[College Car]

Hello!

A new 2015 Mazda 6 I Touring got our daughter through undergraduate. The owner's manual stated the transmission did not require service. Of course this sounds odd.

I researched this and other sites concerning this issue. I also asked Mazda service departments and searched Youtube.

Are there any Mazda 6 transmission experts that can answer the following questions?

Should I change the fluid as well as the filter for the FIRST time for a 2015 Mazda 6 I Touring with 132,000 miles? Thanks for any assistance.

 

[Archerfish]

You can read this and decide:

Just Purchased a 2014 GT - 208,000 Miles

Just bought a 2014 Grand Touring. PO used it on his work commute (85 mile one way) since new. Car has had regular oil changes (7.5k miles), brakes, tires, and pretty much nothing else. Some road rash on the outside but inside is like new.. Seems like these cars hold up nice. Figured I would sign...

www.mazda6club.com

I am reminded of this so called "sealed type". No maintenance required, just like a hermetically sealed compressor. Maintenance free, you just wait until it breaks. This makes me think if this is the same with the transmission.

 

[tickerguy]

IMHO, yes.

"Lifetime fluid and filter" means the lifetime of the transmission. Which, with 120k miles on it, might be rather soon if you don't change both.... .

 

[College Car]

Thanks for taking the time and making the effort to provide the comments and link. I have read the link comments and many other comments. Here is what my research has shown:

1. Owners manual and some Mazda dealership sites state that the transmission is not to be serviced ....ever.

2. Some Mazda Dealerships now offer a transmission service.

3. Some (dealer techs., experienced mechanics, etc.) say life time of trans. is really only 60k (warranty) to 100k miles. Trans. are built to last without service to 150k miles max.

4. Some say trans. should be serviced every 30k or 50k or 60k or 75k or 100k miles. A dealer tech told me that they stop doing the first service at 110k miles.

5. Some say a trans. flush is bad because contaminates can clog it. If you try to drain it you can only get out 3 to 4 quarts (total capacity is 5.5 quarts? or 7.5 quarts? or ???). Some say do a filter change as well or contaminates clog it. Some say it may leak if you remove pan to change filter.

6. I know with American rear wheel drive cars, if the first trans. fluid and filter change does not occur until approx. 100k miles, it may start malfunctioning afterwards.

7. I have looked up used very low mileage Mazda 6 transmissions. I can get a very low mileage unit for $600 and installed for another $500.

My daughters 2015 Mazda 6 has 132,000 miles. We want it to get her through another four years of college (medical school) as we are not wealthy and just paid it off. I have performed all required maintenance on it. It runs well. But, I need to decide what to do about the transmission.

With those miles, will changing some of the fluid cause the transmission to start to malfunction?
If so, do I just do nothing to it?
If it will not hurt it to change fluid do I just drain what I can from drain plug?
Or do I drop the pan and change filter?

Any expertise is appreciated.

 

[uyuarasy]

Mine has 166000 kilometers in it, I've done two drain and refill (about 3.4 liters were changed every time - if filled properly there's 7.8 liters in the transmission), I'm going to do another with a pan drop to replace the filter also.

You can inspect check your ATF's colors and odor, some say you shouldn't change it if it's burnt or there are visible particles. Mine was only burnt, the magnet on the drain bolt was clean, we'll see how thick is the junk around the bigger magnet in the pan. If I were you, I'd check it first then do a drain and refill, but if you don't touch it'll work for another 4 years imho

Did you feel any slipping, shift shock, or improper acceleration?

 

[College Car]

Thanks for response. No. It functions correctly. I wanted to check fluid, but some say it looks brown (instead of blue) at only 30k or 40k miles.

I was searching for examples of first service over 100k miles but can not find any.

 

[uyuarasy]

I think you won't find any service note, I've discussed it with the reseller, a Mazda service in Germany and another one in Hungary about it. Everyone had the same reply, that I don't have to worry, the transmission is sealed and filled with life-time fluid.

Yeah, but their interpretation of life-time is 5 years or 120k km, while the guarantee lasts...Some says after a give mileage you shouldn't don any change, my opinion is it's better late then never (if it's error-free currently). With a normal drain and fill you can replace almost half of the fluid, but I'd drop the pan. That's the only way to change the filter and clean up the mess from the magnet.

 

[College Car]

Below is a video by a respected mechanic. It describes my concern.

 

[Archerfish]

Perhaps you drain a liter of ATF then fill-up. Drive for 10,000 km then drain and fill a liter again. You do this until you "feel" confident to replace it entirely.

I don't know if I'm making sense here, but the concern I see in your post is "fluid consistency". I think this is the compromise.

Or you can do the "proper method". You drain the fluid and change the filter.

Or, you simply "leave" the transmission on its own.

Whatever you choose, please update us. And post a lot of pictures, something like before and after.

In my case, I'm having second thoughts about changing the filter once I get 60,000 km. My concern is that how to make sure of the seal so that it won't leak. The mechanic on the dealership said that it won't leak because they will put the right sealant.

@tickerguy , may I know what sealant are you using?

 

[tickerguy]

I have a MTX on my 2015, but my go-to is a Permatex that I use on valve covers (and other ATX pans) and I have NEVER had a problem with it. You MUST make sure BOTH surfaces are clean and dry AND you have to follow instructions of course.

One key with that is that you DO want to leave the sealant overnight before refilling. With a valve cover since it's not "wet" until the engine is started that just means don't start the car until the next morning. With an ATX (or differential, for that matter) it means don't FILL it until the next morning.

Do you really need to? Maybe not.

Honda has some stuff called "Hondabond" that many people absolutely swear by in this sort of application. They may be the same chemically; not sure, but I've been using the Permatex Ultra Black for a good long time and have yet to have anything I've sealed with it leak, so why screw with what's working?

 

[College Car]

Thanks for comments. I have not gathered replacement fluid, filter, pan gasket/sealer yet. I am still trying decide if I should change fluid/filter or not.

I have worked on my own vehicles and should have known that any mechanical fluid must be changed no matter what the owners manual says. If I could have a do over, I would change the fluid and filter every 50k miles (thats 50,000) like I do on my other 4 vehicles.

I just called two (2) Mazda dealership service departments. A large dealership said, they recommend changing the fluid every 60k miles. But they use the dreaded flush machine and do not change the filter. They said they have done a first flush on many late model Mazda 6s with approx. 100k miles and some with over 120k miles. They said they would flush mine.

Another dealership (smaller) said they do the dreaded flush on some late model Mazda 6s with approx. 100k miles and several this week with over 120k miles. They said they would do mine.

I am waiting to hear back from a third (3) dealership.

I am leaning toward doing a fluid and filter change myself (no flush machine for me) unless I find a horror story from someone that did a high mileage fluid and filter change and the trans started slipping.

Or as Archerfish suggests, maybe replace a little fluid at one time?

Its a shame we all have to guess at this. Mazdas Owner manual Transmission Guidance should be re-written.

 

[College Car]

I just heard back from the third (3rd) dealership service department. They said with a first fluid change with high miles they would not use a flush machine. They said the flush machine pressure could knock grime loose that could clog the transmission and cause it to slip and or fail. They would recommend dropping the pan and changing the filter and fluid.

They emphasized that with high mileage dirty fluid, the filter needs to be changed.

My concern is if, you can only change 3 to 4 quarts (of a total of 7.5 quarts) when you drop the pan and change the filter, the new filter is going to be exposed to 3 or so quarts of dirty high mileage fluid.

What of I did just a drain and replace the 3 or 4 quarts. Drive it a few hundred miles, then drop the pan and change the filter and fluid again. Would that reduce the dirty fluid more?

 

[College Car]

The following is a link to a video of a fluid drain of a 2015 Mazda 6. Its the only video related to a late model Mazda 6 transmission service I could find:

 

[Archerfish]

What of I did just a drain and replace the 3 or 4 quarts. Drive it a few hundred miles, then drop the pan and change the filter and fluid again. Would that reduce the dirty fluid more?

That is what I said last time but someone disagreed with me. I think I'll go with that route on my 60,000 km mark then drop the pan at 100,000 km or so.

 

[Archerfish]

One key with that is that you DO want to leave the sealant overnight before refilling. With a valve cover since it's not "wet" until the engine is started that just means don't start the car until the next morning. With an ATX (or differential, for that matter) it means don't FILL it until the next morning.

That means, I won't be able to do that if I'll ask the Mazda boys to do it. Unless they will do it in our house but then, it won't be covered by the dealership.

And thank you for the brand name. It seems that Permatex is a popular brand. The same brand was recommended to me for the brake grease which is safe for rubber boots.

Anyone else who already dropped the pan? What did you do to make sure that the seal won't leak?

 

[College Car]

I think I will do the following "safer" approach unless anyone wants to refine it:

Using a measuring container.
Release 1 quart.
Replace 1 quart.
Drive it 20 to 50 miles.
Release 2 quarts.
Replace 2 quarts.
Drive it 20 to 50 miles.
Drain all I can (3 to 4 quarts?)
Drop the pan.
Clean pan and magnet.
Replace filter.
Replace gasket.
Re-install pan.
Replace all the fluid drained.

Will need to buy:
Hose to insert in dipstick hole to refill trans.
A measuring container at least 4 quarts in size.
8 quarts of trans fluid.
Pan gasket.
Gasket sealer.

Need to find out:
The torque specs. for trans. pan bolts.
Specific type of trans. fluid.
Specific type of trans. pan gasket sealer.
Specific part no. for pan gasket.

If anyone has any of the specification info needed, please share. Thanks! Also thanks to Archerfish for the ideal of the conservative approach to changing the fluid.

I will continue to update this thread. Please feel welcome to comment and contribute to all our knowledge base.

 

[uyuarasy]

I've posted the replacement procedure in a different topic. Anyway:

• 8-10 Nm is the require torque,
• ATF FZ is the fluid (original or OE like Ravenol in Europe),
• tickerguy recommended a sealer, the one in the manual (TB1217E) seems unavailable, basically any sealer is good with similar specs,
• you're lucky, in the States you can easily check the required part and order it only (eg. from mazda-parts.com)
  I've ordered it from Japan, and they included drainer plug also, but ask them before ordering, as it's a separately purchasable part

 

[College Car]

Great info uyuarasy! Thanks!

Does the drain plug use a "crush washer" (plastic washer)?

 

[uyuarasy]

I'm not sure, but can check it later

 

[Archerfish]

I've posted the replacement procedure in a different topic. Anyway:

• 8-10 Nm is the require torque,
• ATF FZ is the fluid (original or OE like Ravenol in Europe),
• tickerguy recommended a sealer, the one in the manual (TB1217E) seems unavailable, basically any sealer is good with similar specs,
• you're lucky, in the States you can easily check the required part and order it only (eg. from mazda-parts.com)
  I've ordered it from Japan, and they included drainer plug also, but ask them before ordering, as it's a separately purchasable part

I'm putting the pictures here for easy reference.

I can't believe I was able to add pictures using the mobile version! This makes me miss tapatalk.
😀

I'll check on my computer if I got the sequence of the pictures correct.