km. Old item had no Mazda part numbers - just what appears to be a Ford number 7E53-7251-BH.
I replaced the unit sourced through a Mazda supplier with the then available transfer case (2015) which was the AW21-27-500N-9U or also stamped on the unit is 7E53-7251-BT.
Externally units looked almost the same. Not sure about seals. But the new one still has the tiny fluid volume. With the same service schedule (i.e. none!) I would expect the same result - failure.
So - I guess I make my own service schedule for the transfer case - "pampered" every 10,000-20,000km it shall be. Just had the OEM fluid sucked out at 6000km on unit - grey fluid. Replaced with some Redline 75W140. Drop back in this week to put it back on the hoist and give it another change with the Redline (I refuse to get fully under the car - my life is worth more than saving a few bucks for my local guy to put it on the hoist).
My rear diff also had a similar honey colour at 100,000km. Put in some Mobil 75W90 for a little under 10,000km - came out black. Put some more Mobil 75W90 in for a couple of hundred km - came out reasonably clear on the tissue, but dark in the pan - no burnt smell. Replaced with Redline 75W90. Will leave it for a while.
Transmission was feral. Mobil 3309 for a couple of changes over several weeks (approx 3 litres a go) - now looks good.
Will it last the distance?
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- 2016 CX-5
just thought I share some of my experience with fellow members. prior to the failure I noticed a burning smell and black oil drippings, took it to the dealer and idiots told me it was spilled oil from my last engine oil change and the oil was burning on the exhaust pipe and just to keep an eye on it ??? just a few day after that, my 2012 CX-9 AWD transfer case failed at 78,000 miles. there was loud grinding and jerking motion. I stopped and got it towed home under AAA. Then paid for another tow to the dealer after dealer on the phone checked that my car was still under the extended transfer case warranty. dealer put in a new transfer case under warranty and said my transmission splines still look good. wish I had found this site earlier, I would have replenished the burnt transfer case oil with fresh oil myself and saved myself all this headache.
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Drogos, are you talking about the transfer case oil change or transfer case replacement ? IF TC REPLACEMENT , THEN YES.
IF JUST CHANGING TC OIL per Avidien's procedure, absolutely no need to drop the exhaust, there's enough room to work with,
dropping the exhaust to do the transfer case oil change will be a waste of time and ABSOLUTELY not necessary,
it's really easy :
1) LIFT CAR
2) REMOVE PLUG
3) PUMP OUT OLD OIL
4) PUMP IN NEW OIL
5) RE-INSTALL PLUG
DONE.
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eskimo0101
Member
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- 2012 Mazda CX-9 Touring AWD
The words "simply" "removing" and "exhaust" should never be used in the same sentence. I don't think I've ever worked on one that the bolts weren't rusted and seized.
Unless that sentence is "You simply won't be removing the exhaust without using a lot of curse words".
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- 2016 CX-5
for those interested, dealer replaced my busted transfer case with latest p/n AW21-27-500N-9U
https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned) from Amazon pictures, I really don't see any external difference from my old broken one, perhaps the seals might be improved ? also, still no drain plug, I guess I'll be following the maintenance procedure outlined here moving forward. to me, it looks nothing more than a very simple gearbox that taps power from the transmission and transfers it to the rear shaft.
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indeed. LOL
what were the symptoms? I think its a huge **** up on mazda's end. I learned first hand how many AWD>>FWD CX9 there is on the market. I also heard of one fire due to TC failure. It is certainly safety issue. There should be recall on that and I am planning to twist Mazda's hand until they exchange mine even though there is no issues to speak of YET. I am really just trying to figure out what to do to have that part replaced free of charge.
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- 2016 CX-5
foul burning oil smell after driving and black oil dripping underneath between the driver and passenger,
very similar to POST#4 pictures in this link: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123831287-What-is-dripping-onto-exhaust-pipe&highlight=oil+dripping
thank you. Did you have to jump through hoops and recite alphabet backwards to get them to fix it?
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- 2016 CX-5
surprisingly no, I'm the original owner and I got the extended warranty letter for the transfer case. I gave them my VIN and they scheduled me to come in and get it replaced at no charge. when I was there, I asked the service manager what's the frequency of failures on these transfer cases. he said a lot, mostly leaking oil from the breather valves on top. dealer I went to was Towne Mazda in Orchard Park.