czr

iTrader: (3)

Ok, so I've been having the 1-2, 3-4, and hard time getting into R for about 2 years now. No major mods and car is not raced or abused. Spirited driving on occasion and necessary to downshift to get into a hectic on ramp for my commute. I've had the trans/differential fluid changed out 3 times from stock to Redline, Royal Purple, and finally Amsoil every 15k miles hoping that would miraculously fix things. To tell you the truth, the Amsoil works the best all-around to make it less notchy but does not solve the problem. Car has 56,000 miles on it but is at 65 months so technically out of warranty period BUT I have at least 4 documented cases that I've complained about the issues during the warranty period which they could not reproduce, so they did not want to take any further action on it.

I knew it was not the clutch but just had the clutch and flywheel changed out to aftermarket at a reputable rotary shop last week hoping that would fix it. I would have had it done at the Mazda Dealer close to my house, but it closed up shop. As I suspected, the clutch did not fix the grinding issue. I am going to another Mazda dealer to see if they can do anything as a last ditch effort. I am pretty sure they won't be able to reproduce it, so I am thinking of having them break it down and inspect it (under my dime @ around $500). They said since I've complained about it before, MNAO might give me some consideration even though I am just after warranty.

I am curious to see what they find and what they will do. I love the car but if they give me some bad news and they tell me no on the warranty work, I am thinking about having them just put it back together as-is and I will part with the car by end of the year. Sad, because our other car, a family cruiser toyota, has 155,000 trouble free miles and was considering upgrading that car next year to a Mazda6 or a CX-9 but if Mazda cannot live up to their part of the warranty, I can't be expected to put my faith in another Mazda vehicle. Will keep the board posted..

Danny Ocean

Add me to the list. It would seem that my car has been slowly killing its clutch and transmission for the past few months. It's an 07 with just over 14k miles on it. Shifting into second feels like sticking a spoon into a blender full of rocks unless I nurse the gearchange like a sick puppy. The 2-3 upshift has been getting noticeably less smooth as well, but this may be a moot point, as I usually skip 2nd now because of the awful grind. Whenever I downshift, I have to hold the revs where they need to be while rowing the gears to avoid grinding or resistance, as opposed to simply blipping the throttle before de-clutching. It gets better after "warming up," but the warm up period has been getting longer and longer (about 20-30 minutes of driving at this point). In addition, the clutch engagement has been getting much 'mushier' and inconsistent. I'm guessing that I've got the "clutch won't fully disengage" problem.

Unfortunately, I can't get the car to the dealer until the end of May, but it's ironically due in for other warranty work at that time, so I'll have them look at it then. At least I can go for about a week at a time without having to drive it. Definitely going to be getting a stainless steel clutch line after I get all this sorted out.

Cvzrx8

My tranny is killing itself along with the clutch,
not even high rpm just around 3k shifting into 5th always grind and rough
i cant shift at high rpm into second or else it rejects it and i lose speed
2-3 is still good but 3-4 is horrible my car only has 43k miles and i think i already need it replaced or rebulit

rx8khan

took my 04 to the track last weekend and burnt my clutch does ne one know where i could get an exedy or centerforce stage 1 in toronto like right away same day thanks

Zeal

you can get a clutch pretty quick from racing beat, they have good prices too

in regards to the tranny, the rx8 tranny is so weak, i had to replace mine at 38k miles. never powershift the tranny either, it'll blow in 4-5 powershifts.

i had the "spoon in a blender full of rocks" at around 30k and it was just my clutch that blew, the rx8 clutch seems to grind rather than have slippage. also, if i revvd it past 5 or 6k and let go without hitting the clutch, it sounded like a transformer, a very weird way of slipping.

also, just a btw, watch out for input shafts being worn out and having too much play with the throwout, mine was worn and my throwout bearing turned to metal shreds after just a few weeks

hope my experiences helps somebody with tranny issues lol

Brice-RX8

I find your statement a little hard to believe. I had an 04 model as well as the 08 model I have now and I never had a tranny issue in the 04 and so far no problems with the 08. Yes, it is a little notchy when cold, but once it is warmed up it is smooth. The transmissions I believe are made by Aisin who also makes the S2000 and possibly other Honda car's transmissions. I feel the trans will hold up just fine if you drive the car "normal" and don't feed it much if any FI power.

Zeal

well, i would think majority of the people here drive spiritedly and shift hard occasionally. considering they used the same transmission from the miata, a super lightweight and low hp car, it's not bad. don't get me wrong, the shifts are smooth and box is truly a pleasure to row through, but it just can't handle abuse that a sport's car transmission should be able to take, hence the 25 pages of complaints about the transmission

tranceRX8

and we didnt buy the car to drive it like old people.
we bought it because we want some fun in driving.
and if its considered a sports car it should be able to handle hard shifting...

Brice-RX8

You can drive a hard aggressively without abusing it at the same time. Like I said I drive my cars hard from time to time and have not had an issue with either one of them.

Zeal

driving it hard without abusing it is a complete oxymoron. hard = abuse. and as you say "time to time." many people like to drive it hard "frequently." i personally did not pay all that money to watch the car sit at 3k rpms when it can scream at 9 grand and feel the *** kick out. now unless you have had an experience with a transmission issue that can help anybody on this thread, please keep your biased comments to yourself.

tranceRX8

when i said shifting hard i meant shifting at high rpm...
and well my car is good on every gear except 2nd. if i go higher than 3k rpm in 1st gear it grinds and i cant get in 2nd gear untill the car goes slows down to like 25kmh ,or when im downshifting i have to do the same thing,go really slow if i dont it grinds and it pisses me off.

one more thing. lets say i wanna race with my buddy,just for fun.
and i have to shift at 3k rpm when shifting in 2nd gear,thats alot of precious time and power lost right there.

RoTaRyRx-8

where can i get a oem clutch i need one asap

i know mazda dealership has one but 2 expensive anyone kno any websites i can get on at ???? and i searched

rx8sergio

i have an 04 with 50000 miles on it and i cant shift in to second over 5k rpms or it grinds....does anyone know if this is still coverd under warranty?

Rx8_rotory_Noobie

My 04 rx8 is acting up, ill give you a little info on the car then ill fill you in on the problem.

04 Rx8
50k miles
Racing beat intake
Racing beat cat back exhaust
racing beat catless mid pipe
racing beat header
Koni Shocks
ZexSmart wet nitro kit 75 shot, not been sprayed yet (im scared of damage)

Ok so heres the problem, i went to the drag strip yesterday, Kansas City International Raceway, i joined the test and tune group and had run 8 or so runs with no problems at all, after that i noticed my shift **** was shaking a little bit when it idled. Not thinking anything of it i kept racing. By the way my friend took his mazdaspeed3 and broke his motor mounts first run lol. Anyway i kept racing, did 5 or 6 more races with no problems, then on my last race, i noticed a LOT of wheel hop, finished the race with my best time of the night, running a 14.78 at 99 mph, when i got to the turn point, i heard a very bad noise...grinding. Now when i shift into first and try to take off, even verrry slowly, it throws out of gear, second gear makes a grinding sound when im driving and when i decelerate, it gets louder. The rest of the gears sound alright but still have a slight humming noise. revers doesnt go anywhere at all, just sits and spins while i listen to the buzzing/grinding sound. CAN ANYONE HELP ME AT ALL? parts, prices, hints on the DIY repair?

Thanks guys,
Casanova

MR3000X

So I've read a lot of the threads posted here, I can relate to a lot of them. But, I
am still convinced, that my car has a different problem(s).

I live in SF bay area, the closest Mazda dealer is Walnut Creek. I am not really happy with their service. I already, had the car there because the car was miss firing. The problem: corrosion on the plug wires, got em replaced... Then after getting the car 3 days later, I drove out of the dealer and when I got to the first red light and braked, a loud sound came from under neath the car. Their explanation was: "we put raw fuel into the catalytic converter, and it didn't burn fast enough, so the catalytic converter broke, and it's now in your mufflers"
GREAT!!
So, they ordered a whole new exhaust system and replaced it.

When I brought it in, I also mentioned that I had been noticing a problem, with my clutch.

Problems:
1) When I step on the accelerator hard, the clutch pedal goes to the floor (by it's self) for example, when merging on to the freeway on third gear.
2)When I shift from 1st to 2nd, past 3500rpm. It grinds and the gear wont go in until I release clutch and try 2 or 3 times.
3)Loud whistle like noise from transmission, when I press clutch it stops.
4)Inside cabin, driverside gets really hot where my right leg leans.
5)This is the worst! This one I cannot live with.
- When the car is driven for more than 10 minutes sometimes less than 2 miles.
The gears, will not go in. It seems as if the clutch becomes useless, even when I press the pedal down, the gears will not go in. (none of them, especially R) It's really frustrating, especially at red lights, hills, traffic... (you get the point)
If I force it in, it grinds.
Today, something different happened.
I was a drive thru, had the car in first gear and when I tried to take it out to put it in neutral, it wouldn't come out! Out of curiosity, I rev up the car to about 3k rpm, guess what!? The clutch engaged (by its self), and the car took off! even when I was holding the clutch pedal to the floor!

So, I am asking if anyone has any suggestions, or past experiences, and how they were solved. Advice as to what I should do.

Last time dealer "checked it" the invoice said: "Customer states a problem with clutch. Road tested, clutch seems fine. Quick engagement."

2004 Mazda RX8 grand touring
6 MT
47,000mi
Normal driving (babied)
Bought it 1 1/2 years ago with 32,000mi, didn't really notice any major problems, with the exeption of brakes squeeking really loud, and the airbag light flashing freaquently, and the tpms light coming on.

Also, if you know of another Mazda dealer, who has a better staff / service in bay area let me know ( I don't mind driving a little)

czr

iTrader: (3)

They won't do anything unless the dealer can "replicate" your problem which is BS. Either insist the tech drive with you and show them what you mean and try to replicate it yourself or if you undoubtedly have a problem, have them drop the transmission to see what's inside. If you are under warranty it's most likely an issue they will fix as long as you have decent records. But if not, you may be on the hook for the whole thing which could be a new transmission @ $3k. Read this whole thread for information. The majority of transmission problems are 2004 MT models, so I don't think they will be surprised.

Benjamz

32k miles, touge racing. I dont drift i just grip draive as they call it. Well I had a good amount of fun yesterday and then it started grinding in every gear at mid to high rpm. I ended up losing 1st and reverse. It pops out of gear with a wonderful grind. Now I have 2nd gear as my first gear. Thank god for aftermarket warantees. This car was first sold in Oct 2003 so I'm past the dealer warantee. Now I have to change my short shifter and cat back and bring it in. Hopefully they won't bitch about the h-tech springs.

ldhernandez

I was talking with the mechanics from mazda the other day and they told me to never use synthetic in my rx8. They told me that it can cause internal damage to the motor. You should look into that and if necessary, flush your oil system.

Benjamz

Idhernandez, Hes talking about synthetic in his tranny, not his motor.

jiggawha1

Last night I noticed that when my car came to a stop while in drive, it was making a marbles type sound. I put in neutral and it went away. Does anyone think a flush could resolve this problem? that is only thing I have noticed with the tranny. I have 60k miles, just had motor replaced at 58k. Never had flush before. Anyone know how much an auto tranny flush is? And at this point would you recommend it? Ive heard that flushing it too late in the life of the tranny, it can cause the metal shavings to get caught in gears? I appreciate any help.

Obteene

how often should the transmission oil be changed and how could it be done? Also what oil is used by the majority of you all in the transmission?

Benjamz

Obteene,

Contact BHR (black halo racing) on this forum. He can answer all your questions for your transmission.

Ben

wildfins13

My '07 has been making a noise like a winding sound while at a stop light in neutral. the noise stops if I push in my clutch at the light but starts again if i let off it. Anyone know what this could be?

BoosTED

iTrader: (2)

throwout bearing makes noise, it is normal, nothing to worry about unless you are at the stage of replacing the clutch it should be changed at that time.

I think everyone that purchases a new 8 ... or a used 8 asks this question.

new 8 is quiet till it gets a 1000 miles or so used 8 gives that sound and people wonder if it is time to replace something.

Tigerfootball

I know gear chatter is normal while idling and the clutch out, but is it normal to be rather noisy while actually driving in gear? Particularly, when I am in fifth gear, there is a lot of "chatter" and it sounds as if something is loose. Lately, though, I have noticed it more in other gears as well, especially around 2000-3000RPMs and while I am engaging or releasing the clutch.

In short, in sounds like something is rattling around while driving and is most prevalent in 5th gear, and most quiet in 6th. any ideas? thanks