Trans Leak? 2016 CX-9 GT AWD

Favre95

Member
:
2016 Mazda 2016
Hey everyone,

My wife has a 2016 CX9 AWD and the there is fluid I found on my undercover a couple weeks ago. I took off the cover and found fluid coming from where bell housing cover is. It’s splattering back as she drives I believe. We are now getting a whining sound when she is taking her foot off the gas.

The engine was replaced due to the coolant issue back in October. I’m wondering if the tech messed the front seal up on trans when mating the engine and trans back together.

Any help is appreciated. Just seeing if anyone is having the same problem.
 
Hi @Favre95, I haven't heard of anyone having this problem yet, but I think you're on the right track. The repair work that was done on the engine should have a warranty. I don't know if it would extend to the problematic area, but I would definitely bring it back to the dealership or shop that performed the repair and see if they can help. The whining sound isn't good, I would try to add fluid asap.
 
What color is the leaking fluid? Automatic transmission fluid has red dye added. You should be able to wipe up the leak, and, if there isn't too much dirt, see the color of the fluid. Coolant has green dye added for the type of coolant our cars use. Engine oil is normal amber. The whining sound certainly isn't good. Let us know what the dealership tells you.
 
I know this thread is old. But...I wanted to update it with what has transpired since, because this engine is such an issue in these cars. I think just having the bit of knowledge I learned in the last 6-8 months is worth putting here. This is kind of long, but I think it shows just how messed up Mazda as a company is, from coporate to it's dealers.

Engine was replaced in Oct of 2022 due to the coolant leak issue. While this was happening my family was literally moving out of state. So needless to say, when this leak exposed intself, not only was it inconvienent, it was insanely stressful being down a car while moving our crap 5 hours away. The dealer did not offer us a loaner once in the whole process. We had no choice to fix it, I wasn't buying another Mazda, and the engine was shot, and again... we were in the middle of moving.

This fix like many others (we wereabout 1k miles and like 3-4 months out of warranty) was told to pound sand by Mazda. They offered zero help, and were actually very hard to work with. I didn't get a true denial to the warranty work for quite some time after the car was actually "fixed" and we were moved.

That all being said, we got the car back and moved. After getting settled a bit, I started really looking the car over, not only were there clips and bolts missing in many spots, my ABS wire clips that hold the wires to the struts were broken and just dangling in the wheel wells. I found multiple bolts laying on the under tray when I took it down. I found some places where some of them were missing but still have a few I haven't found. My exhaust shield near the cat was barely hanging on. I think it had one bolt or clip in it. Needless to say, the dude that did the work flat out sucked at his job. This is always my fear when major work is done to any of my cars. That the integrity of the car will be far worse when getting the thing back then when dropping it off. Most of what I saw though, was just stuff like that. No "major issues"...till I went to change the oil at the start of the new year.

This is where the "chasing our tail" started. We noticed a smell in the cabin after driving the car awhile at the start of the new year also. Its smelled like buring petroleum of some sort. So I figured I needed to change the oil, I'd take a look at what was going on too. I took the tray down and noticed oil was flinging all over the underside of the car on the drivers side. It was flinging up and hitting the exhaust, which was the smell we were smelling. But, why was I leaking oil? Like mentioned above, it was leaking between the trans and the engine. It didn't feel like motor oil though...also didn't smell like it either. It felt like trans fluid if you asked me.

So we decieded to take the car in to Mazda where we are now, showed and explained to them everything that had been done. First visit they thought it was just excess oil. I explained to them, there is zero chance it was just excess. There was just far too much underneath the vehicle for it to be "excess". They drove it for a few days and said they couldn't get it to leak after initially cleaning it up. So we got it back and it started leaking again after a few days (I just left the cover off at this point to keep an eye on it). Took it back and they had the car for every bit of 3 weeks to a month. For what reason, I couldn't tell you. I was patient, and they were nice and gave us a loaner. So I wasn't overly worried about it.

So taking the car back and forth happened (I think) 2 more times till they told us we needed a new transmission at the cost of about $6200. I told them "no" obviously as I wasn't dumping another huge chunk of money into the vehicle. At this point we were dead set on getting rid of it.

After some time to think it over, I decided to find a reputable import shop in our area and get a second opinion. They were very knowledgeable, and we took it step by step with them. I knew we'd have to crack the sucker apart to find out what was ultimately happening. The cost to do this was manageable, so after a day or two of waiting, they called and told us the flywheel bolts were not sealed and leaking/seeping oil through them.

Again, the dude that did our work was just shoddy all around. But then to make things worse, Mazda (and their tech line) suggested putting a new trans in just a few weeks earlier. Mind you this should have been covered under the 12/12 warranty on the repair too. So not only has mazda tore my car apart and not put it back correctly, they misdiagnosed the issue that they should have covered from the start. I WILL NEVER! buy a Mazda again...ever!...after the crap they've put us through! I tell everyone also to stay away from them.

In the end...we have the car back and are driving it and it seems they found the issue! Imagine that! Am I still nervous about the car in general?...a bit, but at this point it was worth it to have it fixed in my mind. Car has been paid off for some time so, not having to buy a new car was a plus in my mind as this one only has 75k-ish on the clock.

Anyway...just wanted to let everyone know to check under their cars after this repair to make sure their techs did this and seal the flywheel bolts.
 
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