I decided to do a follow up of my most watched video to answer the question I get asked the most often. What is the car actually doing? #skyactiv #automatictransmission #mazda #mazda3 #mazdacx5 #mazdacx9 #mazda6
I appreciate all these videos you make about these cars and the knowledge you have on these transmissions. Hope you can help me out with an issue I'm having with mine. It's a 2016 Mazda3 2.0L AT, iSport trim, Mexico built. Right after I bought it at around 77k miles I noticed it would sometimes jerk or 'jolt' when it upshifted from 2-3 and would often hard shift from 4-5. It wasn't every time but it was pretty consistent. It then slowly started to develop a long delay going from R->D after the car sat for a few hours, as well as a slowww 1-2 shift on hard acceleration, where it would just stop accelerating for 1-2 seconds. I did a fluid change, initial learn procedure probably a dozen times, and even got my TCM reflashed at the dealer and nothing was working. It seemed to be getting worse with mileage too. I complained to my dealer and got a new unit installed under warranty at 90k miles. I thought all would be good and fine but unfortunately not. Now I'm over 100k miles and I still notice the occasional jolt from 2-3 gear, mostly when the car is cold or after I've been driving for a few hours (I drive a lot throughout the day), as well as the hard shift from 4-5 gear. The 2-3 shift tends to just jerk me forward in my seat a bit, but the 4-5 shift can be downright violent, like something just hit the bottom of the car. I can feel it in the seat and in the gas pedal, like a hard vibration. I also notice a lot of jerkiness in general when moving on and off the throttle, and aggressive driving usually gets the car to act up pretty quick. The transmission is new, it has like 8,000 miles on it and I've performed the initial learning on it a few times, and it's temporarily fixed it, but it's always came back after a few dozen miles. I'm curious what could be causing this?? Is my new unit bad too? Does my TCM need to be reflashed again? Is it something like a transmission mount? I don't understand.
I did this on my 2023 last week with our scan tool at work, yes you do need to BURY your foot into the brake pedal at least halfway down to get it to go, even if it says all criteria are met you absolutely need to push the brake pedal down harder. Seems to have cured a few complaints I had like low speed bumping, hard downshift when transitioning from coasting to on throttle, and a dragging 1-2 upshift. Other upshifts feel sharper now as well and down shifts feel slightly better. Seems it did learn some bad habits during break in when it was new.
Mazda skyactive transmission tear down deep dive video next, i could watch these for hours! Interesting that cx-9 burnt up the transmissin at 100k. Our 2016 cx-5 is still going strong, ive changed the fluid twice though.
Appreciate your first video and this follow up video. I have a 2024 CX-50 TPP where I was experiencing issues which led me to your first video. My question is, do you have any driving advice or do's / don'ts for preventing the transmission from re-learning the same jerky shifting problem(s)? I read a comment from someone in your first video about how they were probably "a little too cautious at first during the engine's 600 mile break-in period". I, too, am a pretty cautious driver and typically try to "coast" to a stop vs heavy acceleration + braking. Is this a driving behavior which may lead to the jerky downshifting in lower gears? Please share any of your thoughts on "do's and don'ts" for driving if you have any. Thanks again for the informative videos.
Not really related to the transmission, but any idea what the humming noise when you first get in the car is? It also happens if you leave the car sit for a while and then press the start button. I wonder if it's a fuel pump but not sure.
Brilliant video, Sir! I applaud your efforts to help us car normies. I'm curious if initiating the relearn protocol could result in better mpg. I bought my 2021 mazda3 fwd 2.5NA used and I only get 23.5. I suspect the lower mpg could be due to the driving dynamic learned from the previous owner
Excellent follow-up to a fantastic video. Shortly after buying my 17 Mazda 3 2.5 A/T, it began to get dogged when downshift time came around. It only had 72,000 on it so I tried the re-learn -- worked the first attempt, and did make the car much smother by not delaying needed downshifts for hills / slow downs: MUCH KUDOS to the writer here!!! I was hoping it would also fix another nuisance -- when passing a car at say 50 & ending acceleration at 80-90, it would take about 5 seconds to shift up through each successive gear if I let off the throttle sharply. Maybe it was engineered that way -- because it still does the same, unless I carry partial throttle after the pass, then it shifts leisurely, but much quicker. I find myself commonly going into manual so that I can quickly complete the upshifts without wasting engine wear & fuel & momentum being lost. Changing out 3.5 quarts of the Z fluid with the recommended Amsoil also make it feel more buttery. I'm going to do that a couple more times & change the filter and gingerly snug the valve body bolts.
the transmission is programmed to downshift at the lowest allowable RPM for that gear to save fuel. Upshifts are delayed because the AT is trying to understand what your next move is (light, moderate, high throttle,) making sure it is prepared in case you suddenly demand more throttle.
@@pikachupowers Thanks. I thought that might be the case -- thanks for validation. I get around it now by either slowly backing off from full throttle or flipping to manual & bang out the upshifts quickly.
Thank you for all things you do for us, great content. I have question for my NA2.5 cx 50 I know this video is about transmission. But I have this weird humming between 70km to 90km from the back of the car. Dealer keep saying it’s normal or they don’t hear anything. I’m trying to figure it out. Do have any info on that you can share. Thanks again
It is likely something to do with the pinion bearing, the 3, CX-30 and CX-50 use a double roller style that can make a high pitch noise. I recently had my rear differential replaced(axle seal failed) with the updated unit that started production in 2023 and neither my original diff or my replacement make the noise. I would have to spend some time with one that makes the noise but that is my suspicion.
Would you happen to know when in 2023? I have a 3 AWD that was built in February 2023 and I noticed a gear whine from the rear end at freeway speeds as well, but if it's "normal" for it then I won't bring it up. Thanks again for the insightful videos!
I have a question because I’ve performed the relearn procedure on my 24 turbo sedan and a lot of the time when it’s cold a and it shifts to second I’m guessing when it lock the torque converter in quite abrupt. The relearn procedure didn’t help is that an issue with the turbo models or is it normal behavior when cold ( transmission not ambient temp)
It's pretty common when fluid temp is low it will delay converter lockup until midway through 2nd, sometimes when shifting to third. It will almost feel like a mini shift, bump. Once fluid temp is above 90*f, it will start locking sooner.
@@21mazda3turbo3 thanks for the reply put a little more at ease. I thought something was wrong with it. As it hadn’t done up untill like 2 or 3 weeks ago and I’ve only had like 2 months.
I’ve been having to climb a hill up right after starting the car because of a detour, I did the relearning process but the car feels the same, holding the low gear longer than I expected when going down hill, feeling a jerk when I stop on a light, and running on low rpm while pressing the brake pedal (causing vibrations) is it possible that the system learn that quickly to have the same behaviour? Thanks for the help.
