ASH8

Late response...officially as you know Mazda does not and has never recommended a "Brand" of Fluid for the "World" market.

There is no Mazda part number for Fluids... only what Distributors may have made up locally..like the USA's 0000-00-1456 part numbers (example), not an MMC part number.

However, having said that I know Mazda Australia imported from MMC a few years back some FL-22 Coolant in 20 litre (5 gall approx) drums, at a local cost of $250.00AU...I know no one who has purchased them or the part number.

ASH8

Here here..

Use the grade/type of Oil your Owners manual says...pretty simple.

I see transmission abuse in this thread, NO transmission will last if you constantly use HIGH RPM on EVERY change and then change back High, neither will the clutch.

ANY transmission, the more you change the more the Synchro's will wear.

ASH8

OH, BTW, Many here say they got Rid of a Grind or Vastly Improved the Gear Change by changing from this OIL to That OIL..

THE issue is Not the oil you used (in some cases), BUT, the fact in most cases your tranny was overdue for an oil change anyway and or Fresh oil will always feel better than old..

IMO, give it some miles and use, and then report back..

WTBRotary!

iTrader: (6)

2nd gear is starting to grind now... not bad but it when I downshift from 3rd to 2nd @ 50mph, it brings the RPMS up to 7K and when I rev-match to put it in it grinds for a second then goes it. It seems to not grind when I move the shifter more the the left then let it slide into place, hard to explain but 2nd gear is not just down, the shifter settles more right so its like I have this motion to hopefully have it not grind... I have to try to dodge something then let the shifter go back right... I dont know I cant explain it but my 8 is going to Mazda on Tuesday. Hopefully I get a new 2nd gear.

I am pretty hard on my tranny but I know what im doing, hard to honestly say that but I rev-match perfectly and I can honestly say its this weak transmisson that is failing, not me. I will admit that I double clutched twice and it made a little noise but that was over a month ago and I dont think it did hardly ANY damage, or atleast enough to cause this to happen. Im sadly getting tired of this tranny, its weak... Im not trying to bitch or moan but I constantly try to read on how I can improve my shifting and technique etc. It cant be me... sigh /end rant

Speedtoys

Oh ya...of COURSE it's not you.

I have exactly 99.872 miles on my car, original owner, and it's been hard tracked as a NASA instructor (we get free Group4 time) and 100mi a day of rigorous driving up and down Hwy9 and across Hwy35 in the santa cruz mountains (ca) every single day..and im on the original clutch and tranny, original oil in there, and its butter.

Im not easy on the car..I beat the crap out of it via the gas and various 'steering' inputs to turn the car without giving up much when I can, but I -am- reasonably pedestrian on shifting at all times, I accept that at hiiiiigh RPMs, it takes double clutch and an extra moment to upshift too, I drive the car as it wants to be driven, not as I wish it could be. Perhaps thats the difference here...drive the car you're given, and it'll treat you well.

This is also why endurance races are a constant source of frustration for people that cant grasp that a 25-hour race isnt a 9/10ths sprint race, it'll never finish it.

"Im not trying to bitch or moan but I constantly try to read on how I can improve my shifting and technique etc. It cant be me... sigh /end rant"

Im not trying to brag or crow, but I constantly read on how others have these problems etc. It cant be me...my tranny must be made of unobtanium, and lubricated by unicorn tears... sigh /end rant



You do NOT own a race car, stop driving it like it is one..th tranny aint weak, its just not designed to be a Ricer Speed Shifter Fast & Furious Gear Banger. (tm).


Everyone that I know that has RX8s that I see at the track on a regular basis has been fine as well.

Im sorry, it is you...bet you have bent shift forks from banging into gears, instead of letting the hardware do the synchro and gear engagement for you...and once those start to bend and wear at the ends synchros dont align well, or get good engagement..and you start to eat the cogs up..and wear the inner race...all sorts of speed shifting problems come up.


Maybe the root problem, is that you describe shifting as a 'technique'...well, there is no 'technique'..applying 'technique' is what busts ****. If you have to think about shifting, you're doing it wrong.


Flame on..but..it's you. Admit it early.

Anger, denial..then acceptance...it's the natural flow of this.

WTBRotary!

iTrader: (6)

lol... I'm not even going to argue with you...

WTBRotary!

iTrader: (6)

I forgot to add that there are more than enough people that know how to shift that have had problems, it's the transmisson. I find it amusing you don't even know me and you assume I'm a ricer who watches the fast and the furious. I guess I should sell my 8 and go buy a civic, thanks for setting my mind clear.

alex zhuk

iTrader: (1)

i had grinding problems bad after the car had warmed up, right after a 30k tranny flush.... replaced my master and slave...didnt fix the problem, got a bracket even though my oem bracket was still good, and adjusted my peddle. then i got some redline heavy shock proof gear oil and the problems are gone.

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

ASH wins for the best post in the thread .
What I see here is a lot of people blaming the transmission for what is more likely their own rough treatment .
After my own experience with tracking the car with double the tourque the N/A guys run I'm convinced it's rough treatment and poor oil change habits that are the cause of most of the issues we see in this thread - not the transmission itself.

ASH8

Yes, I say you are HARD on Transmissions..

I must ask , WHY are you changing down into second gear at 50 MPH (90 KMH) 7000RPM??,
IF you are an Engine Braker with your car then YES you will wear it out sooner.

You will wear out ANY transmission if you back change to engine brake ALL the TIME.

I don't care what ANYONE says, USE your Brakes to stop, NOT your transmission, Unless it is an Emergency, or you are a race car /track driver, and they expect to renew their transmissions every few race events or sooner.

I see them here time and time, they either change WAY to Fast, to try and drag their "mates", and or dump their clutch, etc,etc.

Look, I am NOT saying to Nanny your car or transmission, but IMO it is "Finding the Balance", change motion of not too fast and not too slow, the pounding some of guys give their Synchro Rings, Gears and Forks!!! it is NO wonder they get issues.

Every-time you change a gear you are wearing out the synchro ring(s) and then the gear(s) itself...EVERY Manual Transmission works the same.

And yes, I do believe some Owners/Drivers Should NEVER own a stick, because they never get used to using their foot on a Clutch and using their Hand on Stick to move their car Forward...they should ONLY drive Automatics...and they will still fu*k them up too.

WTB..Please don't get me wrong I am not dissing you or your experience, just an observation and thoughts..

ASH8

Agree , even if you do early oil changes, just look at all the metal pieces on the magnet drain plug...heaps.

Owners who go 30,000 Miles (or more) without a change have that much crap in their oil it would be like a sandblaster (sort of) running through rings, gears, bearings, forks, etc.

Also drain magnets tend to pick up most "metal" once the oil and car has settled "overnight".

WTBRotary!

iTrader: (6)

Thank you Ash for being a little more polite. I will admit I AM a engine breaker and I ask alot of my transmisson, perhaps too much which is why my 2nd gear is starting to grind a little before going in. Alot of times I find myself shifting to 2nd gear when taking a corner because I love accelerating out of it. I suppose im just asking too much of my tranny, I will cut back and will not nanny it but try to find a good balance like you said. I find 50mph is the highest I will go from 3rd to 2nd so I dont put too much strain on the tranny, but I guess 50mph is still too high? Idk I think 50mph is the highest Id go and it still be safe to downshift, but by anymeans correct me if im wrong.

One thing I find confusing and ill give you a little situation where my dilema occurs. Suppose your turning into your neighborhood, posted speed limit is 35mph, im normally going about 5 mph over so lets say Im in 3rd gear... I always downshift while rev-matching to turn in, idk its just a habit. What else should I do? Shift to neutral and then as I turn clutch in and rev match to 2nd? or just clutch in and shift to 2nd and slowly let the clutch out? Or lets say im in 4th gear going 40mph... Do i rev match to 3rd then to 2nd or do I rev match from 4th to 2nd? OR do I put it in neutral?

Those are the types of situations that occur in my mind alot so i just do whats natural and always rev-match which I suppose puts un-needed strain on the tranny. I welcome tips, as as for the NASA instructor who ripped my ******* apart, I welcome your advice as well but DO NOT assume im some ricer who repeats everything from FF movies etc. I take the best care of my car possible, hell when I get home everyday I park in the garage and open the hood and let a fan blow on my engine to help cool it down since I live in Texas. Theres no need to flame, and I will admit im probably more at fault then I said in my previous post...

Im taking my car to Mazda on Tuesday, hopefully I get a new 2nd gear and I will ask them to check for bent shift forks for 2nd and 5th gear.

Does anyone else have to shift awkwardly into 5th gear? Like trying to go around something? I had my 5th gear replaced but I dont remember them saying anything about the shift fork, maybe thats something they didnt fix.

Thanks all...

ASH8

Ok...I will bite...this is turning into a "driving lesson"..

My example.....local neighbourhhood...

Doing 65 KMH (60 limit) which is 36 MPH,, But am doing close to 40 MPH, Left turn, I will now say right turn for you as you are in a LHD..(other side of road)...Now knowing I am turning into a 90 degree corner and into a 40 KMH or 25 MPH local limit, I would brake to slow down a little, foot on clutch down change into second (I normally don't rev match) and drive on...remember I am only doing 25-30 MPH, ....also I am talking on a flat road.

IMO any faster for a right hander at 60 MPH and you will roll your car???

WTBRotary!

iTrader: (6)

So you just clutch it, shift from 3rd to 2nd and release clutch? Won't that cause your car to spring forward from the engine and transmisson not spinning at the same speed?

Seems like what your doing would be harder on the tranny than me since your car is lurching forward. I mean most of the time (for my situation) I brake from 35-40mph to about 20-25mph then rev-match (even at low rpms) to prevent that lurch, seems to match the transmisson and engine speeds fine and feels smooth...

ASH8

No, it is a matter of how you change and throttle, I have no lurching forward, remember I have already REDUCED speed..by....throttle off and use of the cars brakes, then clutch pedal in, then Before I let the clutch out, selected gear and at same time I throttle on...gee it is more difficult than I thought to explain it (doing 3 things at once at the mo), Umm..yeah, so no lurching and very smooth for me.

Perhaps that is why my trannies have never failed (touch wood), I alway use my throttle off and brakes, clutch in, change, clutch out and throttle...been driving for nearly 40 years.??

Rotaries are different in the fact you need more revs for Torque, but, IMO it can be way overdone, I am convinced this is why many get rotten MPG.

In "Normal Driving" with a rotary you need to be both Speed and RPM wary.

Grrr...you are making me think too much about something that comes so natural..

Obviously if I was a Professional Racer, my technique would be completely different, but then again, so are the cars and gearboxes, most never use their clutch (V8 supercars) and with sequential Boxes, some drivers use their clutch to down-change, some don't.

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

Rev matching is only necessary on the race track when braking really hard and downshifting to a gear that will put you at anything over say 6000rpm when you lift off the clutch. I admit i do it sometimes when driving agressively - it is more for my own enjoyment than any real need .

WTBRotary!

iTrader: (6)

So Brettus what your saying is my transmission should be able to handle me going from 3rd to 2nd at 4.5-5K rpms with no rev-match and not strain or hurt the transmission? I suppose I'd have to let the clutch out slow to let the rpms jump and not chirp the tires?

And Ash I understand completely how it's hard to explain something to natural, no big man. I guess this is something I will have to figure out on my own...


Edit: Ash I think I get what your saying, I reread what you posted...

So you clutch in, brake, select gear, apply a little gas/throttle to get the rpms a little close to where they'd normally be at them you release the clutch? So there's no lurch? I think/ believe I do that about 40% of the time...

ASH8

lol...yeah, we all should re-read posts before replying..

But Brettus is right..

Yeah, as I said so much also depends on your road conditions, other cars/users, etc, etc, the usual BS.

OH, I Brake first, clutch in, gear, clutch out and throttle..

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

yes let the clutch out slow - you kinda feel it taking up the revs before you let it out fully . I must admit it is hard to describe with out going out and thinking about it while doing it . Hmmm does that sound rude ?

WTBRotary!

iTrader: (6)

not at all, I guess I'll try that Brettus, I just thought doing what your saying to do was bad for the tranny. Do I let the rpms fall to idle before I slowly let the clutch out?

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

not necessary - just let start letting it out , when you hear/feel the revs start to rise pause for an instant then let it out fully . It is about being smooth .
Just like on the track - smooth is fast .

kylewwh

well i just had to bring my car into the shop for a problem shifting into gears 1,2,and 3. luckily its covered under the powertrain warr (had a week left,*whew*)
they said the hub and sync bushings were bad.
its a stock babyed 2005 with 34k miles.
gotta say im a little dissappointed with it.
love the car otherwise

WTBRotary!

iTrader: (6)

Yeah, I dont remember if I posted this but I have my 2nd gear replaced after that incident, lucky im under warranty for my tranny until july this year...

Also Idemitsu 75W-90 Full Syn fluid feels amazing. Yall need to try it, I loved it much more than Redline MT-90. Idemitsu feels slightly thicker like honey, than water at opperating temps.

rXter

Joining the party a bit late here... I also have grinding problems from 2 to 3 at very high RPM (over &K) and I thought synchro. Just replaced my clutch hardware (50K Miles), which helped a bit for about a week - then back to the grinding. As long as I let the RPMs slow to 5500 the shift is fine.

I admit that I became enamored of the whole rev-match thing for 6-months or so. It was like golfing - when I got it right it was really fun, but most of the time I missed the rev or worse. Was doing this in both of my cars. Figured that not rev-matching didn't mean I was driving like a 70-year old women in a Camry. Went back to normal shifting. Both cars are thanking me.

Anyway, I am taking the car in next week to check out the synchros. I'll have them check the "forks" too. I'm not a wrench, just a guy who likes small, light, quick cars who is willing to pull out the VISA when the mechanic tells me to. Anything else they should look at?

Thanks.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

Make sure you check your clutch pedal too.