Anybody else get this in their MS3?? passenger side axle seal leak

[cudaman]

Well, needless to say I'm not real thrilled on the factory build process. Seven week old '09 MS3 with 1789 miles on it, all stock, purchased with 230 miles on the clock. Drips on my garage floor, not a good sign. Jack her up to have a look and the passenger side mid-axle seal looks to be leaking out. Anybody else have this problem at any point in their ownership? Looks like warranty fix #1 is on the way. I haven't even broken her in all the way.... Very labor intensive and now I need to find a good dealership that has a good repair staff...... My SRT-4 never did this and it has 40K on the clock.... Sheesh..

 

[cudaman]

OK, the word on this is that 2009 and 2010 MS3's WILL have this problem. It's a TSB 03-002/09 Bulletin. Very common. It's (believe it or not, NOT considered a problem). I will be researching this further, but that's what the service rep just told me. I will get a copy of the text of the TSB and post it here. Apparently, it doesn't leak when the vehicle is moving and it has to do with the grease in the bearing that is liquifying into oil at speed, and then slowly leaking out when cold after parking, from the seal...... I gave a big "duhhhh" since I said "Isn't a seal supposed to seal OUT leaks of all sorts, regardless of whether the grease is in solid or liquid form?" The TSB states that the amount of oil leakage compared to the amount of grease in the joint makes it inconsequential...... Again, doesn't make sense right now in my mind. To me, a seal leak is a seal leak that will eventually give you dry bearings and a dry wallet. At least it purportedly doesn't leak when heated up and moving.

 

[cudaman]

One other note would be on this matter, in my eye..... "If they are using grease that liquifies into oil when hot, and then leaks out slowly after converting to oil from heat/friction, why would they just use a better grease that has the same lubrication qualities, but stays SOLID instead of liquefying into oil and leaking out of the seal (which would hold a solid grease, but not a liquified oil)..... I will ask them what grease is used in that joint since this still doesn't make sense about what type of grease is being used... To me, you DON'T want a grease that liquifies in a joint like that as it would deplete the grease over time.... Right? Doesn't sound like a good design to me....."

Surely someone else is experiencing this. Get under your '09 and '10 MS3's and report back on anything on the passenger side mid-axle.

Service rep said that Mazda 6's have the exact same problem, on the DRIVER side.....

 

[hyperpasta]

I smell BS here....

I think you got a lame excuse from Mazda....

Not only is that seal there to keep the grease in.....but also to keep the dirt out! It's dirt and sand that kills the CV joint. Ask the pin head at Mazda what happens when you drive in the rain storm.......

Ask him what the interval is for repacking the joint? 30? 60? 90,000 miles?

 

[essejkcamraw]

230 miles on the clock, dont worry its been broken in for you! i kid. i have an 09 and no problems as of yet.

 

[Sport6]

Ask them if they would like to repave your driveway (even if its dirt..shhh) because the drips will eat away at it.


Also if it liquefies when hot, wouldn't it leak at speed, when the axle is moving and getting the joint hot?

If you can't get anything out of your dealer, send a letter to Mazda NA or call them. New car should not leak anything, no matter what the excuse is.

 

[Grumpyjap]

I have an 08.5 with a leaky seal, dealer replaced the joint without question

 

[cudaman]

I have an 08.5 with a leaky seal, dealer replaced the joint without question

Wow, I wonder now if that TSB was just a CYA tactic so that the joint will fail AFTER warranty expires. That's my complaint. Failure over "time" from using the wrong grease....I will post a copy of the TSB that they gave me when I picked up the car. In the meantime, I will be monitoring that joint for any more drippage. Did your dealer say that they swapped out the "type of grease" with another type? Curious as to whether that dealership that replaced the 08.5 MS3 joint was just "farming for warranty cash" or whether they KNOW there's a problem with the joint or grease....

As for the TSB, it states that the joint "won't" leak when hot and moving, which one would think would happen.... Like I said, I think it wise for EVERYONE to monitor the joint to see what happens over time.... Stay tuned for the actual TSB text, right from Mazda.

 

[cudaman]

Here's the scanned copy of the TSB. Note how it say 2010 also, but it doesn't have specific build dates or counts of cars that will have this problem, or a set of affected VINS. I have an '09 MS3 with a build date of 10/08. Dealership says it still applies to '09s.... Well, um, we'll see. Monitoring this over time. I suggest all MS3 owners check. It's EZ to see.