What's the fuss about the Protege Tranny?

[LazerBlueP5]

I've deduced from reading lots of threads here that our trannys have been known to give problems....is that correct? What sort of info is this based on. I'm worried because I purchased this car, partly, because it was supposed to have such a clean reliability record. Heck, even Consumer Reports even gave it a red dot for reliablitly, which is "much above average".

Can anyone unravel the myth or reinforce the facts about our "problem-matic" trannys?

 

[mikesmazda155]

Can anyone unravel the myth or reinforce the facts about our "problem-matic" trannys?

No aftermarket support on our trannys, shift forks are week.

 

[Don]

P5's are somewhat aimed at younger buyers, and there's virtually no manual transmission car a young man can't destroy, given enough time.

There's one young fella who frequently posts here who has managed to destroy his I think 3 different times.

If you drive like a sane person, no Mazda gearbox will ever give you a problem, the P5 included - I speak from SOME experience, having put 300,000 or so miles on 3 very different Mazdas, and I've never driven any of them like a sissy

Don

 

[Jim Frye]

Protege Transaxle

Can anyone unravel the myth or reinforce the facts about our "problem-matic" trannys? [/B]

I can't speak for the current Protege Transaxle, but my '88 323LX 5 speed ran for well over 100,000 miles with no problems. The synchros were not the least bit notchy when I traded the car in. I didn't baby the beast either.

However, as Don alluded to, after all of these years in the saddle, I've learned how to shift properly and still go quickly. If you're bending/breaking shift forks in a transmission, you're doing it way wrong! I once knew a guy who broke a Hurst shift kit.

After 14 years, I'd be surprised if the engineers at Mazda didn't make a bunch of improvements over what I was driving. I'm bettin' that the current transaxle will handle what ever horsepower the Protege motor can produce. The clutch may be another story, if you start adding on the power mods. Jim

 

[gene in cincinnati]

P5's are somewhat aimed at younger buyers, and there's virtually no manual transmission car a young man can't destroy, given enough time.

Are you sure about that? I thought that Mazda stated that the demographic for the car is college-educated males and females in their early thirties.

 

[Humvee]

My P5 auto tranny died in 12,000km's. (wouldn't shift out of 3rd).

 

[Protege5 kid]

I drive normaly.....i like the cruse cause i know i'm not fast enough to race.

After 24,000km my Clutch Assebley Kit went. I got it replaced and now no more shaking in 1st gear.

New bushings help alot....make the tranny feel sooooooooo much better

 

[APEXistud]

The are no tranny problems that are big enough to be considered real problems. I'm willing to bet that on this board of 2600 members, there are less than 75 people with bad trannies. So it's safe to say that the transmission problem is a isolated case. As long as your not power shifting you should be ok.

 

[sbennell]

I don't own a P5 but my girlfriend does, and her tranny (auto) needs to be replaced after only 12,000km. She is a "text-box" driver who would not even know how to push a car hard.

The car is having difficulties shifting from 3rd to 4th and would hold the gear for a long period of time before finally surging into gear. I nearly threw-up when I heard what needed to be done. What gives? Has anyone had this formally explained by a rep. at Mazda? Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Mazda sell this exact car in Japan before bringing it to N.A. - would they not have known about this? I don't mean to bad mouth Mazda's but you have to wonder whether Ford's ownership of the company influences (at all) the engineering of their products......just a thought........

 

[perfworks]

i think they are very reliable
i just over aggresivly shift sometimes and killed the 3-4 shift fork ONCE!
they need to beef up the forks a little

 

[Dexter]

i read the MSP fork is improved

i dont know though, just something i read...somewhere..probably here i think...

 

[Traveler]

For a complete list of the weak points of the five speed manual transaxles, call Tri-point. They've been racing them for a while and will tell you everything you need to beef up to make on live. They'll probable even tell you what you can expect to break first when you start making more power.

 

[Protege Type 5]

hmm.. my 3rd gear synchro went out @ 8000miles
on a 4-5 upshift @ 17,000 miles , another synchro gone

ive driven a lot of stick cars, a lot harder. never had this problem.

my last car was a 320whp nissan 240sx. stock gearbox. drove it like a maniac. that never thought about breaking or grinding.

i think the short shifter and bushings definetely help with hard driving on the trans, the stock height on the p5 trails a bit.

so in my experience, protege5 trans = good for daily driving, couple hard runs...you cant run it like a honda or nissan box though. my only question is, why do u make ur car have peak output @ 6500rpm if the rest of the connected engine parts(transmission) cant take it. and im talking about stock here...measly 130hp.

 

[perfworks]

nice!

 

[Honey]

tranny

I have had my share of auto tranny problems with mazda. My 99 protege has had it changed twice while it was still under 36,000 miles. Now with my P5 I haven't had any problems (he's going on 19,000), but it's stick. Back in 1990 my sister had a auto protege and that car lasted about nine year with no tranny problem. I think the car just aren't made the same way.

 

[Newf]

I'm still convinced that the majority of the problems on this site are the way people drive them. Yes, there will be some lemon tranny's, and that might explain some of you guys. Happens with every make of car.

But, out of all the protege's sold here in town the last few years, only 1 has had a bad tranny.....yes, one. And he drives like an idiot fast and furious wanna be. It was a P5. It wasn't uncommon to see this guy flying around on a dirt road, through bog, ditches, everything...he killed it.

I hope, I'm not # 2. So far so good, knock on wood.

 

[chuyler1]

Re: Protege Transaxle

However, as Don alluded to, after all of these years in the saddle, I've learned how to shift properly and still go quickly.

I'm a manual tranny rookie. Over the past month or so I have figured out how to shift smoothly, and I can shift quickly if necessary, but not smooth and quick.

Care to let us in on any driving tips to increase the life of our transmissions?

 

[blynzoo]

Wear out the parts that are meant to be worn out.
In other words, wear the clutch plate through more gradual shifts, instead of jackrabbiting and harming synchros.

Also, work very carefully on rev matching. This is THE most important aspect of being nice to a tranny. In theory if you engage at a perfect match, the stress is zero (minus of course the small, short stress put on the synchros as they mesh).

 

[chuyler1]

Ok, well I've got the 'rev matching' down for normal driving. I was a little worried about burning out the clutch but I don't floor it and let it out slowly or anything like that. Does it just take time to shift quickly?

 

[Jim Frye]

Re: Re: Protege Transaxle

Care to let us in on any driving tips to increase the life of our transmissions?

blynzoo nailed it. Learn to feel/hear (turn the stereo down) how the shift mechanisim is working.
Or you can learn to drive a stick like I did: A 16 speed (4x4) twin stick Dana in a blown Cummins Freightliner with tandam drive axles. With only 2,500 rpms to work with, you get ample opportunity to "feel" how things work. Nearly indestructable too!
Jim