Ordered and received the exact OEM parts online and successfully completed the DIY installation last week.

 

Install the actual OEM transmission under the hood conventional dipstick assembly like I did as a DIYER. Then you can frequently examine the color of the fluid on the dipstick and if it's not a clear pink keep changing it at 1,000 mile intervals until it becomes clear and pink, the new fluid goes in from the top through the dipstick tube like it always used to be done. Drain the fluid obviously from underneath, reinstall the plug assembly, drain all the used fluid into a one gallon water or milk jug, make sure the fluid is at ambient temperature, set an identical empty jug next to the jug with the used fluid and add the new fluid into the empty jug until is is just a little bit less than the used fluid jug, about 1/4" lower,
then put the new fluid right from the jug into the transmission from the top, it could not possibly be any easier than this. Until you install the OEM dipstick assembly, add the new fluid through the fill plug located on the top of the transmission under the hood.

 

Mazda transmission are critical to have no more than the top line when the coolant is at normal engine temperatures which will be the same as the transmission fluid. And NEVER below the lines on the OEM dipstick!
Also not all automatic transmission fluids are RED any more so the corl depends on what you are using. As for clear NEVER assume because you cant see contaminates that they are not present and not all are removed when dring the pan. You have a pan magnetic and there is a filter. Also the transmission pan sump has little to no windage so many materials not caught by the filter or magnet can settle and build up. This is why a filter and pan flid service is better .
As for the dilution factor of replacing fluid until you think it looks good only works if you first do a Professional Transmission fluid service on a transmission service machine.

ASE

 

65°C @ normal, not hot, operating temperature.
I've been a transmission specialist for more than 50 years and do not hold any ASE certifications because my reputation throughout the decades is my calling card.
Also I privately own up to date dealer level software for all the popular global brands of auto makers, but it is an economic reality that ASE certifications are required in order to be hired.

 

My thrust is strictly and purely to assist and uphold DIYERS and self-reliance home economics practitioners pertaining to Mazda used car maintenance, preservation, acquisition and rehabilitation which necessarily require the avoidance of dealerships and repair shops.

 

LOL I had to read your response twice... your use of vocabulary is not the usual for car enthusiasts? No insult just not common.
Never the less universal dip sticks are not the best to use in any form or application for engines. Most get them wrong to some degree either the install or setting them up to read the proper of set fluid capacities.

The other thing is the really poor information on DIY fluid level checking and quality of fluid. To much assumption on color is the methods tot determine fluid health (NEVER really was at any time or decade BIG MYTH) and also the dilution rate of fluid quality. Another MYTH however that part could be semi useful if you do enough ol pan fluid changes at short intervals of 3000K miles and then a final pan filter and fluid change to set a base line. But if you do the dilution fluid changes it is useless without firt getting a oil sample analyzed in the beginning to get an idea what is in the fluid to start with.

 

UNIVERSAL ATF DIPSTICKS aren't even on the horizon especially when exact fit OEM new and used ones complete with tubes are in plentiful supply. From my experience, the AISIN transmissions in the first generation CX-9, if shifting perfectly today, will continue to do so unfailingly with unerring proactive fluid management, not unlike engine oil maintenance.
I am proud to say that in my 50+ years as a powertrain specialist never have I ever been a party to pressure ATF flushing, although I am a big believer in and a practitioner of using the transmission itself to pump out its used ATF after a new filter installation.
And here's a counter-intuitive, cost saving strategy: Licensed ATF fluids produce the best shifting and overdrive engagement/disengagement and is the fluid to use for these transmissions, such as the fully licensed Valvoline Dexron VI/Mercon LV, https://www.valvolineglobal.com/en/dexron-vi-atf/, which is only produced, since day one, as a full synthetic. Oddly enough, it's the same exact fluid specially formulated for the Ford/GM joint venture AISIN-alternative especially and not surprisingly during the first generation CX-9 years. Long-experienced automatic transmission rebuilders will tell you, from their extensive first hand experience-based knowledge, that there is sometimes a more than subtle difference between which ATF is specified and which ATF really works over the long haul in real world applications, hence my election based on their recommendation to use the fully licensed Valvoline Dexron VI/Mercon LV ATF, to my great satisfaction.
They also advise that if one prefers to stick with an ATF which is not produced under licensure but rather pursuant to the AISIN specification, the best assurance of quality appears to be vested in https://www.mobil.com/en-us/passenge...mobil-atf-3309 or the actual OEM AISIN ATF-0T4 https://aisinaftermarket.com//resour...duct-brochures
Heads-up ! Here's todays best DIYER deal on the planet for ATF: https://www.ebay.com/itm/151902564781

 

Aggreed about UNIVERSAL ATF DIPSTICKS should are never to be used (there are a few performance related exceptions) on most any daily driven gas engines

As for the rest of your information it does indicate that you must be long time retired. The term you used and from your response would indicate you worked at some point in an auto manufacturing facility? And again because of your use of words I would guess in management to some degree.
IN the last few decade's we (as in ASE) use professional quality Transmission service equipment does a far better and more complete fluid replacement then the OLD SCHOOL running the engine and having the transmission do the work of full fluid replacement. This old school method has long been proven via oil analysis as less effective than the use of a Professional Transmission Service machine.

I do not recommend the servicing EVER useing the back flushing method.

Shifting perfectly does mean that the transmission is in the best of health! But again if you do have the expernce then you know very well what happens over time to valve body, servos ad other moving parts in a transmission over long term use and beginning from very low lies without frequent and ongoing fluid service.

As far as fluid choice I currently use CASTROL ATF in my 2018 MAZDA have had several oil an analysis through Blackstone Labs and have had at least by the BUTT DYNO FEEL improved shifting quality.

ASE (Master Technician L1 L2 certified 30+ years and current ) automotive industry and servicing since 1976 .......oh and still active


LOL Example of 1 of many Professianl Transmission Service Equiptment. Not the one we currently use in the shop. But are looking to upgrade to this summer


Blackstone Laboratories Blackstone Laboratories (blackstone-labs.com)
Automatic transmissions ask a lot of the oil. Not only does the oil lubricate and clean internal parts, but it also functions as a hydraulic oil to operate various components.

Transmission oil can be contaminated with metals, solids, and moisture, and those contaminants need to be removed before they cause problems. Conversely, a test of your transmission fluid may reveal that it’s still in great condition, and you don’t need to change it as often as you thought.

There’s no easier way of knowing what’s going on in the system than oil analysis. We can tell you if the oil needs to be changed, if it’s contaminated, or if there are any problems at hand. Request your free kit today and make sure your drive train is wearing as it should!



Example of 1 of many Professional Transmission Service Equipment. Not the one we currently use in the shop. But are looking to upgrade to this summer.

RTI ATX-3 Transmission Fluid Exchanger | Mile-X Equipment

 

Again, my focus is serving the resource needs of and providing unwavering encouragement to the DIYER and completely avoiding paying anyone else anything yet getting the same if not better outcomes over a longer period of time.

 

An underlying assumption is that the hard-core DIYER grinds out all of the numbers involved in the cost of ownership and has a built-in aversion towards trading in and/or putting himself or herself in the crosshairs of the high pressure dealer service area salespeople assigned to troll the service customers.