Winter Issues

[Tsuru]

I wasn't quite sure where to put this but here we go.
Winter finally hit here where I live and some things have come up with my 5.
1.) Ever since it's been constantly below 0C (32F) my suspension creaks on all four corners. It's not consistent though. I can go over some small speed bumps with no creak, turn around and go over the exact same speed bump and get some creaking. Doesn't seem to do it when the body rolls in higher speed turns. It's definitely temperature sensitive since when I park my car in heated underground parking at one of my clients there's no creak until the car gets cold again. Any ideas on a fix? Should this be covered under warranty? (It's an '06 but it's still under extended warranty)
2.) Now that temperatures are starting to dip below -10C (14F) my clutch has been sticking like a pumped a bunch of molasses into the transmission. I don't need to let the pedal out gently it does it all by itself. Once the transmission warms up it's a bit better. The transmission goes from gear to gear just fine but the pedal is still sluggish. Do I need to replace some lubricant somewhere?

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

[GoFast]

This is all normal stuff. Just make sure you warm the car up so the t-fluid get flowing and you will be fine.

The creaking suspension is really just a mazda thing. The Mz3 and MS3 crowd complains about it constantly.

 

[mpvue]

winter is hard on vehicles. the suspension components contract greatly in the cold. every car I've ever had creaks in the winter (my '96 MPV had a whole symphony of winter noises). of course, all of this gets worse the more miles you have.
the clutch is hydraulic, so that should be ok, but it could be the trans fluid is getting old and doesn't respond as well as it did to temp changes. but, again, every manual trans car I've had has 'thick' shifting in the winter.

 

[skyhawk]

I have the 2006 GT. Last year before winter, I had the dealer 'do the bushing' TCB. This will be the second winter. No squeaking so far. we have had -21 celcius (-5.8 F).. no squeaking. I'm sure the suspension squeak will come back
when the grease dries up.. but so far so good.

 

[remarquian]

I have the 2006 GT. Last year before winter, I had the dealer 'do the bushing' TCB. This will be the second winter. No squeaking so far. we have had -21 celcius (-5.8 F).. no squeaking. I'm sure the suspension squeak will come back
when the grease dries up.. but so far so good.

Same here, had it done last year and still no squeaking, and we've had like 0F cold....

Also, when I did have the squeak/crunch it would stop after the car warmed up....

 

[harrisonchang]

squeaking get the bushings re-greased.

as for the clutch, iono, maybe it's the molasses in your tranny? Iono if that's a canada thing, but we usuaslly just use t-oil. =)

 

[Phratt]

Hi everyone,

I do not know if this related or not, but when I press on the clutch pedal, I get a type of click sound and feel. It clicks going down and it clicks going up.

Since my M5 is brand new (2009), I took it to service and they found that the clutch master cylinder is defect. They will change it... might this be related?
(rules)


It is getting cold here too...

I also get a cracking noise up front, on top of the dash. The dealer said that it is the windshield that needs to be reinstalled.

I am starting to get a rear squeak when I ride speed bumps. I thought this was fixed for 09... !!

 

[Tsuru]

Thanks for the quick replies.
I had a feeling that the suspension creak was normal. My last car was a '99 Ford Taurus and you wouldn't have been able to hear a creak over the motor in that vehicle. I'm putting "grease front and back bushings" down on my fall maintenance to-do list so I can be ready for next winter.
As for the clutch, I keep forgetting that every other MT I've driven has only been in the summer. If I keep pumping the clutch for a full minute it does indeed get better. I also parked in underground parking yesterday afternoon and the clutch was fine when I started up from there. No clicking on the clutch though (thankfully) I'm curious though, would replacing the transmission fluid with synthetic improve the clutch sluggishness or is that part lubed by another fluid/grease?
Another question: I've heard repeatedly that it's bad to coast with the tranny in neutral. Any truth to this?
Thanks again.

 

[Phratt]

As for the clutch, I keep forgetting that every other MT I've driven has only been in the summer. If I keep pumping the clutch for a full minute it does indeed get better.

I have been driving MT for the past 20 years and I NEVER had this pumping problem... First thing I would try is puttung back the manufacturers oil in the tranny, flushing out the other oil, cleaning it out.

This is a low cost type of "I am certain about what is in there" before finding the problem elsewhere.

 

[GoFast]

Thanks for the quick replies.
I had a feeling that the suspension creak was normal. My last car was a '99 Ford Taurus and you wouldn't have been able to hear a creak over the motor in that vehicle. I'm putting "grease front and back bushings" down on my fall maintenance to-do list so I can be ready for next winter.
As for the clutch, I keep forgetting that every other MT I've driven has only been in the summer. If I keep pumping the clutch for a full minute it does indeed get better. I also parked in underground parking yesterday afternoon and the clutch was fine when I started up from there. No clicking on the clutch though (thankfully) I'm curious though, would replacing the transmission fluid with synthetic improve the clutch sluggishness or is that part lubed by another fluid/grease?
Another question: I've heard repeatedly that it's bad to coast with the tranny in neutral. Any truth to this?
Thanks again.

The reason why it gets better after you pump it for a while is because it getting warmed up. When you pump you create motion which creates friction, which creates heat, and when oil based products become warmer they flow better. They do make fluids that are more impervious to the cold. Check your manual and see what the recommended fluids are.

 

[DKaz]

Another question: I've heard repeatedly that it's bad to coast with the tranny in neutral. Any truth to this?
Thanks again.

Not so much bad for tranny but 1. It is dangerous and often unlawful, 2. You use more gas if you coast in neutral, 3. You wear your brakes out faster by not taking advantage of engine braking.

The reason you waste more gas in neutral is that the fuel injector has to inject gas into the engine to maintain idle, whereas in gear the downhill momentum keeps the engine going and the fuel injectors pump zero gas into the engine.

 

[Tsuru]

The reason why it gets better after you pump it for a while is because it getting warmed up. When you pump you create motion which creates friction, which creates heat, and when oil based products become warmer they flow better. They do make fluids that are more impervious to the cold. Check your manual and see what the recommended fluids are.

I'm still running the stock fluid as far as I know (it being a used car, off lease)
I realize that pumping the pedal should make the pedal easier to push in the long run, I was just expecting that if the gear box was warmed up (ie: easy shifts) the clutch should be easy to operate as well.

@DKaz: Thanks for the explanation, that clears up the mental confusion quite nicely.

 

[thaxman]

Creaking in winter isn't exactly a Mazda thing - My Accord is notorious - as high temps as 50 degrees F. Speed bump - "CRUNCH!!" Speed hump - "CRUNCH!!" So which, lube the bushings or replace the shocks?

 

[sethro_GT]

I suspect the creaking is the poly bushings they use. How else are they going to get these things to handle so well? Its a price for performance, if you don't like it the dealership will install the softer ones (that is totally my theory that they are softer). I know this becasue my protege5, with its sport suspension, has the exact same creak noises in the cold.

On the other hand the five has the "knock" when going over bumps that mazda says is the windshield cowling. I'm out of warranty and am too lazy to look at it. Besides my wife drives it 90% of the time and she doesn't seem to mind. The car is too awesome to worry about that stuff. We are used to driving beaters so if this car has a few rattles its the norm. If we had traded in a lexus for it I'm sure it would be long gone.

 

[raspykart]

squeaking get the bushings re-greased.

as for the clutch, iono, maybe it's the molasses in your tranny? Iono if that's a canada thing, but we usuaslly just use t-oil. =)

If its canadian, wouldn't it likely be Maple Syrup (lol2)

 

[sethro_GT]

you can't beat real maple syrup....

 

[crempel]

I have now paid $120 twice to lube those bushings. First the rear and now the front. I hope this isn't an annual expenditure.

 

[sethro_GT]

OUCH! $120! damn, thats a lot of WD40. DO they remove them and pack em with grease? If so then they've got a sweat deal going cuz it sure won't stay in there long. Did they do the TSB for the "updated" bushings yet?

 

[JFRCross]

OUCH! $120! damn, thats a lot of WD40. DO they remove them and pack em with grease? If so then they've got a sweat deal going cuz it sure won't stay in there long. Did they do the TSB for the "updated" bushings yet?

Just an FYI - WD-40 is NOT a lubricant. The WD stands for water displacement. WD-40 will initially free things up to move better, but it will remove the lubricant (grease or oil) that is needed. Please do not use WD-40 as a lubricant, you can do some damage when you do not intend to.

 

[remarquian]

Just an FYI - WD-40 is NOT a lubricant. The WD stands for water displacement. WD-40 will initially free things up to move better, but it will remove the lubricant (grease or oil) that is needed. Please do not use WD-40 as a lubricant, you can do some damage when you do not intend to.

Yeah it is. Not a heavy duty lubricant, but a light one. Yes, it contains a solvent, but is WD-40 is composed of 15% mineral oil, which is what remains when the solvent evaporates.