[soupman]

Hi guys,

I think this is my first post although I've probably been a member for over 2 years.

Since the weather has been colder, I'm finding that when I start my car, put it in neutral (hand brake engaged) and let the clutch go, the RPM drops 200-500. This is when I decided the remove the hand brake to find the car actually going forward (my driveway is a little uphill) while on neutral. I though I was going crazy so I reversed the car to the street, brought it back in and put it back on neutral and the issue continued. Once the car was warmed up, the problem was gone.

I have an appointment with Mazda for next Friday (the 15th) and I want to be prepared to fight for warranty service if need be.

So my question to you guys is. Have you seen this before? If so, what was the root cause?

My car is a 2007 V6 Manual with 80 000km (50 000 miles)

The guy already told me that the clutch plate is not covered and I understand that but if the premature wear was caused by the issue, I expect them to cover it.

FYI, this is my 3rd car with manual. I've had a Cavalier Z24 manual which I drove up to 300k KM and never changed a clutch and same with my prior manual car (Mazda 323)

 

[jd42]

QUOTE (soupman @ Jan 8 2010, 04:09 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=1628281

Since the weather has been colder, I'm finding that when I start my car, put it in neutral (hand brake engaged) and let the clutch go, the RPM drops 200-500. This is when I decided the remove the hand brake to find the car actually going forward (my driveway is a little uphill) while on neutral. I though I was going crazy so I reversed the car to the street, brought it back in and put it back on neutral and the issue continued. Once the car was warmed up, the problem was gone.[/b]

My parents used to have an old Subaru wagon that would do this. The thick gear oil in the cold made the transmission work like a rudimentary torque converter.

What are you running for transmission fluid? If you are using a conventional oil, perhaps a switch to a synthetic would help prevent this, as synthetics tend to become less viscous in the cold.

 

[soupman]

That's a very good point. If there's enough drag on the internal parts, I could see it moving the car a little. The oil was recently changed by a Mazda Dealership (10 000 km ago)

 

[FreeRider]

+!
The engine is spinning the primary shaft in the gearbox with the car in neutral but clutch engaged. Thick oil could cause enough drag to slow the engine down.

 

[snakoil]

oil is ticker due to cold weather or the tranny has a bit too much oil (most likely the reason)

I had the same issue in the past, mechanic filled it up just a bit too much, was ok in fall but when winter started the car would not stay put on red lights, unfortunatly, to remove just a bit you pretty much need to do a flush and refill with a bit less oil.
Or you can try the speedy gonzales way and unscrew, let few drips out and screw back the plug and go take a good bath right after as you will be covered with oil.