Did you find any fine metal particles in the bottom of the drained fluid?
I never saw anything noticeable in my drained fluid.
Did you find any fine metal particles in the bottom of the drained fluid?
4. I have drained about 4.5 quarts of the Mazda OE oil, so I have refilled the transmission with the same amount.
Yes, I have measured the level with the dipstick before and after addition. Plus I have measured what I have collected which was 4.5 quarts.
Good morning,
This is my first post on the forum.
A little perspective on my car.
We own 2017 CX-5 Touring AWD, with 40,xxx miles. So it has been driven more than average, with mixture of long and short distances. My wife commutes to work daily with 1 mile drive ��.The car is garaged, and we live in small town. So heavy stop and go traffic does not exist. The car is in excellent shape both visually and mechanically. My wife likes it very much!
Except for 2 dealer free oil changes, I have done all the service myself. I stick to 5000 miles service intervals.
I would like to share my observations and experience while performing the transmission fluid change along my 40,000 mile service. I know that the service manual does not specify intervals for this job, but I have done it anyway since there is a fill and drain plug, and Mazda sells filter and appropriate gear oil.
1. The old transmission filter looked really clean.
2. The transmission pan magnet had ZERO, I repeat ZERO metal shavings. The bottom pan was really clean.
3. I have installed a new filter, put the new RTV gasket, bolted the pan (6 ft lb), and let the pan sit 24 hours to cure before adding the oil.
4. I have drained about 4.5 quarts of the Mazda OE oil, so I have refilled the transmission with the same amount. The old oil looked OK.
IMO, this is not a difficult job at all. Breaking the old seal took some time (putty knife works really well), and the Goo Remover was really helpful in removing some old gasket on the pan. While you are there you can change the engine oil and do the transfer case fluid change as well.
Now the question is, whether this is worth doing of not? I am glad I did it, and it only cost me about $120 for the fluid, filter, and RTV gasket maker. For the next service, I will wait until 90 or 100K miles. Based on condition of my old transmission filter, and lack of metal shaving, maybe drain and fill is a way to go, who knows.
Cheers,
Jarek
I don't plan on ever doing a fluid change. The more I learn about modern transmissions the more I realize why they are in fact lifetime fills. We are lucky to put 10k/year on. I highly doubt I'll have this vehicle 15 years in the worst area of the rust belt in the country. Seems like a waste of time frankly. I used to think oil needed changed every 3k or 3 months too...
*.so you guys change out your wheel bearings every 60,000 miles? Does anyone know what the extent of transmission life testing Mazda performed to justify their stance on this issue? I have worked with Japanese engineers before and found them to be extremely thorough when it comes to reliability testing.
I bet by 60k, oil analysis would indicate all lubricating additives would be spent. By 100k if not changed....the metal shavings themselves would be the lubricating agents.
I just do drain and fills because I may want to keep the car through 150k miles in severe (desert heat) conditions AND be able to give or sell car to friends/family with added peace of mind.
*.so you guys change out your wheel bearings every 60,000 miles? Does anyone know what the extent of transmission life testing Mazda performed to justify their stance on this issue? I have worked with Japanese engineers before and found them to be extremely thorough when it comes to reliability testing.
No. That is an ATF cooler or heat exchanger with engine coolant and ATF circulating inside.Can anyone confirm, or deny, that there is NOT a small fiber cartridge filter behind the trans cooling lines return cover (part hoses are attached to) in this photo?
Yeah I know your modified ATF heat exchanger would have no coolant flowing as you're going to leave the original cooler hanging with the coolant hoses.
Actually it'd be the best to find some enhanced aftermarket Mazda SkyActiv-Drive ATF/coolant heat exchanger such as this modified 4-port cooler for Nissan's CVT from China. This enhanced heat exchanger has 2 additional CVT fluid ports for an external fluid cooler. For our SkyActiv-Drive a transmission flush is now possible with these 2 additional ATF ports!