2015 CX5 2.5 AWD Transmission took a dump

Don't forget 'abusively'.
This about cars, not your domestic life. Zing! Abuse; depends on who you ask I suppose. I perform regular maintenance and drive the car within the limits of the hardware capability. I do drive for highest performance output often. But I also fly 30 year old planes that are regularly flown at maximum performance and they still run with regular maintenance, and rarely have a catastrophic failure. Many of the factory replaced transmissions posted had 3x or 4x less than mine (~86,000 miles), probably driven very conservatively... and that's just what we know from what was reported here. Being fair, can't really say if the breakdown was product of use and mileage alone, or influenced by a mechanical defect. If I take it apart maybe I can find where the problem started. Regardless, heat is the big enemy of a transmission so I'm adding a cooler to keep my temps down.
21371150_10159207171175487_4545424021074499460_n.jpg
 
This about cars, not your domestic life. Zing! Abuse; depends on who you ask I suppose. I perform regular maintenance and drive the car within the limits of the hardware capability. I do drive for highest performance output often. But I also fly 30 year old planes that are regularly flown at maximum performance and they still run with regular maintenance, and rarely have a catastrophic failure. Many of the factory replaced transmissions posted had 3x or 4x less than mine (~86,000 miles), probably driven very conservatively... and that's just what we know from what was reported here. Being fair, can't really say if the breakdown was product of use and mileage alone, or influenced by a mechanical defect. If I take it apart maybe I can find where the problem started. Regardless, heat is the big enemy of a transmission so I'm adding a cooler to keep my temps down.
You do that; I'm sure it will help. Meanwhile, look at the bright side. You've only got the third member to go and you will have destroyed every major component in the drive train. I'm sure that must be a record of some sort!
 
Don't forget 'abusively'.

Highly agree. Theres nothing wrong with operating a transmission within its physical limits if you really need to, but from day one abusing the transmission is exactly what causes it to fail in the long run.

The break in procedure is highly critical for the whole vehicle especially the engine and transmission. Failing to properly break-in your drivetrain during the early stages of your cars life increases the chances of drivetrain failure in the long term.
 
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86k for a dead transmission sucks but doesn't seem too far out of the ordinary. Wonder what the bell curve looks like on MTBF
 
This about cars, not your domestic life. Zing! Abuse; depends on who you ask I suppose. I perform regular maintenance and drive the car within the limits of the hardware capability. I do drive for highest performance output often. But I also fly 30 year old planes that are regularly flown at maximum performance and they still run with regular maintenance, and rarely have a catastrophic failure. Many of the factory replaced transmissions posted had 3x or 4x less than mine (~86,000 miles), probably driven very conservatively... and that's just what we know from what was reported here. Being fair, can't really say if the breakdown was product of use and mileage alone, or influenced by a mechanical defect. If I take it apart maybe I can find where the problem started. Regardless, heat is the big enemy of a transmission so I'm adding a cooler to keep my temps down.
21371150_10159207171175487_4545424021074499460_n.jpg

My understanding it that there are no external transmission lines, how will you connect the cooler?
 
He may be planning to add it in as a supplemental inline air-cooled ...plumbed into lines attached to existing "coolant" based cooler.
 
He may be planning to add it in as a supplemental inline air-cooled ...plumbed into lines attached to existing "coolant" based cooler.

Correct. The atf cooler runs coolant and is connected to the trans
 
Sorry to hear about this. Hope you get it fixed soon.

I sort of remember in the past that you were driving the car with some fuses turned off? Something that allowed you to spin the rear tires to get some oversteer done? I wonder if that caused the problem with the transmission.
 
Sorry to hear about this. Hope you get it fixed soon.

I sort of remember in the past that you were driving the car with some fuses turned off? Something that allowed you to spin the rear tires to get some oversteer done? I wonder if that caused the problem with the transmission.
Chris_Top_Her was talking about removing the fuse for TCS. That should have nothing to do with his failed transmission. IMO the SkyActiv-Drive transmission is a little too fragile and we need to tread it kindly.
 
Sorry to hear about this. Hope you get it fixed soon.

I sort of remember in the past that you were driving the car with some fuses turned off? Something that allowed you to spin the rear tires to get some oversteer done? I wonder if that caused the problem with the transmission.

You can spin tires with tcs off. Removing the fuse disables the abs/wheel braking component. The differentials/axles are good, it's something internal to the trans, and probably bearing related from the initial sound it made.
 
Chris_Top_Her was talking about removing the fuse for TCS. That should have nothing to do with his failed transmission. IMO the SkyActiv-Drive transmission is a little too fragile and we need to tread it kindly.

I don't think it's so much fragile as a design with some flaws. It lives just fine behind 300+ torque. However, it also dies like a dog at 15K miles on a gasser. I think there is something amiss with it, but I don't really think fragility is the exact term.
 
I'd just call it hit and miss. Mine went at 85k. Others went at 15k. Scary part is my trans came from a 2014... but it's LKQ so it should be good. Trans should be here on the 18th. I mistakingly ordered a transfer case last week.
 
I'd just call it hit and miss. Mine went at 85k. Others went at 15k. Scary part is my trans came from a 2014... but it's LKQ so it should be good. Trans should be here on the 18th. I mistakingly ordered a transfer case last week.

are you swapping it in yourself or having a shop do it?
 
I'd just call it hit and miss. Mine went at 85k. Others went at 15k. Scary part is my trans came from a 2014... but it's LKQ so it should be good. Trans should be here on the 18th. I mistakingly ordered a transfer case last week.
Yep, "hit and miss" is the best to describe the Mazda quality and reliability ⋯ ;)
 
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