Transmission Service 2.5L Engine

G

GJ-Molestor

Banned
:
2011 BMW 528i, 2015 Mazda 6, 1995 Nissan Maxima Manual
Hi all, can anyone point me toward the right direction with the transmission on the 2.5L engine?

-What sort of fluid did you guys have good luck with?

-how do you check the fluid level?

-at which mileage should the ATF fluid be replaced?

-is accessing the filter, draining/filling the transmission an easy process?

Lastly, is there any way to reset transmission adaptations with these cars?

Thank you in advance.
 
I don't service it. Mazda says not to, and so I'm not. I've seen cars go 400k+ miles on oem fluid fill, and some of them were designed and supposed to be serviced, unlike the Mazda skyactiv tranamission.
 
I don't have the manual in front of me but shouldn't there be a service interval guide in it? Plenty of manufacturers these days have "lifetime" fluids but I've never quite trusted that. I know that's the case on my BMW but I did fluid changes at 100k like many other owners do.

what year is your CX? how many miles on it now?
 
Unobtanium said:
I don't service it. Mazda says not to, and so I'm not. I've seen cars go 400k+ miles on oem fluid fill, and some of them were designed and supposed to be serviced, unlike the Mazda skyactiv tranamission.
Click to expand...

There's no such thing as a lifetime fill. Transmission fluid wears out and becomes dirty from use just like engine oil. Changing the fluid and filter at the 60k mark results in smoother transmission operation.

If you're not going to change your fluid, you should at least check the fluid level when you have higher mileage.

Jedi54 said:
I don't have the manual in front of me but shouldn't there be a service interval guide in it? Plenty of manufacturers these days have "lifetime" fluids but I've never quite trusted that. I know that's the case on my BMW but I did fluid changes at 100k like many other owners do.

what year is your CX? how many miles on it now?
Click to expand...

My apologies, I have a 2015 Mazda 6, not s cx5. I posted here because it's the same engine and the Mazda 6 section has much fewer users then on here. My mileage is still pretty low, like 40k miles or something? I plan to change the fluid at 60k. I'm just looking for some information and pointers that the manual may not specify, because I can't find mine at the moment.

Thank you
 
GJ-Molestor said:
There's no such thing as a lifetime fill. Transmission fluid wears out and becomes dirty from use just like engine oil. Changing the fluid and filter at the 60k mark results in smoother transmission operation.

If you're not going to change your fluid, you should at least check the fluid level when you have higher mileage.

My apologies, I have a 2015 Mazda 6, not s cx5. I posted here because it's the same engine and the Mazda 6 section has much fewer users then on here. My mileage is still pretty low, like 40k miles or something? I plan to change the fluid at 60k. I'm just looking for some information and pointers that the manual may not specify, because I can't find mine at the moment.

Thank you
Click to expand...

Just want to point out:

Reading between the lines the "Lifetime" term really equates powertrain warranty period. 60k or 5 years which comes first. You can even name it "eternity" fluid and the car manufacturer is only liable for that 60k mile/ 5 year period. "Lifetime" is a marketing tool.

Bob is the oil guy forums as a resource, someone did an oil analysis for skyactiv atf. At 30k miles it still had good wear protection properties. They had theorized the oil should continue to perform up to around 60k before degration. Yup, protective properties go downhill around when the powertrain warranty expires.

Changing the atf fluid is easy. I changed it while doing and oil change all at once. Check out the Engine threads for pics. The crush washer is the same part# as the engine oil drain plug washer.

It costs maybe $60 in fluid or at about $100 for a complete fluid/filter change if you DIY. $100 for every 40-50k miles is cheap to me. No special tools needed. Just get the engine warm and torque plug to aprox. 25lbs. Cheap insurance if you plan to keep your car 100k+ plus miles.

Noticeable difference felt when shifting and putting car in reverse.
 
CX-5um said:
Just want to point out:

Reading between the lines the "Lifetime" term really equates powertrain warranty period. 60k or 5 years which comes first. You can even name it "eternity" fluid and the car manufacturer is only liable for that 60k mile/ 5 year period. "Lifetime" is a marketing tool.

Bob is the oil guy forums as a resource, someone did an oil analysis for skyactiv atf. At 30k miles it still had good wear protection properties. They had theorized the oil should continue to perform up to around 60k before degration. Yup, protective properties go downhill around when the powertrain warranty expires.

Changing the atf fluid is easy. I changed it while doing and oil change all at once. Check out the Engine threads for pics. The crush washer is the same part# as the engine oil drain plug washer.

It costs maybe $60 in fluid or at about $100 for a complete fluid/filter change if you DIY. $100 for every 40-50k miles is cheap to me. No special tools needed. Just get the engine warm and torque plug to aprox. 25lbs. Cheap insurance if you plan to keep your car 100k+ plus miles.

Noticeable difference felt when shifting and putting car in reverse.
Click to expand...

BMW is a good example of all these marketing Schemes.

All these manufacturers care about is

A. Increasing drivetrain wear In hopes that you will take your car to the dealer for some overpriced servicing

B. Increasing efficiency and lowering emissions production.

For example, BMW recommends 0w oil and Very length 15k oil change intervals while running at a very high temp which destroys this bad oil and leads to quicker engine wear. They recommend that the fluid is lifetime for the transmission to fail quicker, just like Mazda is doing.

0w20 oil is used to raise corporate average fuel economy (CAFE standards) to satisfy the government. This oil offers barely enough protection to get your car through the warranty period. Then, conveniently enough your engine explodes and hopefully you head over to the dealer for a very expensive replacement.

Don't fall for all this bulls*** people! Maintain your cars!

Anyways, going back to the topic at hand here. How do I check the fluid and what sort of fluid should I use at the 60k mark? I am thinking of using something high quality like redline or pentosin oil.

Thanks
 
GJ-Molestor said:
Hi all, can anyone point me toward the right direction with the transmission on the 2.5L engine?

-What sort of fluid did you guys have good luck with?

-how do you check the fluid level?

-at which mileage should the ATF fluid be replaced?

-is accessing the filter, draining/filling the transmission an easy process?

Lastly, is there any way to reset transmission adaptations with these cars?

Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...

There's a good write up on this thread. See post 98 to start with. Read the whole thread if you like.

https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123838434-ATF-Drain-Fill/page7


I'll be changing mine between 30k and 40k miles.
 
Last edited:
GJ-Molestor said:
Hi all, can anyone point me toward the right direction with the transmission on the 2.5L engine?

-What sort of fluid did you guys have good luck with?

-how do you check the fluid level?

-at which mileage should the ATF fluid be replaced?

-is accessing the filter, draining/filling the transmission an easy process?

Lastly, is there any way to reset transmission adaptations with these cars?

Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
You'll find all answers to your questions in this thread under How-To section:

ATF Drain/Fill

This's my favorite video for changing ATF and filter on a CX-5 by removing the fluid pan:

 
GJ-Molestor said:
⋯ How do I check the fluid and what sort of fluid should I use at the 60k mark? I am thinking of using something high quality like redline or pentosin oil.
Click to expand...
Post #98 by tomcat1446 in the thread mentioned gives you very detailed write up on how to check the ATF level.

Since you can only drain less than half of the total 8.2 US quarts ATF from SkyActiv-Drive transmission, the best is to use Mazda Genuine ATF-FZ for your ATF drain-and-fill. Some people are doing drain-and-fill 2~3 times within weeks to make sure more fresher ATF mixed in the transmission. :)
 
GJ-Molestor said:
Anyways, going back to the topic at hand here. How do I check the fluid and what sort of fluid should I use at the 60k mark? I am thinking of using something high quality like redline or pentosin oil.

Thanks
Click to expand...

The dipstick is below the stock airbox. I'd highly recommend the 40k mark to be safe, 30k if you're hard on your car. I only used the OEM Mazda ATF fluid intended for skyactiv cars. Why? Because I don't want to void warranty. Oh and my dealership offers a drain and fill service. Many of the techs and even the parts guy at my dealership all changed their tranny fluids on their skyactiv cars even though Mazda doesn't recommend doing so for the life of the warranty period.
 
CX-5um said:
The dipstick is below the stock airbox. I'd highly recommend the 40k mark to be safe, 30k if you're hard on your car. I only used the OEM Mazda ATF fluid intended for skyactiv cars. Why? Because I don't want to void warranty. Oh and my dealership offers a drain and fill service. Many of the techs and even the parts guy at my dealership all changed their tranny fluids on their skyactiv cars even though Mazda doesn't recommend doing so for the life of the warranty period.
Click to expand...

Drain and fill - may as well throw your money in the garbage if you're not changing the filter.

40k sounds very excessive. I think 60k is spot on in terms of when your factory loses its effectiveness.

I heard that you can also access the dipstick from underneath the car
 
jedi54 said:
i don't have the manual in front of me but shouldn't there be a service interval guide in it? Plenty of manufacturers these days have "lifetime" fluids but i've never quite trusted that. I know that's the case on my bmw but i did fluid changes at 100k like many other owners do.

What year is your cx? How many miles on it now?
Click to expand...

2015, 63,xxx.
 
GJ-Molestor said:
There's no such thing as a lifetime fill. Transmission fluid wears out and becomes dirty from use just like engine oil. Changing the fluid and filter at the 60k mark results in smoother transmission operation.

If you're not going to change your fluid, you should at least check the fluid level when you have higher mileage.



My apologies, I have a 2015 Mazda 6, not s cx5. I posted here because it's the same engine and the Mazda 6 section has much fewer users then on here. My mileage is still pretty low, like 40k miles or something? I plan to change the fluid at 60k. I'm just looking for some information and pointers that the manual may not specify, because I can't find mine at the moment.

Thank you
Click to expand...

I used to would agree with you, but I've owned enough vehicles, driven enough miles, and had enough fluid drain and fills done, and had enough transmissions die, etc. that I'm not mucking with it.
 
Unobtanium said:
I used to would agree with you, but I've owned enough vehicles, driven enough miles, and had enough fluid drain and fills done, and had enough transmissions die, etc. that I'm not mucking with it.
Click to expand...

Agreed. The past 2 Nissans I have owned had 250,000+ miles on them with the original transmission fluid and there were no transmission issues when I finally got rid of them. My 2011 bmw 328 has 142,000 flawless miles currently and I won't change it either. I am not stating it should not be done, just personally have no evidence that supports me for worrying and at this point trying to change it jarring any crud loose could actually be detrimental to its life. This and I love the challenge of a "lifetime" claim!
 
I have a 2016, and when I talked to the dealership about flushing the transmission around 30,000, I was told that the CX-5 has a sealed transmission and should not be serviced unless there was a problem. I have a feeling that considering how much upselling they try to do every time I get my oil changed, if they could offer me a transmission service they would.
 
This question really comes into play if you want your cars to last 200K miles or so. I think 150K / 10 year life span is absolutely decent - prime reason is tech is evolving so fast. Who thought collision avoidance would be standard for all Corollas in this day and age - even Yaris iA has it.
People looking for bargain cars in the vicinity of $5000 will have a lot to choose from since the cars are going the way cell phones are doing - need a new one every 2-3 years.
 
BambooBen said:
I have a 2016, and when I talked to the dealership about flushing the transmission around 30,000, I was told that the CX-5 has a sealed transmission and should not be serviced unless there was a problem. I have a feeling that considering how much upselling they try to do every time I get my oil changed, if they could offer me a transmission service they would.
Click to expand...
This is also what our salesman told me when he was handing over the car to us. He said if the service advisors try to get me to do a transmission flush on our 2016 CX-5, don't listen to them because the car has a sealed transmission. He said if I really wanted to, I should consider doing the flush after 100k miles.
 
BambooBen said:
I have a 2016, and when I talked to the dealership about flushing the transmission around 30,000, I was told that the CX-5 has a sealed transmission and should not be serviced unless there was a problem. I have a feeling that considering how much upselling they try to do every time I get my oil changed, if they could offer me a transmission service they would.
Click to expand...

You'd be well advised not to take everything the dealer says as the final word on your Mazda, or any brand for that matter.
 
Heritage07 said:
Agreed. The past 2 Nissans I have owned had 250,000+ miles on them with the original transmission fluid and there were no transmission issues when I finally got rid of them. My 2011 bmw 328 has 142,000 flawless miles currently and I won't change it either. I am not stating it should not be done, just personally have no evidence that supports me for worrying and at this point trying to change it jarring any crud loose could actually be detrimental to its life. This and I love the challenge of a "lifetime" claim!
Click to expand...

someone over at the BMW forum changed their fluid for the first time at 150k miles and guess what?

no crud destroyed the transmission.

if you are worried about crud inside your trans, you are clearly not doing something right.

I changed the transmission fluid in my bmw at 67k miles, and oh what a difference it made... felt like a new transmission.
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
Which Repairs On This List Are Most Urgent?
2
Replies
27
Views
3K
ColtX-5
C
L
Fluid Levels from Manufacture?
Replies
16
Views
5K
murky
M
G
  • Question
Transmission Fluid Change at 110,000 Miles? 2014 AWD CX-5
Replies
11
Views
2K
theblooms
theblooms

Latest posts

Back