MX-3 Transmission problems?

[denisizzle]

Hey guys hoping to get some informed opinion on what to do next with my car.. Bought this inline 4 cylinder mx3 about a week ago and it was absolutely perfect but just recently when im in drive and attempting to go it'll rev real hard and won't move at all until about 2k+ rpm and even then it'll be very slow. Once it gets to speed it begins shifting fine and accelerates just fine as well. This morning after this problem happened it worked briefly (about a km) before the problem came back so I don't think the transmission is completely gone. The transmission dipstick is completely black with some metal slude, so I'm just wondering if changing the fluid will fix it or if it's another problem such as the transmission gears are messed up, or possibly the fly wheel or even the torque converter.

EDIT: The car has been parked for 4 years prior to me purchasing it and the previous owner told me the tranny was rebuilt.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Ryan]

Change the fluid for sure.

Install an aftermarket cooler, the stock one is garbage, and heat is what kills these ATX's.

Then just cross your fingers. They're known to be terrible for reliability.

[denisizzle]

Is there a drain plug or do i need to take out the screws under the tranny and remove the tranmission pan? As for an aftermarket cooler does the transmission use the radiator, because the rad is leaking somewhere so it's completely dry but the engine never got too hot. And another thing worth mentioning is that the hold light blinks a lot of the time when I'm idling.

[wytbishop]

Start HERE and read. You should be able to apply some logic and figure out what condition matches your symptoms.

[Ryan]

Its a big 15/16 nut on the bottom, and you can fill it from the dipstick. Just don't overfill it.

Replace your rad too, if its leaking. I don't think you can blame your car for being unreliable when you neglect it. Running it with anything but clean trans fluid, and letting it run dry of coolant... I don't blame it.


There's nothing magic I can tell you that will make the problems go away, you have to fix them. Go get a replacement rad, change the transmission fluid (when you do the rad you'll have to disconnect the lines for the trans cooler too, may as well do them together)

Hold light is another predecessor of transmission death.

[denisizzle]

Aw man. I just changed the fluid and now it doesn't catch at all. Is it 2 L of fluid?

[Ryan]

Much, much more.

7L from empty, IIRC, but you can never change all of the transmission fluid, lots stays in the torque converter and valve body that won't drain

Trust the dipstick.

[denisizzle]

I drained about 2 L so that's all I would need to replace right? Even if there's a lot left in the torque converter I should have seen at least some improvement, is it completely toast then?

[Ryan]

There's no way changing the fluid killed it...

If the hold light was blinking already it was close to the end.

What does it do now? Just doesn't move in gear?

[denisizzle]

It doesn't catch at all. In reverse it used to be perfect but now it does nothing except rev high and doesn't move even at 3+k rpm.

[denisizzle]

Another weird thing is that when the car was jacked up if you spin one of the front wheels forward the front wheel on the opposite side spins backwards and vice versa.

[Ryan]

Thats not weird, thats an open differential. Completely normal.

It sounds like its time for a new ATX... or a 5 speed swap.

[denisizzle]

Alright thanks. What would be cheaper? Do you think it would be a good idea to buy this and swap them:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/JDM-KL-Automatic-Tra ... 1636wt_721

Thanks a lot for your help.

[Ryan]

that won't fit, KL ATX's are different than MX-3 ones. They mount to the probe/mx-6/whatever subframe instead of a longitudinal member like ours. you need an MX-3 ATX.

The 5 speed swap is pretty simple. Search, and check the FAQ's.

[denisizzle]

Oh yeah I think this one will right?:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/94-95-96-MAZDA-MX-3- ... 3480wt_992

So would it be cheaper swapping with this tranny or do the 5 speed conversion? (can do all the labor myself). Where is the 5 speed swap FAQ? I can't seem to locate it.. Thanks again