Problems with my girls Mazda6, any mechanics in the house??

[beason]

she is having problems with the reverse on the car. I Did some more troubleshooting today.

when you turn on the key if the P light does not light up, you have problems. the light will flicker in P, N, and R. there is a ticking sound coming from, what i can tell, the trans oil pan. the ticking almost sounds like a solenoid going out. the car lurches in R like its going to N and back to R. if you shut off the car, and try again, you can get the P light to light up solid and it works fine.

Does anyone have any ideas before i take this thing to the mechanic?

Is it possible there is junk in the trans pan that is fouling it up?

Please help, i would rather fix it myself then let the shop rip me a new one.

 

[winsta]

hi have you checked the fluid level ,, you do this with the car running??

there are a few simple things to check like fouling/adjustment of the selector cable,,could be holding between gears,,

bad connections or rust in multi plugs

when checking fluid level you'll get a good idea how clean fluid is , should look pretty clean as the box is sealed from contamination apart from gear wear. usually when fluid condition is starting to be a problem you will notice sluggish gear changes in D first.

 

[beason]

i checked it when this started a few months ago. it wasn't super clean, but it didnt look like mud either. I topped it off with the recommended mazda fluid, it was just a little low.

i really think its something with the selector cable. This was my first thought, but I've tried moving the shifter around within the selector notch and it did nothing. It does the solenoid sound when switching between the gear even when its working right.

it does like a bzzzzzt then its in D. when its messing up, it clicks erratically, and buzzes some to.

I just hope they dont have to replace the trans.

 

[WoodiE]

What year is the car? How many miles are on it?

If it's a fairly new car it shouldn't be low on transmission fluid at all and in your case you had to add more so there might be a bigger problem. If it's an older card with lots of miles then it may need it's transmission fluid replaced (most mechanics recommend flushing the transmission fluid every 50-60k miles), it could also be a sensor going bad. These newer cars are so computerized it's almost crazy, one small sensor giving the wrong info can make a car do all kinds of crazy stuff.

 

[abadk9420]

I can attest to the whole sensor thing, I had one in my differential that went out and it controlled my overdrive, speedometer, cruise control, and rear ABS brakes.

 

[SMaxxin]

My first thought was a sensor, it doesn't sound mechanical from what your saying. Drive it to Auto Zone and ask them to plug it to their computer, it's free and it should be able to tell you what the problem is.

 

[beason]

its an 03 and has about 90k on it i think. the fluid was low, but not really low. it took between a 1/4 and a 1/2 of the fluid bottle to fill it up.

its doesn't throw any codes. no SES light or anything. I'm thinking a spill and fill is in my future. I'm not going to flush it, to big a chance of really messing crap up then.

 

[alien13]

Pull the pan, change the filter at the same time as the fluid. This way, you can see if there's any chunks.

 

[beason]

yea i think that is the plan. filter kit with pan gasket is about $20. plus fluid, plus apparently she needs a motor mount. I will have more info after i have time this weekend to get under it and stare at it.

 

[hamz9561]

Good luck on the spill and fill. I've had to replace the transmission 3 times when I had my 1980 Camaro. It really sucked.

 

[winsta]

it sounds silly but make sure the brake pedal sensor/s are in place and set right as they are linked in to transmission ..

new filter and fluid will help and get aerosol brake cleaner to wash it all off,,
you'll be amazed how much those filters catch . good luck

ps, make sure that motor mount isnt making selector cable jump