Mazda 3 2014 - Stiff manual transmission
 

Have a 2014 Mazda 3, 2.0, 165 hp, 6-manual, now on approx 10 000 miles (7000 km). I have asked on this forum before, I think the gearbox is quite stiff and "raw". Original GL-4, 75W-80 still in it.

At very low <1500 rpm, the gears slide in, the same att high >3500, at least for most of the times. But at mid rpm there is often a resistance in the stick, you can almost feel the gears. It is driveable alright, but alas far from the slick and swift action that is mentioned in Mazda's advertisements. When the M3 is supposed to be somewhat of the active driver's choice, I think it should be ok to be a little hard on the gearchange action without having the gearbox to respond with crunches and so on. For the time being I'm driving the Mazda like an old pensioner wih a Nissan Micra, and that is not ok ...

Before I contact the reseller, has anyone had the same experience, any tips?

Normally when it's cold out, it will be harder to shift.
Change the fluid to synthetic. You will need Mazda's approval and/or Mazda to do this due to warranty implications.

If you are shifting down at higher speeds (like 30mph into first or second) the transmission will resist the knob going into the gear, its a safety feature. Is this what is happening?

cont. M3 stiff man. trans.
 

No, it isn't about changing to low gear from high speeds. And yes, it is much worse overall when cold. But the problem remains even after several miles on the highway, although to a slightly less degree.


A bit hard to explain, but at mid-rpms it feels like the gears doesn't quite keep up in synchro speed, you have a resistance in the stick before the gears kick in, and this is regardless what gear it is (i.e. the same at 1-2,2-3, 3-4 etc). Sometimes it is also a lot clunky putting into the 1st from a standstill, double-clutching sometimes necessary.


A couple of times I have ignored this completely, and just jammed the gears very quickly, and to my surprise it often runs better. But this isn't ok anyway, on a brand new car you should be able to change gears slowly when pacing in the city or swiftly when driving a little more aggressively without having the gearbox to protest.


I shall contact the reseller, and when writing about it here, I must admit that for the time being I think the M3 gearbox in real life is not to the standard that apparently is the general opinion. So, if you if you have more tips, please make me change my mind.


Other than above, the car is great. I sincerely hope that it's all about an adjustment of some kind, and that it doesn't end in a useless gurantee-circus of visits to the reseller.

I'm not specifically familiar with the 6 speed manual as far as how it performs. At least with the 5 speed in the 1st generation it does indeed have that "snick snick" wonderful movement. As the fluid aged, and most especially when temperatures dropped the gearbox would get very gummy. This was most accentuated when you first started it and drove on a cold morning. Generally it would soften up as the transmission warmed up. Many Mz3 owners replace their MTX fluid with a synthetic like Redline MT-90 (though if the '14 model takes 80 weight that wouldn't be an ideal replacement.) I replaced mine and while it can still be a little stiff at cold start it warms and softens much more quickly.

If you're noticing it at specific rpms, and regardless of the exterior temperature... more specifically if it doesn't seem to improve after the fluid has warmed up some then it probably isn't because you don't have synthetic fluid. That doesn't mean you might not get some improvement for it though. It would probably be worth finding another similar car to test drive and compare the feel of the transmissions. It might just be normal.... though I haven't seen rampant posts of people complaining about this so probably not. ;)

As an aside as long as you're replacing your transmission fluid with the same recommended weight there's no reason swapping to synthetic would void your warranty.

It's also possible you have an issue with the clutch. Your car should still be covered by the factory warranty so just take it in and have the dealer check it. Be prepared to leave it for a couple days so they can leave it sit outside in the cold and then try it themselves.

I bought a Mazda 3 with the 2.0 and a manual transmission in May of last year. I have about 12,000 miles on it and I've noticed the "rawness" of my transmission for quite some time now.

I notice it mostly from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd. It almost feels as if the corners of the gears are clipping each other. It does seem to happen early in my drive, but even when the weather was warm and I had the windows open there were times when I could actually hear the sound of the gear box shifting from 1st to 2nd echoing off of houses as I would first start off.

This is the first manual transmission vehicle that I've ever owned, so I wasn't honestly sure if it was as abnormal as I was thinking it was. Have you brought yours in to get checked out at all? I was thinking about it.

Got the Mazda 3 back from the dealer a couple of days ago. A slight adjustment of one of the gearchange cables were made - the one that moves the cog wheels sideways - and I'm glad to say that the gearbox is better.


Apparently it wasn't the actual synchro ability that were the case, it was simply that the "synchro fork" or what you call it (the cog wheel that you move with the shift lever) touched the adjacent cog wheels when shifting. This because of the tight tolerances due to the "tight" and small gearbox - this is what the dealer said anyway.


Will drive further and see if more adjustment is necessary, up to this point I can say that the loud crunches are gone.


I don't know the TSB-number, the dealer performed this in a jiffy.

Update on stiff manual tranny, Mazda 3, 2014:


Talked to the Mazda garage at the first service about the somewhat rough gearbox. The tip was to just drive, be happy and see if it gets better. There is a TSB for 3-4-5 synchros, but according to the mechanic there is little or none improvement with this TSB judging from the response from the owners that has done it through the Mazda guarantee. If something really breaks down in the box, I was told the garage fixes it cost-free, no problems.


And in reality, so far it really gets better with 230 000 km and counting. I have noticed that if I change gears fast and more agressively, it is better. Slower and more hesitant equals more crunches.


How about your experiences? Any tips?


Jonas F

Mazda 3, 2014, rough manual transmission
 

Update on stiff manual transmission in earlier post, Mazda 3, 2014:


Talked to the Mazda garage at the first service about the somewhat rough gearbox. The tip was to just drive, be happy and see if it gets better. There is a TSB for 3-4-5 synchros, but according to the mechanic there is little or none improvement with this TSB judging from the response from the owners that has done it through the Mazda guarantee. If something really breaks down in the box, I was told the garage fixes it cost-free, no problems.


And in reality, so far it really gets better with 230 000 km and counting. I have noticed that if I change gears fast and more agressively, it is better. Slower and more hesitant equals more crunches.


How about your experiences? Any tips?


Jonas F