My friend has a 2002 626 4 cylinder and was told by a mechanic that these cars are known to have major transmission problems around 75000 miles. Does anyone know of this being a common problem or is this just some schmuck trying to make a buck. Is there any known problems for this car otherwise. Or maybe a link that could explain all known problems with that year and model of car. thanx for looking

 

The auto trans in that car is the same LA4A-EL model used since 1994 and yes there have been a lot of problems with failures ranging from slipping to no movement to O/D lights flashing. The biggest problems is also the easiest fix however. The major reason for premature failure has been due to overheating oil. Simple fix of installing an oil to air cooler in front of the radiator will extend the life of the fluid and transmission back to normal range for an automatic. Universal coolers available from most any parts store for $25-$50. Quite a bit cheaper then the $3k needed to replace.
Otherwise there have been very few problems on that year. Was the last year for the 626 in US market.[sm=boohoo.gif]

 

how hard are trans cooler's to put in?????thank's

 

in my experience, the trans issues were a lot more common among the mid-90's 626's, but the problems only really occurred in the ATX. like babyhuey said, a transmission cooler is a good, nay, GREAT way to ward off issues in the ATX...

i searched www.mazda626.net (the 626 forum of which i am a member) and came up with this link for you:

Tranny Cooler Install

hope it helps you out.