Hello. I have a Mazda Tribute S 2005 (automatic transmission) with 55k miles on it. In the last 6 months it developed this rumble strip like vibration when shifting from the 4th to the 5th (overdrive?) gear around 2,000 rpm and 40-45mph when cruising with very light throttle. It shifts without any problems to any other gear or at any other rpm or if I accelerate fast. When I manually turn off the Overdrive the vibration is rare or almost unnoticeable. Transmission fluid is clean and bright red and normal level. Just not sure if I should take it in. Can anybody advise on this? Thanks!

 

Your Tribute uses a 4-speed transmission, your symptoms sound like either 1:your lockup clutch in the torque converter is dying 2:the clutch pack for 4th gear is dying. My guess is that if you feel "5" shifts its the lockup clutch that is failing and chattering on you. The shift pattern is most likely 1->2->3->4->TC Lockup but some cars even lock the converter between shift points to save fuel if not accelerating hard.

 

Thanks for your response. But I'm still a little confused. What I thought was the 5th gear isn't that the Overdrive kicking in and how come the vibration is milder when the O/D is manually turned off? So, I guess I should have the Tribute looked at. Do you suggest I take it to the dealer or to the local garage I have a relationship with? Thanks again for your help!

 

Yes, you have no 5th gear only 4. When you turn O/D off your keeping the car in 4th with the TC lockup off or possibly only 3rd, 4th should be an OD gear (lower than 1:1) whereas 3rd should be right around 1:1 and the TC lockup is disabled when O/D is turned off so either your TC lockup clutch is dying (hence the no vibration with O/D off) or there is something wrong with your 4th gear, my money is on something with the TC lockup.

If your local garage knows transmissions really good then by all means use them but the dealership will have the know-how and experience for this kind of repair. Couple things though, do NOT tell the mechanics what you think is wrong, that just leads them down the wrong path or onto the path to milk you for your money since at that point you would believe them if they said "yeah its busted", let them tell you whats wrong, then inform the service writer you want to see ALL the parts replaced or removed before you pay, you want to see the bad parts to make sure they did change things and not just write it up, also make sure you get anything and everything approved before they work on it, keeps hidden things from cropping up.

 

What's the worst case scenario if I don't do anything about it? Can it make more damage in the tranny or engine or how long can it last like this? What do you think about Dr. Tranny from amazon.com? I know it's just an add-on and sounds too good to be true, but a lot of people says it made a difference.

 

If it was me I would first take it in and have the fluid and filter changed, this alone may solve the problem if this has never been done, its also cheap and easy to do. I would do this first before dumping in any additives that might make things worse. Should have mentioned this first but its way too early in the morning here for clear thinking

 

Sorry about keeping you up so late (or early). My mechanic just told me that my Mazda has an internal transmission filter that is not serviceable. Should I trust him and just have the fluid changed?

 

Strange that he would say that when I can go on Rockauto or Napa and find the filter there, sounds like he just doesnt want to or doesnt know how to replace it unless I am wrong about the tranny filter, but when I see a part online (or in the store) available that tells me its replaceable.
NAPA AUTO PARTS
RockAuto Parts Catalog

 

yes, I saw that, too. But for that part it says "Transmission Must Be Removed & Disassembled to Change Filter". I don't know how difficult or time consuming is to do that, so probably he doesn't feel like taking everything apart "just" to change the filter.

 

WOW, how stupid is that design??? I did read that Ford, for around $150, could "reverse flush" their own transmissions and "clean" the filter but this goes against their recommendations about flushing transmissions........... Maybe inquire about that with them? I dont blame your mechanic for not wanting to replace the filter, what was ford thinking..............