TSB for clutch chatter

[Rusty]

I occasionally have the clutch chatter problem in my '02 P5, although I would call it a more of a shudder.

I've clicked the links for the TSB in several posts, [http://web2.airmail.net/emann/protegefaq/tsb/] to get a copy, but my browser always comes back with "Page Cannot Be Found." I've tried several variations on this URL but none work.

Anyone know another link? I really want to fix this without shelling out $$$.

Thanks,
Rusty

 

[ELEmental59437]

http://web2.airmail.net/theman/protegefaq/

 

[RAAZ227]

my stock clutch did chatter... I was like :wtf: for a stock clutch. The I changed it out for a 6 puck ACT and sometimes I wish I had the stock one!

 

[zmepro]

sometimes I wish I had the stock one!

why?

 

[RAAZ227]

why?

Cause I got a 6 puck ACT. It's totally not as bad as the stock one!

 

[HurricaneP5]

good luck getting the dealer to fix your problem...I took in that TSB and they told me it wasn't real, couldn't find any such TSB in their system....then they kept my car for 2 days and "couldn't replicate the problem"...so my car still shudders like a piece of @!#$ Yugo or something...

 

[slamdp5]

You should have good luck, I had mine fixed two weeks ago.....new flywheel, pressure plate and throw-out bearing. Feels better than brand new(2thumbs)

 

[changedman]

i need to get my replaced- only does it in cold weather. hmm. i bet this is the same thing?

 

[Dynotrick]

I had mine replaced under warranty at about 24000 miles. Many others here have had this done as well. I can send either of you a scan of my repair order if you think it would help. Also my story may be of help to people who have been told this doesn't exsist.

When I got my car back in June 2002 I noticed the 'chatter' about a month later. I work at a Mazda dealer as a sales consultant and my dealer at that time had the only Master Tech in our area, as well as two others close to that level. I was the first to complain about this at my dealer that I know of. I disscused this with the Master Tech and showed him the problem an a cool morning after I left my car there overnight. He agreed that there was something wrong with my car. I also had done some reading here and on protegeclub.com and had the TSB printout from The Man's FAQ. Despite this the service manager said there was nothing they could do and the problem "didn't exsist". After discussing this with the techs and the service manager several times over several months with the same result I talked to the GM/Owner of my dealership. I got the same reply from him, he basicaly told me to stick it in my ass and the problem was not real. The problem had also somewhat subsided in my car and so I didn't pursue it for a while although I was not happy with the outcome.
By the spring there were some changes in staffing as the Master Tech and one of the other techs went to work across town at another dealer (lured away by more money). I wanted them to work on my car anyway so I shelved the problem even longer. In the late spring another young tech (still in school) left our place after working there for about 4-5 months. He told me that before these other two techs left on of them had done a clutch replacement on a P5 for this exact problem. But the techs and service manager were apparently told to keep it quiet so I would not know about it. He told me as a favor just before he left. Needless to say I was very upset.
I decided that I not only wanted these more experianced techs doing the work on my car but also that if my boss didn't want to fix my problem then I would take my car elsewhere. I called up the other dealer and talked to their service manager. To my surprize he addmitted to haveing at least heard of this problem. I scheduled an appointment with him and went in for it. When I got there I made sure to talk to the techs that I was friends with. The Master Tech said that he remembered my problem and he just ordered the parts without looking at my car again. When the parts arrived I dropped off my car and they gave me a 2003 Civic LX for two days (what a horrible pice of s*** the Civic is!). Anyway like I said mine was fixed at about 24000 miles and what a world of difference. My advice is to pursue this untill it's resolved, the fix is definitely worth it.
Hope this helps.
Justin

 

[Dynotrick]

i need to get my replaced- only does it in cold weather. hmm. i bet this is the same thing?

It's more pronounced in cold weather but whats really at issue is that the car is not warmed up. Once the car is warmed up the chatter dissapears.

 

[carlos]

It's more pronounced in cold weather but whats really at issue is that the car is not warmed up. Once the car is warmed up the chatter dissapears.

That was the case for me early on, but now that the car has 34,000 miles, it can pretty much chatter any time warm or cold. Although the car is cold when it chatters the most.

I had the same problem with 3 area dealers telling me the TSB doesn't exist. I called Mazda customer service, and they also said the TSB doesn't exist. So I'm pretty much living with it right now. I was pissed, now I pretty much accept it.

Basically, to avoid the chatter as much as possible, I tend to start off in 2nd gear. Won't this burn out the clutch you ask? Who cares, the clutch is already a piece of sh*t, I'm just trying to save my engine mounts and not crack my tranny casing with all that pounding. If in 1st, I engage the clutch as quickly as possible with almost no throttle. This minimizes my chances of chatter.

 

[Installshield 2]

My 02 never had the issues unless I lugged it when really cold...It doesn't do it anymore than any other manual car I have driven...I also drove a 03 ES sedan that had it worse than my 02 P5...

Some guys get it bad some don't, that is one reason on it being a TSB rather than a full recall...I never get the chatter if I rev the engine higher and engage the clutch slower whent it is cold...After 2 or 3 standing starts the flywheel is warmed up enough to allow normal standing starts...

 

[cbcbd]

I don't think that's the case for TSBs. Everyone should experience this problem, that's why there's a TSB to fix it in case they complain. Some might get it worse than others but we all have the same clutch so we should get it too.

Recalls differ from TSBs in that the problems are security threatening problems - like fires, wheels falling off, removing key from ignition while on.

TSBs are fixes that aren't dangerous, like juddery clutch, whistling from cross bars, rust on rotor hubs.

And it's much harder to get them to work on TSBs exactly because of that, they're not life threatening and won't get sued if they refuse to do it.

 

[HurricaneP5]

But according to my dealer and many others, this isn't even a real TSB! Mazda North American Ops has no knowledge of any such TSB....so who made it up?

 

[changedman]

thats bs?

 

[cbcbd]

I just called MNAO and unless this guy was just a dumbass they have no access to the TSB information - well, he at least told me they didn't have it.

He said that the only way to get the TSB info is through a dealer, because they'll check their computer and find it or something...

I just went to the NHTSA website and they have some TSBs listed (13-15), but no mention of the clutch chatter one. :wtf:


I'm confused. How does TheMAN get his TSB info?

 

[HurricaneP5]

I dunno...wish I did....but if it's not a real TSB then good luck getting it fixed....I just wish I was one of the lucky one's whose dealer actually took care of them!

 

[carlos]

I just called MNAO and unless this guy was just a dumbass they have no access to the TSB information - well, he at least told me they didn't have it.

He said that the only way to get the TSB info is through a dealer, because they'll check their computer and find it or something...

When I called MNAO, the person talking to me could not get that info. But she did know who to contact to get that info, and when they called me back, they said it does not exist. Dealer and MNAO did searches by VIN numbers. I also asked them to do a general search by 3rd generation pros and they still said it doesnt exist. Oh well.

This is just a general question...but are mainstream car manufacturers putting less effort into manual transmissions lately? I mean this is my 4th manual tranny car and it seems a step backwards in terms of general smoothness with shifting, and obviously the chatter. This is the 1st car that has ever chattered for me, even though I've had 80,000 mile clutches on my previous cars. What's going on? Do I need to buy auto's from now on (yuk)?

 

[carlos]

I just went to the NHTSA website and they have some TSBs listed (13-15), but no mention of the clutch chatter one. :wtf:


I'm confused. How does TheMAN get his TSB info?

Last time I checked NHTSA (a while back) site, their TSB list didn't even look close to the to what we have seen on the FAQ.

 

[Dynotrick]

I will post a scan of my work order here as long soon as I get it scanned in (hopefully this weekend). Maybe then you will all get some results.