PeteInLongBeach

Thanks Lawrence, I was gonna say....
(did a LOT of research on this, since mine is due for fluid change)

Chris Luther

Bump.
I'm having issues with dealership recommendations on 2006 RX8 Shinka AT transmission fluid flush recommendations. The dealership I'm currently having my car worked on recommended the flush at the same time they swapped out the rear diff fluid (the rear diff was getting pretty bad at 76000 miles that I was dragging a tire around corners even at low speeds). After they changed the rear diff they called and informed me they were unable to power flush it due to it lacking a dipstick or something and said I would have to look elsewhere.

WTF! It's a Mazda vehicle at a Mazda dealership. Mind blown. I would have no issue doing it myself but I'm in a small apartment in the middle of the city at the moment and have no equipment or space to do so.

I called a second dealership in the area and he said he doesn't recommend EVER changing the fully synthetic fluid unless there are serious transmission issues. He quoted longetivity of the fluid as well as expense of the synthetic requirements.

My rear diff issue is mostly resolved, however the transmission is a little rough in shifting. Especially at startup. And oddly, a noise can be heard coming from the engine/transmission area sounding like a rhythmic soft knock when not in neutral or park.

Any ideas recommendations for my conflict?

robobxman

I have a 2005 w/ a 4-sp automatic. Bought the car two years ago with 5K. Lots of highway miles since, and I am at 65K.

I don't have any tranny issues, but I want to make sure I don't in the future, as I plan to keep the car a long time. When I talked to a Mazda dealer tech, he STRONGLY advised against doing anything except topping off the fluid. He said he's heard of full flush jobs ruining these transmissions, that the new fluid has a lot more detergents, and he would never do the job for fear of liability concerns. I asked him about dropping the pan and replacing it that way, and he again advised against it.

Not doing preventative maintenance - I don't like the sound of that. But I dislike the sound of needing a new transmission even more.

What do you guys think?

EDZRIDE

iTrader: (1)

I disagree.

Slidin8

I think you need to find a new dealership

BigGunz

iTrader: (1)

^^^I agree with these guys. Please disregard my previous post. This sound just happened to manifest after doing my xmsn flush. The noise became more pronounced and I can hear it better under the hood. It's the SSV and I got a pending code P0207 which confirms said noise.

The xmsn is shifting VERY smooth! Red Line D4 ATF highly recommended. Don't let them scare you. DIY, it's really not that difficult. Make sure you flush the xmsn cooler on the bottom of the radiator. I didn't do it but I'm replacing my radiator....not b/c of the flush, I'm having cooling issues.

Best of luck!

Chris Luther

Right on, I'm gonna order 12 quarts of Castrol Multi Vehicle Import (for the 2006 6spd automatic) and either do it myself or take it to some oil change place that can flush it properly.

Did removing/cleaning the SSV solve your issue with the engine noise outside of Park/Neutral?

BigGunz

iTrader: (1)

Unfortunately, I broke the fabled radiator nipple that connects to the coolant expansion tank Therefore, my car is up on jack stands and I'm waiting on my new radiator. Once I have it all back together I'll update. I'm fairly certain that it was the SSV making the noise though. We shall see...

robobxman

Got my tranny flushed today at another dealer who didn't hesitate to do the work. Wasn't cheap - $190 - but the car shifts better now and I know I've extended the life of my transmission. Thanks everyone for putting me at ease; really glad this is done now.

BigGunz

iTrader: (1)

Your answer. No, it still makes the noise and there are no signs or indications (at least as far as I can tell) of xmsn problems or anything of the sort. I think the noise may have been there before I changed the fluid and never noticed. I don't know. Hopefully I don't have any xmsn issues manifest in the future. Really not interested in spending that kind of money.

Aston177

Sorry to revive an old thread. Does anyone know the automatic transmission temperature? Mine is around 197F.

BigGunz

iTrader: (1)

For checking fluid level the service manual states operating temperature. However, I'm not sure if it is supposed to stay around this temp when operating under load. Hope this helps.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID (ATF) REPLACEMENT
WARNING:
• A hot transmission and ATF can cause severe burns. Turn off the engine and wait until they are cool
before replacing ATF.
1. Remove the oil dipstick.
2. Loosen the oil pan mounting bolts.
3. Drain the ATF into a container.
4. Remove the oil pan and gasket.
5. Eliminate the sealant dust from the bolt hole.
6. Install the oil pan and a new gasket with new bolts.
Tightening torque
o 7.09.0 N·m {7291 kgf·cm, 6378 in·lbf}
7. Add the specified type of ATF through the oil filler tube until ATF level reaches lower notch of dipstick.
ATF type
o
ATF M-III or equivalent (e.g. Dexron® III)
Capacity (approx. quantity)
8.7 L {9.2 US qt, 7.7 lmp qt}
8. Verify that the ATF level is in the HOT ( 65 °C {149 °F} ) range.
• Add ATF to the specified level if necessary.

reni04

Begs the question: Is the approx 8.5 quarts including the torq converter ?. Thank you.

EquityD

Accidentally unscrewed this plug on the oil pan and drained some atf now im trying to figure out how to fill the fluid I took out