'08 - New Transfer Case - Any TSB's out there?

[SandeepTalwar]

Mazda CX-9 Transfer case and transmission

I am getting the same issues with my CX-9. Burning oil smell after the drive. Loud clanking noises that come in and go. This morning the noise was really bad and the car shook and jerked while slowing down. at one point it seems that the wheel was locked. Had left it to the dealer for inspection last week but he returned it with no trouble found. This morning it was so bad that had to get it towed to the dealer. After few hours he called and said that the Transfer case (PTO) went bad and needs to be replaced. According to him it was a very common problem with CX-9. I am at 45 K + and it is a 2012 CX-9. Even then the dealer thinks that it will be no cost to me and the TC will be replaced as it is covered through the power train warranty.

I again got a call that they will need to keep the car (initially he said he had a spare TC). So will see. There are a lot of complaints online about the TC. Not sure why Mazda is not recalling this part. Seems according to the dealer Mazda has redesigned this part.

 

[Jaffman]

I am from Sydney Australia and have just had the same problem car just out of warranty the Transfer
case + the Splined axle on the CV shaft at front end and gear box all gone and had to be replaced.
The splined end that sit inside the gear box is not sold as a separate part so had to buy 2nd hand gear box.
Quote from Mazda for new GB was $9000 Au.
total bill for us was $6250 with all new wheels and tires.
I was told that with the Limited slip diff when a tire is replaced you may as well do them all. because
the one tire that is slightly larger than the rest puts stress on that splined axle inside the diff housing.
The tires need to be balanced at all times.

http://www.furitech.com.au/index.php/category/aisin-warner/tf-80sc/

This site tells a bit about the transmission problems they are not manufactured by Mazda.

 

[kornholio]

I am just curious? is the ford explorer transfer case the same as the cx-9? I would also like to know if they have the same problems as the 9 does. I would think that they would use a bigger transfer case for the 9 instead of using a transfer case from a ford edge. That car is smaller and weighs less even with a v6 engine.

 

[xxxmonoxidechil]

I was told that with the Limited slip diff when a tire is replaced you may as well do them all. because
the one tire that is slightly larger than the rest puts stress on that splined axle inside the diff housing.

This is true for ANY Make and Model car that is AWD. My mother in law toasted the one in her AWD Mountaineer a few years back for putting new tires just on the rear.

I am just curious? is the ford explorer transfer case the same as the cx-9?

The CX9 is based on the Ford Edge. Not Explorer. But yes, the Edge shares the same transfer case, and has the same known issues. We just have them more often as we are a bit heavier then those with our 3rd row and such.

 

[kornholio]

If that is the case, shouldn't they be using the ford explorer transfer case. Since they are both about the same size and probably weigh about the same. Are the explorer transfer cases having problems also?

 

[avidien]

I am getting the same issues with my CX-9. Burning oil smell after the drive. Loud clanking noises that come in and go. This morning the noise was really bad and the car shook and jerked while slowing down. at one point it seems that the wheel was locked. Had left it to the dealer for inspection last week but he returned it with no trouble found. This morning it was so bad that had to get it towed to the dealer. After few hours he called and said that the Transfer case (PTO) went bad and needs to be replaced. According to him it was a very common problem with CX-9. I am at 45 K + and it is a 2012 CX-9. Even then the dealer thinks that it will be no cost to me and the TC will be replaced as it is covered through the power train warranty.

I again got a call that they will need to keep the car (initially he said he had a spare TC). So will see. There are a lot of complaints online about the TC. Not sure why Mazda is not recalling this part. Seems according to the dealer Mazda has redesigned this part.

Burning oil smell after driving is the first symptom the gear oil has broken down and gears are not getting cooled properly

second symptom is little spots of black oil leaking from transfer case, that's the transfer case overheating and overheated transfer case oil venting out thru the vent valve on top of the transfer case.



third symptom that the transfer case has gone bad and beyond repair is gears grinding / jerking motion

DON'T ignore the first two symptoms, otherwise the TC will need to be replaced completely.

You may still be able to save the transfer case if you get the gear oil changed after you encounter the first two symptoms. By the time you encounter the third symptom, it's too late and the gears are damaged and the whole transfer case (PTO) needs to be replaced which is very expensive if not covered under warranty.

Sandeep, I hope you get a replacement TC at no cost, it should since you're way below 7 years/90,000 miles

After you get the new transfer case replacement, you should consider replacing the gear oil at 20,000 mile intervals or less as a preventative maintenance plan

see here for how to change transfer case oil:
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123847373-Changing-CX-9-transfer-case-gear-oil-%28photos%29

otherwise, you'll be in the same boat again and may not be covered under warranty next time.
UNLESS, your new replacement transfer case is completely redesigned and Mazda fixed it.


Sandeep,

can you do the forum a big favor and get the Mazda part number of your new replacement transfer case ?

I want to do a little research and see who is the manufacturer and if there is indeed a new drain plug now.

Thanks !

 

[voldsom]

If that is the case, shouldn't they be using the ford explorer transfer case. Since they are both about the same size and probably weigh about the same. Are the explorer transfer cases having problems also?

Well the main difference would be engine layout and primary drive wheels. Explorers in the past have all been V6 or V8's longitudinally mounted in the engine bay, with the trans. and TC sitting behind it under the vehicle. I think they changed to a transverse layout in 2011 with the re-design, but by then Mazda was independent and the CX-9 was (and still is) the same mechanically since 2008. Ford doesn't make the TC or trans, but because the engine's/mounting points were co-developed with the Edge, I would imagine they would stick with it and similar suppliers, even with all the issues. Ford's EcoBoost in the newer Explorers probably mount up completely differently than the Edge/CX-9 layout.

Ideally, this vehicle needs to be fully modernized and re-thoughtout with their Sky-Activ methodology... It's too heavy and fuel thirsty to stay in their lineup much longer. Everyone mentions 2017 as when a new one would come out, but this is all based on getting an engine strong enough to haul this beast/keep any kind of towing capacity.

 

[ceric]

It is very critical to keep the same tires at all four corners and same PSI all the times.
Mine is 76K AWD '08 and is still doing fine.

Next CX9?
2.5G turbo with 300+hp.

 

[pwise2518]

My 08 CX 9 GT is just over 100k and just started to get the oil out of the vent. After a lot of research on the internet I did find a ford edge forum where a guy opens up and posts pictures of the transfer case. http://www.fordedgeforum.com/topic/10914-ptu-leak-failures/ He posts a lot of pictures. I am going to have my transfer case drained and refilled.