Help cure my tranny worries

Meder · 08-22-2008, 07:04 PM

I am really starting to have a difficult time with this cars trans lately. It is becoming more and more noisey as time goes on and I have a few questions about these random noises I am hearing.

My mods are SU MM, twm bushing, cobb sts.

1) When letting out the clutch, i often hear clunks and bangs/whatnot. I understand this is normal?

2) Throw out bearing noise? Quite loud with the clutch out and car warmed up at times, also normal?

3) clinking into 3rd gear. These are not bangs or hollow clunks from the counter weight, it is simply clicking into 3rd gear a lot of the time no matter how light I shift, and it comes and goes. It is your normal gear mesh sound and I expect some of this of course, but all the time while daily driving with 3k shifts? I can let the shifter drop into 3rd and it will click on in like the tranny isnt warmed up.

4) when braking hard, i notice a metallic grinding type sounds. This is when abs kicks in or close to it atleast. What is this? My last car did not do it.

The reason I am so worried about all of this is because of the motor mount issues I faced with my last ms3. It sounded a lot like this in a way and while shifting is great, it kinda of worries me. I THINK I noticed this noisey shifting when I changed to mt 90, it is filled to the proper level. Anyone else have similar experiences with mt90 and a noisey transmission?

When removing the counter weight and trying different throw settings on the cobb sts, it does not happen as often or as loud, but it still does indeed happen on the longest throw without the counterweight sometimes.

Is there a reason for these noises? Should I try another fluid or drain and refill the mt 90 again? My motor mounts are all tight/not ripped as I have checked 3 times in 5k miles. I must say that even on the shortest throw without the counterweight, it does not click nearly as much, only the usual everynow and then when ive been sitting at a light and the fluid has dripped to the bottom of the trans or whatever goes on in there.

Meder · 08-22-2008, 07:09 PM

I believe i posted in the wrong section. Sorry, feel free to move my post.

5_Alive · 08-23-2008, 04:10 AM

Yea dude, my car makes similar noises when letting out the clutch in neutral and what have you.. it is annoying.. it sounds like metal clanking/ clattering..
Something on the RX-8's is they updated the throw-out bearing because they were weak and broke apart (not sure how true this is)..
If it is a big problem, let the dealer fix it, it is a warranty claim 90% of the time.. I'm waiting for mine to explode and shatter everything it can.. I stopped honestly giving two fu*ks lately about noises.. i hear so many of them with this car i'm used to it.. same with the whole "clinking" noise heard while going over bumps, which was nothing more than the brakes needing to be re-greased and positioned..

Lymerock · 08-23-2008, 07:30 AM

the MT-90 does seem to make the shifter feel more mecanical and increases the noise factor, however I run MT-90 and I dont think my trans acts anything like yours.

I get no clutch noises, chatter, clanking, shifting into any gear is as easy as any other gear and no gear makes more noise than the other.

Im no doctor, but id think your tranny may want to visit one.
dumb question, but is the tranny fluid topped off?

ThrillaSpeed3 · 08-23-2008, 08:01 AM

Hey Meder, when u start ur car up, does it make a weird rumbling noise to.
cause i feel that i might have the same problem, but nervoust to take it to the dealer and having them void my warrenty. i plan to make my car back to stock before i take it in.
i got a dogbone engine mount, forge bov, fujita cai, cobb a/p, and twm short w/bushings.
if u take it to the dealer, lets hear what they day.

4thStroke · 08-23-2008, 10:41 AM

These trannies are just noisy. Fairly stout, but noisy.

Meder · 08-23-2008, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by Lymerock

the MT-90 does seem to make the shifter feel more mecanical and increases the noise factor, however I run MT-90 and I dont think my trans acts anything like yours.

I get no clutch noises, chatter, clanking, shifting into any gear is as easy as any other gear and no gear makes more noise than the other.

Im no doctor, but id think your tranny may want to visit one.
dumb question, but is the tranny fluid topped off?

The clutch release noise is pretty normal, but you can mask it by letting out the clutch slowly, both of my speeds did this. The mt 90 certinly did seem to make shifting a bit louder as far as going into gear, but its mainly 3rd gear and sounds 100% fine, just not usual. I have no problems with the shifting and its shifts better than it ever did before thanks to the fluid, sts, and MM. Transmission fluid is topped off and I checked it again yesterday.

I notice when I take off the counterweight it isnt making this click into 3rd gear anymore, and it only does it when I am not spinning the car up to 4k+. It seems to be hit or miss. I am guessing its the oils mostly, maybe its that much more slippery and the extra counterweight is giving it enough force to pop into gear harder?

Meder · 08-23-2008, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by ThrillaSpeed3

Hey Meder, when u start ur car up, does it make a weird rumbling noise to.
cause i feel that i might have the same problem, but nervoust to take it to the dealer and having them void my warrenty. i plan to make my car back to stock before i take it in.
i got a dogbone engine mount, forge bov, fujita cai, cobb a/p, and twm short w/bushings.
if u take it to the dealer, lets hear what they day.

I dont get any noises like that, everything sounds fine besdies the near clicky 3rd gear only with counterweight, this is a weird car.

The other things I have problems with are 1st gear lock out when stopped. I do not know why the car does this, but my other speed did it as well and I usually have to go to 2nd and back to first or rev the car and let out the clutch for it to go in. The mt90 made this happen a lot less and it does not happen to often now. Anyone else get this 1st gear crap? Ive read a lot of others mazdas getting it too.

Meder · 08-23-2008, 03:18 PM

Originally Posted by 4thStroke

These trannies are just noisy. Fairly stout, but noisy.

This is my first car like this, my last stick was a 98 toyota tacoma and it didnt sound like Worldwar 2...

The shifting is much better without the counterweight, I guess mazdas rubber shift bushings, mounts, and the weight did a lot to mask the tranny noises in this car.

ms3077 · 08-23-2008, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by Meder

This is my first car like this, my last stick was a 98 toyota tacoma and it didnt sounds like Worldwar 2...

The shifting is much better without the counterweight, I guess mazdas rubber shift bushings, mounts, and the weight did a lot to mask the tranny noises in this car.

LMFAO!!!!!!

Unfortunatlely I think it's just the design of the car and not much we can do about it.

Meder · 08-23-2008, 03:57 PM

It seems like it is. I do not mine the loud tranny, as long as its normal.

Meder · 08-23-2008, 11:40 PM

When doing some 0-60 runs tonite and shifting fast, I was getting a 2nd gear grind, the clutch was indeed to the floor. This is something ive never gotten before in this tranny and of course cant be good.

I believe I grinded a total of 5-6 fucking times. I dont know whats going on with this car, I give up. How many of these grinds can the transmission take? 6 seems like a lot, and whats worse is it was doing it when I was trying to figure out what the problem was. I would floor the clutch, then shift hard only to hear a grind. I would make sure the clutch was down, wait, shift, grind! Its not like I can take the car in and tell them its grinding, we all know how dealerships go. How much damage did I do from the grinds tonite?

4thStroke · 08-24-2008, 01:17 AM

It really takes some upgrades to get rid of the grinding. Metal base bushings, motor mount, and remove the counter weight and it will reduce the grinding a lot.

ccann26 · 08-24-2008, 03:53 AM

Originally Posted by Meder

When doing some 0-60 runs tonite and shifting fast, I was getting a 2nd gear grind, the clutch was indeed to the floor. This is something ive never gotten before in this tranny and of course cant be good.

I believe I grinded a total of 5-6 fucking times. I dont know whats going on with this car, I give up. How many of these grinds can the transmission take? 6 seems like a lot, and whats worse is it was doing it when I was trying to figure out what the problem was. I would floor the clutch, then shift hard only to hear a grind. I would make sure the clutch was down, wait, shift, grind! Its not like I can take the car in and tell them its grinding, we all know how dealerships go. How much damage did I do from the grinds tonite?

its how mine went kept grinding in 2nd then after one good grind I put it in gear and as soon as I hit the gas it poped right back out . its ok though you have plenty of torque to go straight to 3rd ............

ms3077 · 08-24-2008, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by Meder

When doing some 0-60 runs tonite and shifting fast, I was getting a 2nd gear grind, the clutch was indeed to the floor. This is something ive never gotten before in this tranny and of course cant be good.

I believe I grinded a total of 5-6 fucking times. I dont know whats going on with this car, I give up. How many of these grinds can the transmission take? 6 seems like a lot, and whats worse is it was doing it when I was trying to figure out what the problem was. I would floor the clutch, then shift hard only to hear a grind. I would make sure the clutch was down, wait, shift, grind! Its not like I can take the car in and tell them its grinding, we all know how dealerships go. How much damage did I do from the grinds tonite?

I wouldn’t worry about it too much man I've grinded gears in this car more than I like to think and it's still just as good or better than the day I bought it 1yr ago. And like you're saying it's happened even when I would use extra caution to make sure everything was being done correctly. Hopefully Mazda addresses this issue before our power train warranty is out. It's really pathetic that we have to buy after market mounts and shit just to make this car drivable @wot.

Meder · 08-24-2008, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by ccann26

its how mine went kept grinding in 2nd then after one good grind I put it in gear and as soon as I hit the gas it poped right back out . its ok though you have plenty of torque to go straight to 3rd ............

So you lost 2nd gear? How many times did you grind 2nd?? I would think it takes a lot. I have MM, bushing, and so on. I hope the tranny mounts help shifting. I am thinking of going with a stiffer mount. I know ive read we have triple synchros on gears 1-3. What exactly does this do? Does it make our gears more durable in anyway?

HTO-06 · 08-24-2008, 06:54 PM

This is what is in my '08 Speed transmission right now....—
—
—
—
—— —— —— —— —— ——
—
—
————Full Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid
—

Motorcraft® Full Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid is a premium-quality SAE 75W-90 gear oil designed, engineered and recommended by Ford Motor Company meeting warranty requirements. It is particularly recommended for MTX-75 and IB5 transmissions, and is also recommended for older transmissions including rear wheel drive that recommend GL-3 and GL-4 type gear oils
Motorcraft® Full Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid is manufactured with synthetic base oils and performance additives providing improved gear shifting at all ambient temperatures. Its wear protection extends the life of synchronizers and bearings
Due to its excellent thermal, oxidative and shear stability, this fluid meets Ford’s fill-for-life requirements. Reduced friction and optimal lubrication reduces operating temperatures, increases component life and improves efficiency
—
Specifications
Part Number
—XT-M5-QS
Specification Number
—WSD-M2C200-C
Size
—1 Qt.
FIR No.
—175246
Unit Pack
—12 (Case Qty.)

— MSDS
—175246

— TSB
—00-1-9
—01-15-7

My car had a 1-2 grind at anything under 90 degrees. MT90 made it WORSE. I went to MTL, which is a 70w-80 and shifting was very good.

On a Honda S2000 board I found out about this stuff...Made in Germany specally for problematic Getrag trannies in various Fords to address shifting problems.

It is pricey....$19.18 a quart ( you can find it cheaper online) but it does work really well. I've only had it in my car for 100 miles but the change in shifting was immediate. I thought the MTL was good but this stuff has easily out classed it. Shifting is very good. I hope it does well in the cooler weather...MT90 positively SUCKED in fall and winter.

Interesting notes...it smells like 3M weatherstriping glue and seems to be quite thin for a 75W90. I saved my FF and it smells the same, just not as pungent - perhaps a higher level of additives in this part #?

Just thought I'd let you know what I'd doing for my trannie and his woes (which seem to be banished). Only cooler will tell if this stuff is the real deal.

Cheers!

Meder · 08-24-2008, 07:10 PM

Sounds like something to try. I am going to drain and refill my fluid even though I did that less than 500 miles ago very soon.

I notice a lot of people love the gm synchromesh fluid. Anyone try this fluid?

ccann26 · 08-24-2008, 09:35 PM

Originally Posted by Meder

So you lost 2nd gear? How many times did you grind 2nd?? I would think it takes a lot. I have MM, bushing, and so on. I hope the tranny mounts help shifting. I am thinking of going with a stiffer mount. I know ive read we have triple synchros on gears 1-3. What exactly does this do? Does it make our gears more durable in anyway?

I think last time I complained to the dealer they put that syncromesh stuff in the tranny and it helped a bit but it still grinds every now and then . I think I had a problem in the tranny from the begining because it was syncros in 1+2+3 and bearing in 4+6 i think they said those 15000 miles were 200 miles a day on the highway for a couple of months so it was very little hard driving .