2007~2015 Changing CX-9 transfer case gear oil (photos)

[astriuminc]

just FYI, I'm up to 80,000 miles on my 2013 CX-9 original transfer case, no leaking or problems what so ever, I've been religiously servicing it every 7,500 miles give or take. Looks like the high rate of CX-9 PTU failures were due to not changing the oil.

 

[kulkarnipb]

just FYI, I'm up to 80,000 miles on my 2013 CX-9 original transfer case, no leaking or problems what so ever, I've been religiously servicing it every 7,500 miles give or take. Looks like the high rate of CX-9 PTU failures were due to not changing the oil.

Thx for all the info you shared till now.i t is of tremendous help for every cx9 owner.
Other than changing oil, do you perform any other maintenance on PTU ?

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[astriuminc]

Thx for all the info you shared till now.i t is of tremendous help for every cx9 owner.
Other than changing oil, do you perform any other maintenance on PTU ?

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Nope, just changed oil per Avidien's how to post, nothing else, except make sure tires are rotated every 20,000 miles or so, I had read somewhere that transfer cases don't like uneven tire wear especially the CX9 where the transfer case gears are spinning 100% of the time, I wonder if the new CX9 or CX5 transfer cases only turns when AWD is engaged, that is much better and less wear and tear on the oil. That would be a much better design, saves fuel and prolongs the PTU life.

 

[astriuminc]

just changed my transfer case oil this morning, plug was full of gunk and sludge, what a truly disgusting, dirty and smelly job, had to toss my shirt away afterwards, will drive 500 miles then do it again, really tedious process , most tedious process was trying to get the tubes down the one hard to reach hole to drain and fill. I plan to get the new CX-9 hopefully there's a drain plug this time, otherwise I'm going with FWD with dedicated snow tires, I much prefer AWD but I rather not have to keep changing PTU oil. Avidien is absolutely right, you better wear safety glasses when you do this, errant oil splatters was frequent, get it into your eyes and you're be crying for days.

Can anybody with a CX-5 please chime in and let us know how the realiability of CX-5 AWD transfer case is, I'm almost positive it's the same as the one used in the new CX-9, what is the maintenance schedule on the CX-5 PTU and any reported failure yet ? I believe the CX-5 PTU has a drain plug now. Also, what is the oil capcity? I read somewhere it's also very little (1/2 liter of oil) like the 2007-2015 CX-9's.

I think the CX5 got bigger problems than the transfer case, my co worker had the same exact problem and went into limp mode, these people in the video below are nuts, knowing full well they were in limp mode but still merged into highway traffic could have gotten themselves or some innocent driver killed

 

[batmancx]

got my warranty letter, covered for 7 years or 90,000 whichever comes first, but I'll still be doing the oil changing myself every 7500 miles

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123839475-Anyone-receive-the-Warranty-Extension-Program-SSP92-%28Power-Transfer-Unit%29-letter

 

[Dominic66]

Hi, My wife has a 2011 CX-9 AWD.Transfer case went at 25,900 miles and dealer replaced it under warranty in June of 2013. Click forward to August 2016 with 78,000 miles total (~53K on the replaced transfer case) and Noticed a whine/noise recently and had my mechanic check it out. Says it is coming from the transfer case and the fluid is black and sludgy as reported in this thread. He also metioned what a terrible design this is for maintenance. Does anyone know if Mazda in fact does list this a lifetime fluid/ does not have a regular change interval? And/or if anyone has had any luck getting a second Transfer case replaced under warranty from dealer? Such a shame because other than this issue we have really enjoyed the vehicle. Not to mention two of my neighbors bought the same car after seeing ours. Really don't have the money for an expensive repair on a vehicle that should not be having this sort of issue at this Mileage. You guys are are great on this thread and very knowledgeable, so any input is appreciated. Here's hoping for the best.

 

[eskimo0101]

I definitely does not have a regular change interval because Mazda officially doesn't have a procedure for changing it. It's also definitely NOT a lifetime fluid in the real world, unless you define "lifetime" as the 30-50k life the transfer case will have if you don't change the fluid. I'd try complaining at the dealership that it's the exact same problem and reference the service letters that have been going out extending the warranty to 7/90k.

We're trading our CX-9 in the spring and the CPO powertrain warranty will cover it until then so I'm officially done with the PITA process of pumping out the fluid. We traded our boat on a bigger model that hit the scales at 4400lbs fully loaded so the CX-9 has to get traded on something beefier. It's been a great vehicle and having to change the transfer case oil myself every 20k wasn't a huge deal but how Mazda has handled it (deny deny deny, "It's a lifetime fluid!") left me unlikely to buy a Mazda or Ford in the future. It's too bad Mazda entered into that partnership with Ford and started putting terribly designed Ford parts in their otherwise great vehicles.

Stopped and looked at an Acura MDX last week with a 5k tow capacity and that's almost certainly going to be the replacement. All Honda, no Ford.

 

[batmancx]

.................We're trading our CX-9 in the spring and the CPO powertrain warranty will cover it until then so I'm officially done with the PITA process of pumping out the fluid. We traded our boat on a bigger model that hit the scales at 4400lbs fully loaded so the CX-9 has to get traded on something beefier. It's been a great vehicle and having to change the transfer case oil myself every 20k wasn't a huge deal but how Mazda has handled it (deny deny deny, "It's a lifetime fluid!") left me unlikely to buy a Mazda or Ford in the future. It's too bad Mazda entered into that partnership with Ford and started putting terribly designed Ford parts in their otherwise great vehicles.

Stopped and looked at an Acura MDX last week with a 5k tow capacity and that's almost certainly going to be the replacement. All Honda, no Ford.

like you Eskimo, I'm glad I'm done with the PITA transfer case oil changes but it wasn't by choice, I got caught with the failed water pump seal problem, coolant got into the engine and I traded in the CX-9. just make sure you test drive the MDX a lot and you're ok with it, my co-worker got one and isn't pleased with the 9 speed transmission, says it very jerky and there's this weird chirping noise at idle, Google MDX chirping....

 

[kornholio]

Well just to be fair I had a ford windstar that only started giving me problems after 16 yrs. I had a 96 that I finally got rid of in 2012. I bought the cx-9 because we needed a four wheel or all wheel drive. My first choice was a ford explorer 2007 and the Honda pilot 2007 which both were in the 28 thousand dollar range. I paid 33 for the 9 and it has been a pain maintenance wise. It drives well like a car but I would have preferred something easier to maintain. I also thought that the engine was all ford. It is ford built but it was designed by mazda when ford needed and engine to replace the ztech one they had previously. I blame both ford and mazda, but you know what a lot of this has to do with the way they build cars now. A lot of stuff that you don't need or ever use. I only use my sunroof periodically so that it doesn't get stuck really don't need it. The more electronics and fancy gizmos they put in cars the more problems you will have. Looking through craiglist I notice that a lot of the older cars 80's models they are asking for a lot of money which wasn't the case years ago. Easier to maintain. That is how I see it.

 

[douchbaggery]

I have two AWD CX-9's one a 2008 and the other a 2011. I just did this procedure on the 08 yesterday. Surprisingly, the t-case fluid was in pretty great shape somehow. The magnetic plug was barely covered (thin film) of residue on it. I went ahead and flushed it with carb cleaner until the cleaner was pretty clear, then pumped the Royal Purple into it. I plan to run it for a bit, maybe 500 miles or so, then going to change it again. I am changing the 2011 model fluid in the next few days. I have my doubts that it will look anywhere as clean.

The 08 model tranfer case has been deemed bad by the dealer. Problem is the car has 167,000 miles on it and it is not covered by warranty, so I'm on my own for the cost. I plan to do the swap myself as it doesn't seem too terribly difficult.

Question: what engages when the 4wd kicks in? The transfer case seems to me to just be a PTO case right? So if the gears have not failed, then what can be wrong with it? It seems to me that if the 4wd is not engaging that the issue would be in the rear differential with the slip plates, correct? This vehicle; the one that has supposedly failed drives completely fine, and the oil was impressively clean, not black at all. So what is wrong with it then? Could it be the compression plates in the rear diff are what are really worn out and not the T-case? Anyone know or have a theory about this?

Also, what's this news about the failed water pumps? With 167,000 miles should I just replace the water pump? And what is involved in replacing the WP? Is it simple or horrible? I have quite a lot of tools, and am pretty used to working on my own cars, but hoisting an engine is not really what I want to do. How much does the WP cost to have replaced on average on these vehicles just to do as a preventative measure? Any help or ideas greatly appreciated.

 

[astriuminc]

I have two AWD CX-9's one a 2008 and the other a 2011. I just did this procedure on the 08 yesterday. Surprisingly, the t-case fluid was in pretty great shape somehow. The magnetic plug was barely covered (thin film) of residue on it. I went ahead and flushed it with carb cleaner until the cleaner was pretty clear, then pumped the Royal Purple into it. I plan to run it for a bit, maybe 500 miles or so, then going to change it again. I am changing the 2011 model fluid in the next few days. I have my doubts that it will look anywhere as clean.

The 08 model tranfer case has been deemed bad by the dealer. Problem is the car has 167,000 miles on it and it is not covered by warranty, so I'm on my own for the cost. I plan to do the swap myself as it doesn't seem too terribly difficult.

Question: what engages when the 4wd kicks in? The transfer case seems to me to just be a PTO case right? So if the gears have not failed, then what can be wrong with it? It seems to me that if the 4wd is not engaging that the issue would be in the rear differential with the slip plates, correct? This vehicle; the one that has supposedly failed drives completely fine, and the oil was impressively clean, not black at all. So what is wrong with it then? Could it be the compression plates in the rear diff are what are really worn out and not the T-case? Anyone know or have a theory about this?

Also, what's this news about the failed water pumps? With 167,000 miles should I just replace the water pump? And what is involved in replacing the WP? Is it simple or horrible? I have quite a lot of tools, and am pretty used to working on my own cars, but hoisting an engine is not really what I want to do. How much does the WP cost to have replaced on average on these vehicles just to do as a preventative measure? Any help or ideas greatly appreciated.

Based only what I have read online and here on this forum, I believe the CX-9 transfer case is spinning "all the time", and only the rear clutch engages in AWD mode.

So if dealer confirmed your 08 transfer case is deemed bad, it seems like your 08 has been in 2WD this whole time and the gears have not been spinning at all thus the reason for the clean oil.

Only way to confirm is drive it in snow, mud or sand and see if the rear wheels spin. Or hook up a GoPro camera underneath and focus on the long drive shaft that goes to the rear wheels, use white-out and paint on a white dot on the drive shaft and go for a drive, and see if that white dot is turning, if the drive shaft is not turning as you drive then your transfer case is bad, that drive shaft is suppose to turn all the time for a AWD CX-9 no matter what weather condition.


From what I gather, there's 2 ways for the transfer case to go bad, once the oil is bad and the gears seize, 1) the transmission splines get sheared or 2) the transfer case internal gears get sheared, in either case the car can still drive normally but only in 2WD, there's no power going to rear wheels. If your transmission splines are sheared, putting in a brand new transfer case won;t work, the transmission will just keep spinning without turning the transfer case gears.

Your 08 is still a good car, just not a AWD, there was a member here named Drogos, he test drove like 4 old used CX-9's in the
snow and 3 of them were bad, the used car dealer had no idea. That's why I think the reliability on the CX-9 is kind of skewed, FWD owners have good luck with the CX-9 but for AWD owners, it's a luck of the draw or they just don't know that the PTU has failed and it's really only a FWD.

 

[douchbaggery]

Based only what I have read online and here on this forum, I believe the CX-9 transfer case is spinning "all the time", and only the rear clutch engages in AWD mode.

So if dealer confirmed your 08 transfer case is deemed bad, it seems like your 08 has been in 2WD this whole time and the gears have not been spinning at all thus the reason for the clean oil.

Only way to confirm is drive it in snow, mud or sand and see if the rear wheels spin. Or hook up a GoPro camera underneath and focus on the long drive shaft that goes to the rear wheels, use white-out and paint on a white dot on the drive shaft and go for a drive, and see if that white dot is turning, if the drive shaft is not turning as you drive then your transfer case is bad, that drive shaft is suppose to turn all the time for a AWD CX-9 no matter what weather condition.


From what I gather, there's 2 ways for the transfer case to go bad, once the oil is bad and the gears seize, 1) the transmission splines get sheared or 2) the transfer case internal gears get sheared, in either case the car can still drive normally but only in 2WD, there's no power going to rear wheels. If your transmission splines are sheared, putting in a brand new transfer case won;t work, the transmission will just keep spinning without turning the transfer case gears.

Your 08 is still a good car, just not a AWD, there was a member here named Drogos, he test drove like 4 old used CX-9's in the
snow and 3 of them were bad, the used car dealer had no idea. That's why I think the reliability on the CX-9 is kind of skewed, FWD owners have good luck with the CX-9 but for AWD owners, it's a luck of the draw or they just don't know that the PTU has failed and it's really only a FWD.

I know when I first had the car it worked. Pulled really well in the snow. But this winter the rear wheels were no longer doing anything. Nothing strange has happened to my knowledge, but my wife has been driving it and she is seriously car challenged so its anyone's guess. The transmission could have fallen out and she ran over it... and she would have just heard a "little strange noise". I love my wife, but car issues are not her strong point. LOL

Anyway, I got it stuck in the mud when it had about 145k miles on it and the rear wheels were not turning at all. This was when I first noticed it. Then confirmed it was not working this winter. Other than this the vehicle has run great. Just regular maintenance.

So what causes the T-case to turn the shaft? The gears right? And what turns the gears? The transmission right? How could it go bad if the gear oil looks like new then? I guess this is what I have been thinking you know?

Edit: BTW, I just changed the T-case fluid on the 2011 CX-9 and the case fluid was again pretty clean. Not bad at all. The plug had a small amount of buildup on it, but nothing like shown on the OP of this thread. Nothing even close to that much build up. The fluid also, was not black as coal, but a dark brown color. Smell was as nasty as any gear oil, and about the same as the oil I replaced it with. Honestly the gear oil of the new (I used Mobile1 synthetic this time) and the old was close to the same color.

So I don't get it. If the case oil isn't ruined, and the plug isn't jammed up with all kinds of muck, nor the oil... then what caused the failure? And what exactly is this failure? Do the gears shear off? What's causing the T-case to fail or cause the drive shaft to stop turning?

 

[douchbaggery]

I just went out and moved my wife's 2011 CX9 and the rear drive shaft is in fact turning. So hers at least seems to be okay. When she gets back to the house today with my 2008 CX9 I will check it too. Hopefully, that one is also turning which would indicate a problem in the rear differential and not in the T-case. I realize my 08 T-case is probably blown, but maybe I got lucky (or unlucky depending on how much a rear diff costs to fix).

I think though, that her 2011 CX9 is okay, as it is turning, the oil looked pretty good before... and I just changed the T-case oil today. So as long as I keep servicing it, all should be fine long term (I hope). At least I know it works right now, I've got a shot of keeping it that way. I'll update on my 08' when I look at the drive shaft tonight. If she's not active and turning then t-case is toast. If it is turning, then diff is toast. I'm hoping the diff is toast. Looks a whole lot easier to tear out and replace to me.

Edit: I just confirmed my drive shaft on the 08 CX-9 is also turning. (the rear shaft) So it seems that there may be something else causing the 4WD not to work. Maybe the solenoid on the rear diff?

 

[dennyd75]

I honestly have no idea how this AWD system works. I'm curious why the tc exists at all, short of just being a differential that allows the front and back wheels to spin at different speeds while turning.

 

[astriuminc]

........Edit: I just confirmed my drive shaft on the 08 CX-9 is also turning. (the rear shaft) So it seems that there may be something else causing the 4WD not to work. Maybe the solenoid on the rear diff?

whoa, isn't that good news ? seems like the AWD disconnection is happening aft of the drive shaft in the rear differential
the rear is a lot easier to fix in my opinion than trying to mess with the transfer case or transmission splines.

But first, I think you need to confirm that the AWD system is indeed bad. the only thing I can think of is test drive it sand or wait for deep snow. If the '08 CX9 still driving good at 167K, I wouldn't mess with it until you confirm that the AWD system is indeed bad.

 

[dennyd75]

What if all four wheels were jacked up off the ground, then engine started and transmission put in drive? Should all 4 wheels start spinning? That may be a simple way to check AWD operation.

 

[astriuminc]

What if all four wheels were jacked up off the ground, then engine started and transmission put in drive? Should all 4 wheels start spinning? That may be a simple way to check AWD operation.

can't hurt to give it shot, but I don't think it will work, CX-9 is not full time AWD, it's 2WD most of the time unless it senses slipping in the front two tires then the rear wheels engage.

 

[douchbaggery]

whoa, isn't that good news ? seems like the AWD disconnection is happening aft of the drive shaft in the rear differential
the rear is a lot easier to fix in my opinion than trying to mess with the transfer case or transmission splines.

But first, I think you need to confirm that the AWD system is indeed bad. the only thing I can think of is test drive it sand or wait for deep snow. If the '08 CX9 still driving good at 167K, I wouldn't mess with it until you confirm that the AWD system is indeed bad.

Yes. This is indeed good news. The T-case seems fine. The problem it seems is in the rear end. Either the selenoid is shot or the entire rear diff is kaput. Either way the rear diff is only about $300 and a lot easier to change out. So yes, I"m very happy indeed. I plan to look at it this weekend. Doing transmission fluid changes on both vehicles and I'll look closely at the 08 at that time. Who knows.... could just be an electrical connector that is corroded or something stupid. I plan to put some new dielectric grease on all the connectors and figure out where it runs into the engine bay too, to also lube that connector up. Worth a shot anyway. Either way though. The T-cases are good on both the 08 and the 2011 models, so I"m very happy about that.

 

[eskimo0101]

can't hurt to give it shot, but I don't think it will work, CX-9 is not full time AWD, it's 2WD most of the time unless it senses slipping in the front two tires then the rear wheels engage.

If all 4 wheels are in the air and you put it in drive just the front wheels are going to turn, which the computer is going to interpret as the front wheels spinning so it will engage the awd.

 

[douchbaggery]

If all 4 wheels are in the air and you put it in drive just the front wheels are going to turn, which the computer is going to interpret as the front wheels spinning so it will engage the awd.

Not a bad idea. But I don't have four jacks. Only two plus the pump jack, so not sure how I would make this happen. I'll just see what I can see about the rear differential and go from there. If it needs replaced its better than the T-case, so I'm not that far behind at this point, so I'm pretty happy I don't have to replace that.