MT clutch question

[SGT_OKINAWA]

Okay, not to sound like a d!ck _||_ here, but I've
got to lend my .02 worth to this thread because
we can either tell lindsayt (Whom we've not heard
from in a while) to go to a repair shop or dealer and
seems Mark787B has taken up this thread as his own,
(No problem at all, but we have to remember, all cars
are NOT the same even right off the assembly line cars
are not the same)

Now having said that.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the condenser,
heater coil and other fluids.

Now hear me out...

cars have fluids and oils sloshing around in
them all the time, and at times oh lets say
on A HILL (hint hint) and / or when accelerating
fast (hint hint) those fluids and oils get into/onto
/around/between places they normally don't and
that can cause some metal to get hotter than normal
and oh here it comes..... burn off some 'oil' and make
a smell.

Take for consideration the heater core:

That this has lubrication oil on it from the factory that is there to keep it from rusting out during shipment or delivery to the customer.

or take for consideration the AC condenser:

same applies to these, it's covered in a thin oil to keep it from rusting.

Well these two out of many more things, could get hotter and colder and give off a smell FOR A LONG TIME.

I had a Isuzu Trooper that after 100,000 miles I reved up the engine to get the batter to recharge as much as I could (Yes alternator was going out) so I could be safe diving it to the shop to get it fixed and whoa did it ever smell like burnt oil when I turned it in, guy asked "You ben racing this today?" (hahaspit)

More: The plastic under the seats that carries hot air to rear, has a thin coat of oil, well on a hill maybe the hotter water is higher in the engine block, thus getting more heat to the heater coil and giving a little bit of a boost in heat and....welll you get the idea (toetap)

Now consider this, are you using recycled air flow (You know on your AC controls) or fresh air, probably not fresh air because it's 100 below zero this time a year. (sick)

It was posted that someone took theirs to the dealer and they said CLUTCH is fine, and trust me the clutch use could go on for days in this thread, heck even years because, *drum roll*.,,... all cars are different (confused)

I'd give ANY NEW car time to 'settle in' and go a FULL 4 SEASONS before you claim lemon on a new car.

Now if it were SMOKE or MIST, then I'd be really concerned.

Peace(rei)

 

[Mark787B]

Fair enough... there is a possibility that the stench has another origin. But as an amateur wrench for over 25 years I tend to call a spade a spade. In my case the incline was so gradual during my last episode that gravity/fluid movement certainly had nothing to do with the smell.

In talking with a friend who was an engineer for Mazda, Ford and Nissan he just laughed-- chalking it up to the clutch materials used these days that take the place of asbestos...

 

[huxlee]

if you were in the uk driving a diesel i'd say it was the dpf filter burning off soot when loading up on hills

 

[mazdaman007]

For what it's worth I've driven many different standard transmissions over the past 30 years and my wife's 2009 Mazda 5 has the most difficult to modulate clutch I've ever driven. Clutch pedal return is not linear and the engagement point is very high. I find it difficult to shift gears smoothly without over-revving the engine on occasion.

She has also noticed a burnt smell on occasion. I've taken it to the (useless) dealer twice and of course get the usual "there's nothing wrong sir", "it was fine when we drove it".

Personally I don't have a lot of confidence in the life of the clutch on the 5.

Oddly (or maybe not) my 2009 Mazda 3 (same 2.3 L engine and 5 speed transmission) has a much more linear clutch return and is also lighter to boot.

Update: Clutch is completely toast at 33,000 KM. Clutch pedal all the way up, engine revs but no forward progress, accompanied by nasty foul burnt smell.

And of course it's not covered under warranty because it's a "wear" item. Funny thing, the 3 previous standards she has driven did not experience any clutch problems.

Bye bye to $1500 CAD. Not happy. :mad:

 

[lindsayt]

mazdaman007, I'm sorry to hear about it. As for my original question, after having driven the car for ~3200 miles, we haven't noticed the problem in the last two months and I think we've burned off any manufacturing materials. I do really like the clutch on this car.

 

[Mazda5wannabe]

Just about ready to roll over to 75,000 km on a 2006 GT MT, and no issues with the clutch. The only issue is during the winter when it gets below -25c and the clutch return gets stiff. Doesn't affect the driving, only feels weird.

I make sure I pop it into neutral when at lights or stop signs, and only engage the gear when I'm ready to roll.

 

[rodslinger]

I'm realizing more and more how much this clutch is complete garbage also. Combined with the crappy motor mounts it is making the driving experience not so pleasant.

It seems fine when driving the vehicle every day when you get used to it but currently I only drive my 5 two or three days a week. I live in Atlanta but leave my 5 at work in Miami. The rest of the week at home I drive my Dakota or Spec-V. Both are manuals also.

Take up and engagement on both of those is great. Then I get to Miami and hop in the 5 and realize how bad it is compared to everything else I have. I'm not expecting the clutch to last very long either. Every car I've personally owned in the past 25 years has been a manual trans and never had a clutch feel as wimpy as this one.

 

[mazdaman007]

Well, the clutch was replaced on our Mazda 5 and it feels like a new car. The clutch pedal now feels the same as my 2009 Mazda 3 GT (2.3 L). Very smooth and progressive engagement. The original clutch never felt like this and was always very hard to depress compared to my 3.

I'm thinking because the pedal required more effort to fully press to the floor to disengage the clutch, my wife may not have been pushing it all the way to floor when shifting and this contributed to the clutch wear ? Anyway the bottom line is something was wrong from the factory.

I'll be writing a letter to Mazda Canada expressing my disappointment and to point out that we have owned 9 Mazdas over 20 years (8 being standard transmissions). The only previous clutch issue was on my 87 323 when Mazda replaced the clutch at 20,000 KM due to clutch chatter when cold. This at least proves that Mazda will cover a clutch replacement in some cases without them claiming it's the owner's fault.

I'm not expecting any compensation but maybe if they get enough complaints they will do something (ha ha).