It was that, and if our editor of STHT gets round to it , you can read my thoughts in STHT some time in the future.
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The change point in 2016 was chassis number 120215
Well, if V1 ND box has had stuff done to it (to improve it) which wasnât on the trans when it came from the factory, then arguing an âallegedly chocolate fireguard gearboxâ isnât apt.
âBasically ALL the ND1 gearboxes are the same,â
if they are (basically) all the same, from V1 to V4, how come there are FAR fewer failures reported on later ND1 cars, even with higher mileages? The main bulk of the failures where with the V1 trans on the 2l.
Iâd have thought gear and diff oil would be more dependent on mileageâŚ? Some may do 12k year or so in their ND and some around 1500 miles, depending on whether itâs an everyday car or a toyâŚ!
Rob
This is the Mazda approved diff oil, you only need 1 litre plus crush washers, 23 and 24mm sockets and a fluid syringe.
https://www.mx5parts.co.uk/diff-genuine-mazda-long-life-hypoid-mk4-p-4571.html
Pretty easy job.
Gearbox needs 2.9litres of 75w/90 GL4 gearbox oil, something like this would do, as you canât get the Mazda approved oil here in the UK.
As I understand it, it must be GL4 not GL5.
Again 2 crush washers and 23 and 24mm sockets, and a fluid syringe.
SO if you canât get the manual trans oil, the Mazda Approved one in the UK, what do dealers use when changing manual gearbox oil? Seems strange.
Indeed, in the owners manual, concerning gearbox oil it says âMazda Original Long Life Gear Oil ISâ
So one canât get that, the actual oil which the manual recommendsâŚeven UK dealers?
Moreover, it also states in the owner manual âIf Mazda Original Long Life Gear Oil IS cannot be obtained, use standard oil (API Service GL-4 (SAE 75W-90)). However, shifting in very low temperatures may become difficult.â
So it seems hard to believe that UK dealerships canât/arenât using the recommended manual trans oil, which if they donât, Mazda themselves say â shifting in very low temperatures may become difficult.â?
{for anyone going to do this, the 4 washers needed (2 each for the LSD and manual trans) a poster on here once kindly uploaded the part number photo, about two years ago. Here is the washer part. Handy to have if youâve a clueless dealer Redirecting... }
We are seeing failures on later cars, we also know as this is a well known issue many owners are now doing regular oil changes that will improve reliability.
Mazda sell the cars on the understanding they are cheap to maintain (ÂŁ150 per year)
All they are bothered about is then getting them out of warrantyâŚthey are not bothered what a lot of you are seeing on 5yr old cars.
Letâs look at the diff⌠you only have to look under your nearside rear wheel to see a plastic scoop to help cool the diffâŚnow would you leave that oil i for 5 years???
We have data from engine/gearbox/diff/coolant/intake/ambient all recorded and can honestly say you will reach the same temps on road as we do on track all be it it will take you a bit longerâŚthat said if you was driving from Sheffield to Scarborough you wouldnât want to stop off at York for a few hrs to. Let it cool down lol
Iâve use the diff above because itâs easy for you to see whatâs under your carsâŚ
Re cooling gearbox & oil changesâŚuse a very high temp fully synthetic oil.
Be very carefull on choosing a gearbox cooling scoopâŚI will not post names of companyâs/people supplying them but some actually increase temps.
I will be more than happy to have another open day early next year once everything is back to normal. Fingers crossedâŚ
Paul
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âWe are seeing failures on later cars, we also know as this is a well known issue many owners are now doing regular oil changes that will improve reliability.â
True, but failures are less on V2, 3,4 (ND1s) than on V1s. Moreover, how many average joe owners really do more regularly changes? Lots of posts on forums (even here and on US boards) of owners with higher mileage V2+ cars who havenât changed the oil (but go by the service schedule) and have been fine. Not saying there arenât issues in the slightest, not saying they wonât go pop, but theyâve tailed off to a degree post V1.
âthey are not bothered what a lot of you are seeing on 5yr old cars.â
- 5 yr old cars would have the V1 trans and
- Iâm not sure what a lot of us âareâ seeing? There isnât post after post each day of peopleâs trans blowing. How many of you guys on this forum have not changed your gear oil, and had your ND trans blown? Anecdotal, and being a chatty guy Iâve had shed loads of conversations in car parks with '5 drivers with NDs with decent miles on them. When Iâve asked them about trans issues on their 65/16/67 plate cars, they look at me like Iâm nuts.
Now, all of this might sound like head-in-the sand stuff, but believe me if certainly isnât. It appeared 2l ND1s with the V1 trans were susceptible (although Iâm sure MANY have been fine). But it seems like the issues has tailed off at least to the stage where itâs less likely to occur on higher version trans version. The US trans failure thread is massively reduced in terms of reports as V2,3,4 etc rolled on, and some of those dudes do some miles and I canât recall post after post about changing their oil every year.
I can see your point ref âgetting them out of warrantyâ. I would guess a lot of dealers are like that (all of them?) and I imagine if your box went a bit out of warranty, if youâve had/continued to have full Dealership service history, they may well contribute a bit? Some folk have had their hub carrier bushes replaced with a decent contribution, so it isnât so black and white.
Ref the LSD, actually, Mazda has NO service schedule on that, only to replace if it gets submerged in water or something. So they donât even recommend a 5 yr change, if it ainât been submerged in water. Thatâs does sound a bit odd, granted. I find mine is hotter on that near rear side after a decent blast (no brake sticking issues or nothing). Mind you, a potential owner could get the 1.5, and not even have a LSD and, at least from what Iâve read, seemingly have a tiny chance (if any) of a gearbox failure, too (even more so if they bought a later 1.5 with a V5).
One thing to note is that 50k miles in the US is probably far easier than 25k miles in the UK as distances between towns and cities, or even suburbs are huge, often in a straight line and in 6th gear (direct/pass through in the box) so high mileage is not necessarily a guide to gearbox longevity.
High temperatures destroy oil and itâs lubricating ability, which is possibly why tracked cars anecdotally suffer with more failures as due to the nature of track driving temperatures will be repeatedly high for short periods, leading to rapid oil degradation.
I for one will be changing the oil in mine annually. Itâs a cheap damage limitation exercise in my view.
My bike has a similar random valve train issue that Aprilia have not solved in 10 years (as the number that fail in warranty is not great enough to warrant further development - itâs cheaper to simply replace both heads on any affected bikes) There appears to be no common thread that causes or increases the chance of failure. Some that have failed have been used exclusively on track, some only gently on the road, 5k miles or 50k miles, different oils, different use patterns, nothing in common.
It maybe similar with the ND gearbox - thereâs no single cause, but ultra high oil temperatures wonât help.
At least Mazda have attempted to get it sorted, which may have reduced the likelihood of failure.
I have read that a 75/140 oil for the gearbox is a good idea, as it maintains a decent viscosity at high temps. Not sure about in the diff though.
But I have had nothing done to the gearbox âŚ
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I didnât see that. Has it had different oil?
Mind you, the question still goes out from above to a different poster that if the Mazda recommended Mazda Original Long Life Gear Oil IS, as stated in the owners manual, is not available in the UK (really???), what are dealers putting into NDs, some of which have reached the gear oil change interval? Given, as stated above, from the owner manual 'âIf Mazda Original Long Life Gear Oil IS cannot be obtained, use standard oil (API Service GL-4 (SAE 75W-90)). However, shifting in very low temperatures may become difficult.â
My MX 5 has had different oil since it made friends with Mr Roddison âŚ
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