I haven't driven a RWD car in a few years, so I need a few more technical people to check this out.

Every time I go to move from a parked position, where the car has been sitting for a while (overnight, or at work) the transmission in the front of the car makes very light gear clunk sound. Imagine sitting in the car with the car off, and shifting the car into first. This sounds exactly like that, but it only happens 1 time.

As soon as I get moving, it never comes back, until I park the car again. Please note that when I park my car, I use the e-brake, shift out of gear to relieve pressure on the transmission, then shift it back into 1st as a precautionary measure. I'm wondering if this sound is just the gears meshing when I start moving again, making a slight clunk sound.

Any thoughts would be helpful. I don't think it's a major problem, but I just need to know if there are any "known issues" that I need to be aware of.

Thanks.


Short version:
1. When moving from a parked positing, a "clunk" happens
2. Clunk sounds like the shifter in neutral
3. It is in the transmission
4. Only happens once
5. I park using e-brake, then shift into 1st method

 

I think that you are describing the ABS self check sound. This is not a sound from transmission.

 

This could very well be. I've had ABS on most of my cars and have never heard this sound. Is this unique to Mazda?

 

Its the ABS self check, it happens if the car sits for awhile, its normal no worries.

 

Excellent. Thanks for posting guys. I can triple confirm that it's the ABS since I paid extreme attention to it this morning. No worries here.