2007~2015: Changing CX-9 transfer case gear oil (photos)

[Drogos]

yeh, I am 2nd owner but that shouldn't matter . Have to finally call mazda to confirm

 

[avidien]

92,000 miles , no signs of transfer case leak

hi guys, unusual nice and warm winter day in NY today so decided to drive the CX-9 up the cement blocks and see how the transfer case is doing
and make sure there's no signs of leaking after the horrible snow storms we have had, I figure the AWD must have been working overtime
and it would be a good idea to check for any leaks. Good News !! all is good !! no signs of leaking whatsoever,
I'm 100% positive we have solved the transfer case issue:

Cheers !! going to get beer for tomorrow's Superbowl and celebrate LOL (dance)







just for reference, THIS IS WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE WHEN YOU CHECK FOR LEAKS this was posted by another member with a failed transfer case:

 

[Gtech]

I wonder if the original oil Mazda puts in is just not good enough. I know eventually it breaks down over time but it seems this is happening on cars with even low mileage (before 30k).

 

[batmancx]

I wonder if the original oil Mazda puts in is just not good enough. I know eventually it breaks down over time but it seems this is happening on cars with even low mileage (before 30k).

I think you are right, the OEM transfer case oil is crap. Better to replace it with a better brand.

The OEM oil that comes with the car is nothing more than 0.5 liter of Ford's own Motorcraft 75W140 gear oil, no way will it last the lifetime of the vehicle, probably already breaking down at 25,000 miles.

 

[avidien]

CX-9 with 92,083 odometer miles, transfer case oil change after 5,000 miles

Hi guys,

very unusually warm weather in NYC (60 degrees) in February !

so I decided to change the oil after 5,000 miles (my normal schedule is every 6,000 miles)

I last changed it at around 87,000 miles right before weather got really cold

here's what the transfer case plug looks like after 5,000 miles,

still pretty clean (some metal filings as expected) but NO SLUDGE:



here's a video of the electric pump sucking out the oil, again no sludge:

and here's a video to show the Royal Purple oil after 5,000 miles, the oil color has turned darker after 5,000 miles but no signs of sludge:

I recommend every AWD owner to at least remove the transfer case plug (don't worry the oil will not leak out, the oil level is below the plug and it's not under any pressure) and just inspect the inside of the plug for any signs of sludge.

 

[cheapinkc]

At the end of January I picked up an 08 GT with 55K miles on it. I did the TC pump and fill service today. The oil I took out was in very poor condition. Like the original post in this discussion I was able to extract only a small amount. There were no signs of previous leaking but the fill plug had a thick layer of gunk on it.

I had noticed some drive line noise/vibration at low speed before doing the service. Post service the noise hasn't reappeared so far. I plan on doing it again when I change the oil in about 1K miles.

I can't express how much I appreciate this thread and the info provided.

 

[avidien]

At the end of January I picked up an 08 GT with 55K miles on it. I did the TC pump and fill service today. The oil I took out was in very poor condition. Like the original post in this discussion I was able to extract only a small amount. There were no signs of previous leaking but the fill plug had a thick layer of gunk on it.

I had noticed some drive line noise/vibration at low speed before doing the service. Post service the noise hasn't reappeared so far. I plan on doing it again when I change the oil in about 1K miles.

I can't express how much I appreciate this thread and the info provided.

Welcome cheapinkc,
it's great that your transfer case oil change went well, glad that this post helped you resolved your drive line noise/vibration issue, sounds like you caught it in time, cheers.

 

[Drogos]

So I went through the whole thread...this plus research and than similar service done on my subarus and previously on mazda 6 MT...leads me to believe that while TC design is not perfect, originally used oil from the factory, is the only cause of the issue. I belive royal purple to be the most overhyped product on automotive market so I refuse to use it. What others gear oils do you guys recommend ...amsoil seems to have a very good track record.

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[avidien]

So I went through the whole thread...this plus research and than similar service done on my subarus and previously on mazda 6 MT...leads me to believe that while TC design is not perfect, originally used oil from the factory, is the only cause of the issue. I belive royal purple to be the most overhyped product on automotive market so I refuse to use it. What others gear oils do you guys recommend ...amsoil seems to have a very good track record.

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Agreed that the OEM Motorcraft oil is subpar and the cause of the transfer case issues and definitely not lifetime.

But overhype or not, I'm going to stick with the oil that's gotten me to 92,000 miles with no issues. Again everyone has to make their own decisions with the most info they have. I rather stick with "real world data" than "paper engineering" with oil reviews that I read on the web.

Is Royal Purple the best oil? Absolutely not. But does it work well in the CX-9 transfer case environment ? Absolutely positively yes, I have no sludge or leaks since using it and have 92,000 miles on my original transfer case. If I've seen any issues with it I would change oil brand in a heartbeat and let forum members know right away.

But just to make a blanket statement that Royal Purple is overhype and discredit it for the CX9 transfer case when real world data says otherwise is a disservice to forum members.

I'm not a distributor of Royal Purple nor do I have any financial gain in promoting it. I'm just a regular Joe who noticed a systemic problem with the CX9 transfer case and tried to help fellow owners out since there was absolutely nothing on the net on how to do it. Honestly, I think any oil is better than the OEM oil.

I've heard good things about Amsoil, and some members have actually used it and haven't heard anything bad, just haven't seen any long term data on it. Only bad thing about it is that you have to get Amsoil thru their local independent distributors and order thru their websites, I rather just get my oil thru Amazon.

 

[Drogos]

ok. let me rephrase. I am not hating on RP in this particular application and I am certainly not hating on your write up which saved quite a few TC for sure. I simply stated that RP as a brand in general, IMHO is s***. Overpriced, overhyped with real world lab analysis returning pathetic results in some applications and average in others ....granted these were motor oils, still...oil is oil is oil....there are few applications and few engines that like specific oil. My mazda 6 with fords v6 had oil analysis done on motorcraft and shaeffers which is 3x more expensive, has Mob additives and is suppose to be THE s***....analysis after 7k miles return exactly same results. Good engines will run well on anything but water, period. Temperamental engines like SUbaru's boxers like specific oils....that I have tested too. I can almost bet that there is something else at play here ....additive, procedure...IDK, just guessing. I suspect that even OEM motorcraft would do just fine after multiple changes and flushing all the old gunk out. All of that is just a guess and I am not willing to try though since we suspect that MC came from factory. We know that RP works well, that's fine....I am still not going to use it since I am very consistent on hating certain brands LOL.....once on the black list , always on the black list....I would probably use it if it was priced according to what it is ....a mediocre, widely available automotive store brand. hating mostly because it's usually much more expensive than it should. Someone has to pay for that Nascar team I guess. I have huge respect for motorcraft oils on the other hand because it's a cheap, humble brand that works well and doesn't claim nonsense in their advertising. I've just put MC in the engine in cx 9 and I am certain this engine will like it a lot. Going back to my original statement ....because I am stubborn MFer and not willing to use RP, I simply asked if we have any feedback on other oils. Never heard anything bad about amsoil or redline and hope to hear from someone that used it with no issues. Hope I made it more clear this time

 

[Drogos]

....forgot to mention...my love for MC oils came from the fact that Mazda 6 with v6 with over 100k miles was run HARD on the track with 20min high speed sessions in height of midwest summer and oil analysis still returned great results. These oils ...for what they are and how much they cost are THE s***. I am planning to do another oil analysis with motorcraft after I do min. 5k miles on cx 9 and will report back but I am certain it will work just fine. I only did 600 miles on this oil but I can already tell that these engines run very clean. Oil in my subaru looks like $%#@#^ after only couple hundred miles.

 

[tomcat1446]

just thought I share some of my experience with fellow members. prior to the failure I noticed a burning smell and black oil drippings, took it to the dealer and idiots told me it was spilled oil from my last engine oil change and the oil was burning on the exhaust pipe and just to keep an eye on it ??? just a few day after that, my 2012 CX-9 AWD transfer case failed at 78,000 miles. there was loud grinding and jerking motion. I stopped and got it towed home under AAA. Then paid for another tow to the dealer after dealer on the phone checked that my car was still under the extended transfer case warranty. dealer put in a new transfer case under warranty and said my transmission splines still look good. wish I had found this site earlier, I would have replenished the burnt transfer case oil with fresh oil myself and saved myself all this headache.

for those interested, dealer replaced my busted transfer case with latest p/n AW21-27-500N-9U
https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned) from Amazon pictures, I really don't see any external difference from my old broken one, perhaps the seals might be improved ? also, still no drain plug, I guess I'll be following the maintenance procedure outlined here moving forward. to me, it looks nothing more than a very simple gearbox that taps power from the transmission and transfers it to the rear shaft.

Well guys, so much for any "new improved design" with the latest transfer case p/n AW21-27-500N-9U,
see my above posts for history on my 2012. I have the latest replacement transfer case p/n AW21-27-500N-9U,
my original case failed at 78,000 miles.

I decided to just check my drain plug today with only 5,000 miles on my new transfer case.
I had no intentions nor did I have any tools to change the transfer case oil today,
just wanted to check the plug for the heck of it, fully expecting the plug to be clean with no sludge.

I was honestly surprised, 5000 miles ONLY on a new transfer and and the plug already showed signs of sludge! not a lot BUT it's there :



I honestly don't know if this is normal and it's just suppose to be like that but I can't imagine it being good for the gears.
Anyway, I'll swap transfer case oil next week, still on the fence with what oil to go with, shortlist so far is Royal Purple, Amsoil, or Redline. Whichever oil I end up deciding to use, it definitely won't be the OEM oil.

 

[eskimo0101]

There isn't going to be a part number revision to fix this. The car was designed to only allow for a tiny transfer case, which means a tiny amount of fluid, which means it has to be changed every 20k or so. I bet if they tripled the fluid capacity the fluid would likely last the average life of the vehicle but tripling fluid capacity is no minor change when dealing with a modern vehicle and space limitations. Add in that the part is shared across several makes/models making it even more difficult to enlarge the part and make it fit all of them and I can pretty much guarantee they won't be making a major design change for existing models.

If changing it yourself every 20k is too much inconvenience for you, or you can't find a local shop to do it, I'd suggest trading the car or getting a FWD one. Between here and the Ford forums it's pretty much settled science that the transfer cases are going to suffer a high failure rate without regular fluid changes.

 

[batmancx]

There isn't going to be a part number revision to fix this. The car was designed to only allow for a tiny transfer case, which means a tiny amount of fluid, which means it has to be changed every 20k or so. I bet if they tripled the fluid capacity the fluid would likely last the average life of the vehicle but tripling fluid capacity is no minor change when dealing with a modern vehicle and space limitations. Add in that the part is shared across several makes/models making it even more difficult to enlarge the part and make it fit all of them and I can pretty much guarantee they won't be making a major design change for existing models.

If changing it yourself every 20k is too much inconvenience for you, or you can't find a local shop to do it, I'd suggest trading the car or getting a FWD one. Between here and the Ford forums it's pretty much settled science that the transfer cases are going to suffer a high failure rate without regular fluid changes.

Absolutely agree with you Eskimo, all good points

but I think Mazda really should issue a recall (I know, never going to happen)

and do one very simple inexpensive design change: add a drain plug to make oil maintenance much easier.

I read somewhere that Ford Edge (Middle East models only) have drain plugs.

 

[eskimo0101]

Yeah, I'd love to see a recall to add a drain plug but that would mean admitting the fluid wasn't lifetime and that's not a mistake Mazda/Ford are willing to admit to.

If I put more miles on mine I'd definitely considering doing a DIY drain plug add. I've seen a couple threads on the Ford forums where guys just drilled and tapped it without even removing it. If you've ever drilled metal before, especially when drilling up, you'll know that the metal shavings aren't going to end up in the case. When you tap just put some heavy grease on the tap and clean it every 1/2 turn or so.

In my case we put about 10k/yr on the car so changing it every 2 years via the pump out isn't a huge deal.

 

[Drogos]

planning on changing TC oil this weekend. Would raising the right side of the car help with extraction of the old oil. On my subarus for rear diff. service I usually raise the front of the car to help draining of the old gunk.

 

[avidien]

planning on changing TC oil this weekend. Would raising the right side of the car help with extraction of the old oil. On my subarus for rear diff. service I usually raise the front of the car to help draining of the old gunk.

Drogos,
when you say right side, do you mean passenger side? If so, I would think it would make it harder to extract since the plug faces the passenger side. And if passenger side is raised higher the oil will flow opposite the plug and go deeper into the transfer case. When you insert the pump hose you'll only get maybe three inches in before you hit an obstacle, the hose may not reach the oil if the passenger side is higher.

BUT I understand your logic and I think you're on to something, if the driver side is higher, the oil will flow closer to the plug and may be easier to extract since the oil is now closer to the hole and may help to get more oil out despite the internal obstacle, good idea.

Obviously, you'll need to make sure both wheels are level when you fill with new oil.

 

[Drogos]

Oh...I thought plug is on the drivers side....ok yeh so I am thinking all 4 on ramps and raise driver's side for drain part of the service

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[tomcat1446]

Well guys, so much for any "new improved design" with the latest transfer case p/n AW21-27-500N-9U,
see my above posts for history on my 2012. I have the latest replacement transfer case p/n AW21-27-500N-9U,
my original case failed at 78,000 miles.

I decided to just check my drain plug today with only 5,000 miles on my new transfer case.
I had no intentions nor did I have any tools to change the transfer case oil today,
just wanted to check the plug for the heck of it, fully expecting the plug to be clean with no sludge.

I was honestly surprised, 5000 miles ONLY on a new transfer and and the plug already showed signs of sludge! not a lot BUT it's there :

View attachment 213363

I honestly don't know if this is normal and it's just suppose to be like that but I can't imagine it being good for the gears.
Anyway, I'll swap transfer case oil next week, still on the fence with what oil to go with, shortlist so far is Royal Purple, Amsoil, or Redline. Whichever oil I end up deciding to use, it definitely won't be the OEM oil.

Did the procedure today, very easy and straightforward thanks to the detailed instructions. The smell, OMG, there's no words to describe it, closest thing I can think of is the most ultra-intense over burnt garlic smell you can think of, had to throw my shirt away. The smell is very similar to Ford's XL-3 additive that I use on my F-150 truck. There's absolutely no way to miss it if you have a leaking transfer case and you smell it after a long drive. The OEM oil was a thick dark grey oil almost the viscosity of maple syrup and watered down toothpaste, the plug had thick sludge on it. My oil is from a replacement brand new transfer case with only 5,100 miles on it. The oil I sucked out seems to be still okay and maybe good for another 2,000 miles but definitely see signs of thickening and some that looks like little bits of toothpaste that had congealed. Decided to replace with Royal Purple 75W140 oil from amazon ($20) since there's real world data on it and seems to work well in the cx9 transfer case. Can't believe the oil capacity is so small for such a large vehicle!!!! After pumping out the bad oil and then pumped in new oil , about maybe less than 1/2 quart before the new oil started coming out of the plug hole which indicated to me the oil reached the fill line. I'll drive around and change again after 6000 miles and let you guys know how it goes. Overall I can live with this maintenance, I guess it goes with the territory of owning AWD, and only used less than half a bottle, can use the remaining oil for the next oil change, so $10 every 6000 miles is acceptable insurance against transfer case failure assuming the overstressed oil is the culprit, keeping my fingers crossed. Again, honestly, process is so easy there's no need to take it to a dealer or shop to do this, just $10 worth of oil and the electric pump and low profile 3/8" square socket driver, no need to spend more than that, like changing engine oil without the oil filter. Wish I had read this forum earlier prior to my original transfer case failure.

 

[Drogos]

So....I've put all 4 on the ramps to change TC oil and surprise surprise...b**** is leaking...scheduled appointment for tomorrow. They said they will confirm failure and will overnight PTU while working on LCA...suprisingly they have these in stock.



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