Car was in getting gearbox looked at for other problems when mechanic told me that my clutch was badly worn, not far off rivets. He showed me the clutch when I got there and I couldn't disagree with that fact, but they are trying to ping it on driver wear. I dont live on a hill, I dont ride the clutch, most of my travel is to work and back and there is only 2 sets of traffic lights and the rest is highway driving at 100km/h. I cant see how this behaviour could warrant so much wear on a clutch.
I have just done 40,000kms, I have only been through one set of tyres (replaced a couple of weeks ago). I am sure that a clutch should out last a set of tyres!!!

Secondly can anyone suggest a good replacement clutch that can be obtained here in Australia. (May as well upgrade if they have it apart anyway)

 

Hey man, what were they looking at that led them to pull out the gearbox? I agree it is odd that a clutch should wear out so quickly with that style of driving....

 

I agree that 40,000km is too early, but not impossible.. The easy way out is to blame driving style..

There is another way that a clutch can wear prematurely... Incorrect pedal adjustment otherwise known as "free play".. The manual states 5-15mm - see page 5 of the transmission manual..

Another is some form of abrasive - in the mid-1980s I saw a few Subaru 4WD with worn out clutch at 2,000Km after driving on the beach...

 

Exedy!!! can get them from alot of places in VIC

 

might as well get the flywheel too

 

Firstly, decide if you really want a warranty. You should be able to get it. It is a sports car FFS. How can they pin "abuse" on you when they advertise it to us by showing an RX-8 doing circle work, and in the brochure talk about doing drifting. (I posted something about that 12 months or so ago).

If you know you haven't been abusing it, insist on the warranty. Mine is still OK at 50,000 (pressure wise).

But - if you decide you want something decent, be prepared to spend about 1K I'd say. Then you should never need to replace it again LOL. I'll ask around for some recommendations and get back to you

Cheers,
Hymee.

 

they want $1k for a mazda original.

 

you can even get a mazdaspeed clutch at that price!

 

Does it come as a kit including a release bearing? You should change that too... They can get noisy when they get older... A real pain to pay for the gearbox removal just for a noisy bearing..

I just thought of another reason for premature wear... A defective pressure plate... Hymee is right - press for warranty and even consider contacting Mazda Australia directly...

 

find out in the morning if it will be under warrantee or not. Dealer wanted to contact Mazda first and see what they had to say. I'll give them that chance and then see what happens from there.

 

Why do people think mazdaspeed is the be-all and end-all??

 

Yeah - that is why I suggested if they insist on charging for it to get a "proper" one

Cheers,
Hymee.

 

To sustain a 'driver abuse' basis for not giving warranty cover, Mazda would (should) also have to identify other evidence on the car that points to that. If the rest of the car is ok, then I don't see what basis they can have not to offer warranty cover. Remember, not honouring warranty is always their starting position.

 

HMMM

I THINK THIS CALLS FOR A MASSIVE E-MAIL CAMPAIGN TO AUSTRALIA MAZDA HEADQUATERS IF THEY TRY AND VOID THE WARRANTY ON A 40,000KM CLUCTH

cheers
michael

 

I'd be in that as I'm coming up to my 40K and I'd be stuffed if I'd fork out hard earnt dollars on something that should last longer and as Hymee said it's a sports car FFS.

rx88er

 

Yes.. I sort of agree.. but if this were the case, I'd be happy to upgrade to an aftermarket clutch and lightened flywheel D:D

 

Yeah repair under warranty or else MazdaSpeed clutch and flywheel is only $1500 + cost of shipping + installation. $1000 for just clutch is a kind of rip off.

Can anyone confirm one way or the other if our stock clutch is made my exedy? I have seen somewhere in US side that someone said the stock clutch have an Exedy mark on it...

 

Here's the story. Mazda wont replace the clutch under warranty. When I inspected the clutch there was still about 3 mm of friction material left. According to work shop manual you only need to replace clutch at <0.3mm. Going on my own estimate i would have probably somewhere between 20k to 30K+ wear remaining. As it is not necessary to replace at the moment MA wont. Fair enough. Dealership was suggesting I look at replacing the clutch now while they had the gearbox out, as it would only cost me $40 in labor to replace it instead of $600 later where they would have to pull the gearbox again. Doing the right thing or a money spinner you decide! (they spoke to my wife originally and told her it HAD to be replaced, different story when i went to the dealership and displayed some mechanical knowlege.) At $1000 for mazda part and $750 for non-genuine I know what I think.

The original problem that the car was in for is an alarming one and this is something that all RX8 drivers should be aware of. DO NOT skip gears on the up change, your sychro's cant handle it. MA have said that they will cover the replacement of my 5th and 6th gear synchros this time, but next time it is bad luck. (Had to play the "it doesn't warn you against that in the manual anywhere" line). I enjoy the sound of my hymee and sometimes find myself leaving intersections going
1st ---beep
2nd ---beep (oops speed limit depending on location then to 4th or 5th --- coast)
3rd --- oops speed limit
5th or 6th --- coast and set cruise.

If you drive like this you will cause damage to your 5th and 6th gear synchros.
Make sure you hit every gear and learn from my mistake?? (lack of knowledge!!)
I am sure that i am not the only one out there that does this.

 

Hymee,
please continue your inquiries into good after market clutch and flywheel set up as the wife still believes that I must replace the clutch soon and I have permission to spend the $1K or so on it. Cant let that oppotunity pass me by!!!

 

Gasp!

 

First time I have heard such a claim....am going to think about it

ok...just thought about it a bit. lexic, what were the symptoms of your problem?

 

Thanks for the heads up Lexic.

Gotta say I run through the gears sequentially anyway and just stop changing up when I know I'm in a suitable gear for the prevailing speed limit.

Having said that, I'm a bit surprised that a modern gearbox cannot cope with a skipping the odd gear going up. I would have thought it would be more of a problem skipping too many gears going down the gear set. Maybe I'm naive.

BTW - I hardly ever use 5th or 6th unless I'm on the freeway. I find 4th is about as high as I need when driving 'round town, etc. I like to keep revs at 3500rpm or higher in non-freeway driving to avoid the low end wait for acceleration. Must account for my fuel bill.

My real problem is that 6th is too low for long freeway use. The car needs a genuine overdrive for fast cruising. I reckon it should be hovering 'round 3000rpm at 110km/h - not close to 4000rpm. Anyone agree?

 

I agree with revolver, 6th gear should anable you to sit at about 3k at 120km/h, this would mean the second port does not open and hence decent fuel economy on the open road. The best I have got on the open road is 9km/l, my Gen III used to give me upto 13km/l. I can tell you which had better straight line performance.

 

I often find difficulty in shifting from 4th to 6th directly. It really doesn't want to go into gear and it is simplier to go to 5th and then into 6th. (I usually only do this when I am in a hurry so I haven't paid too much attention to it but if the syncro isn't setup for this sort of shifting it sorta makes sense)
I have been noticing it more with the short shifter - but maybe I am just going a bit faster.

 

Syncros should operate smothly both on upshift and downshift in any order , mazda is telling you BS .

CHEERS
MICHAEL