2018 Mazda 3 Trans Service

[RayCJ]

Here's some pictures of a trans service on my daily driver. It's a 2018 Mazda 3 Hatchback 2.5l with 52,000 miles. At 30k miles I did a drain & fill on the trans but, didn't change the trans filter. Today, at 52k miles, the filter was replaced and fluid refilled. There was a good amount of fine metal shavings on the built-in magnet. I'll post some pictures of the old filter element after I break it open. I'd say the magnet caught all the metal particles. The visible part of the old filter element looked stained and dirty but, was not filled with debris.

This has been a very good car so far. It still gets about the same fuel mileage as when it was new. It averages about 35 MPG in the summer and 32 in the winter. I drive "moderately" with a total commute of 150 to 200 miles/week, about 50/50 highway/local traffic. It wasn't driven much during the Covid years. It gets oil/filter changes about every 4500-5000 miles. I've been using 5W/30 in the summer and 0W/20 in the winter. Given all the buzz lately about thinner oil, I'll probably switch to 5W/30 year round.

Well, that's about it for now. Just posting some eye-candy. I'll post pics of the old filter sometime soon.

Later
Ray

 

[JeffKeryk]

Mazda 3 is a lotta car for the money.

 

[Kira]

6-speed?
Red silicone gasket from the factory.....?
FZ fluid or something else?

 

[RayCJ]

6-speed?
Red silicone gasket from the factory.....?
FZ fluid or something else?

Hi Kira... Yes, it's a 6 speed automatic. The red gasket material seen in the photos was from the factory. I used a permatex transmission gasket product which I wasn't thrilled with but, it it seems to have done the job. It was a black, sticky, gummy stuff that was hard to apply. The replacement filter was a Beck-Arnley brand, identical to the originaly by visual inspection. The fluid was Ravenol FZ. I've used it before and it seems to work just fine.

When this vehicle had 30k miles, I noticed the shifts were getting a little more noticeable. I used the Ravenol that first time for a drain/fill and the transmission felt like brand new. I wanted to change the filter at 30k miles but, at the time, I was recovering from a minor injury and put it off. Yesterday, at 52k miles, the trans was still running perfectly smooth but, I just decided to replace the filter and do another drain/fill because I had the time and motivation to do it.

Anyhow, this car and been doing just fine with very basic maintenance. At every oil change, I run 1/2 can of CRC GDI intake cleaner and rotate the tires. In my next free day, I plan to replace the plugs. I'll look in the cylinders with a borescope while I'm there.

 

[Kira]

When you changed the ATF, did you merely match the volume replaced with the volume drained or is there a procedure which requires measuring the temperature of the fluid?

 

[CharBaby]

Keep doing what you're doing. I would keep changing out the ATF every 30K miles.
If you want to keep playing with your car as preventative maintenance, more power to you and it'll last a looooong time.

 

[Urshurak776]

Both of my Mazdas in signature (24 CX-5 and a 23 Mazda 3) take that new type of transmission fluid.

"With Cylinder Deactivation. Mazda Genuine ATF A7"

Have yet to find anyone that makes it except Mazda. LIke $25 a quart........

 

[RayCJ]

When you changed the ATF, did you merely match the volume replaced with the volume drained or is there a procedure which requires measuring the temperature of the fluid?

For just a drain/fill, nothing fancy is needed on this trans. Both time that I've done it, 1 gallon (US) came out, and 1 gallon went back in. My neighbor has a VW and when we did his trans service, we had to jump backward thru burning hoops to get it filled properly. This car doesn't have that issue.

 

[RayCJ]

Both of my Mazdas in signature (24 CX-5 and a 23 Mazda 3) take that new type of transmission fluid.

"With Cylinder Deactivation. Mazda Genuine ATF A7"

Have yet to find anyone that makes it except Mazda. LIke $25 a quart........

Upon looking-up trans fluid for my wife's new 2024 CX-30, I noticed that Mazda introduced a new trans fluid. Her car does not need the new stuff. I didn't price it but, the new kind is probably just as expensive as the FZ type which runs about $80/gallon. Yeah, the cost of FZ is a little over the top if you ask me. Somebody is making some serious coin on that stuff. I suspect the production cost is no different than any other modern ATF that sells for $7 a quart.

 

[RayCJ]

As promised, here's the cut-open filter. This is the original that had 52k miles on it. As mentioned, when I did the drain/fill at 30k miles, I wanted to replace the filter but, my shoulder was banged-up so, it got put on the back burners until just now. It seems a new filter at 30k or sooner would be warranted.

My wife has a new 2024 Mazda CX-30 (that we're liking a lot BTW). I'll do the transmission, transfer case and differential service on her car. Based on my experience, I'm thinking 15k miles would be a good time to do it. Thoughts?

Ray

 

[Marcozi]

As promised, here's the cut-open filter. This is the original that had 52k miles on it. As mentioned, when I did the drain/fill at 30k miles, I wanted to replace the filter but, my shoulder was banged-up so, it got put on the back burners until just now. It seems a new filter at 30k or sooner would be warranted.

My wife has a new 2024 Mazda CX-30 (that we're liking a lot BTW). I'll do the transmission, transfer case and differential service on her car. Based on my experience, I'm thinking 15k miles would be a good time to do it. Thoughts?

Ray

View attachment 285880

Looks fine for the mileage. I think 50k for the drain, replace filter and refill works fine. Modern lubricants such as atf can handle 50k miles.

 

[Dave Hess]

I maintain the same vehicle for a family member with 125K miles.

I’ve done 2 drain/refills but did not replace the filter and used Mazda ATF.
3rd drain/refill I used Aisin ATF from RockAuto.

I really like this transmission has a dipstick and love how smooth they shift.

 

[RayCJ]

I maintain the same vehicle for a family member with 125K miles.

I’ve done 2 drain/refills but did not replace the filter and used Mazda ATF.
3rd drain/refill I used Aisin ATF from RockAuto.

I really like this transmission has a dipstick and love how smooth they shift.

The next time I do a drain/fill on my car, I'll just use a vacuum pump thru the dipstick hole. Pulling off that underbody shroud is a pain in the butt even with the car up on jackstands.

 

[vwmaniaman]

We have a 2012 Mazda 5 and it now has 158K on it and I have serviced the transmission 2 times. It actually has a drain plug and a dipstick. I have been using the Valvoline fluid rated for Mazda without issues. Runs and shifts great. Needs a front wheel bearing replaced now, but it has been super reliable.

 

[vwmaniaman]

Yes you have to remove that bottom cover to service the trans but not for oil and filter changes. Mazda made that simple. I have had to replace that bottom cover 2 times from hitting dead animals in the road. At least it is available.

 

[pbm]

We have a 2012 Mazda 5 and it now has 158K on it and I have serviced the transmission 2 times. It actually has a drain plug and a dipstick. I have been using the Valvoline fluid rated for Mazda without issues. Runs and shifts great. Needs a front wheel bearing replaced now, but it has been super reliable.

I'm pretty sure the 2012 Mazda 5 used the MZR 2.5 engine and not the Skyactive 2.5 (I just Googled it and now I'm sure it used the MZR).
Both are excellent, long lived engines but I don't think Mazda called for FZ ATF in that model.