I have a 2007 Mazda Cx7 with 42,000 miles on it. Today when we went to take it somewhere, when my husband started the car it kind of capitulated, revving and un-revving (if that makes sense), then when he put it in gear to drive, it wouldn’t go. He did finally get it to go, but flooring it, it would only go 15 mph. He checked all of our fluids and they’re fine.
Any ideas?
You are likely under warranty so you should not be looking for or worrying about how it will be fixed. All you should need is the dealer’s phone number.
Put your nose and eyes to work. Pull the dipstick from the transmission take a wiff and if the fluid has has a burned smell, it is likely your trouble. the fluid should appear to be a pinkish-red on the dipstick, if it is a dark, blackish-red color or metallic flakes appear this can be another clue. Assuming it is an automatic of course. Driving two times the national average of miles per year leads me to say possibly the tranny. The capitualating before putting it into gear does not indicate the tranny. maybe you can clarify that for me. lemme know what you find.
Unfortunately, I bought it used and the warranty expired at 35,000 miles. Naturally.
Thanks for the reply. I’ll have my husband check the transmission fluid.
If this makes a difference, I just went through months of a transmission leak that had to be repaired a few times. There’s a hose (I think) that was loose and had to be fixed repeatedly. We never let the fluids get low, my husband checked about every other day. It was last fixed about two weeks ago and hasn’t dripped since (so I think they got it this time).
A 2 year-old vehicle with a persistent transmission leak at 42k on the odometer is…not a very good sign. It sound to me like this vehicle may have been abused by the previous owner.
Did this vehicle come with maintenance records?
Did you have it checked out by your mechanic prior to purchase?
I had a front-end accident and had to have repairs, so the abuser was probably me. Could this be related? The accident was two years ago a month after I bought it. My husband says the the lines on the transmission were crimped in the accident, and in the repair they didn’t get the hoses tightened, which is what was causing the leak, and they seem to have gotten them tightened now.
Also, I commute, so all the miles have come from me, as well. We bought it with 6k on it.
My husband says the fluids looked and smelled fine when he checked.
Edited to add: I appreciate your taking the time to trouble shoot with me.
ok with the smell test. It is not a precise science but can be helpful. You may want to see if the recommended fluid type added has been the correct type. The lines on the tranny are for cooling the fluid. If they were crimped and the flow was interupted or altered, it could have resulted in enough heat to destroy the internal components. We are leaning more toward your solution of tranny repair.
Well, boo. Just one more quick question. Should I take it to the place that has done all the repairs since the accident since they have the history in their records, or would it be wiser to go to the dealership?
I would take it to a reputable and I re-state reputable transmission shop for proper diagnosis. Get at least a two year warranty on any tranny replacement or rebuild and keep the records on it. Make sure that you understand what happened to the tranny from the mechanic and this will make sure you communicate that the same problem will not occur soon after the repair. Trust is of utmost importance in this area. Find one you trust. I would not take it to the shop that missed the crimped lines after an accident. That of course is a personal approach.
Thanks, again. I appreciate your help. I’ll ask the guy down the street (who is way better than the shop that did the accident repairs) for a recommendation.
Get three quotes, You will become educated in the process.
To expand on lrakus’ recommendation to go to a “reputable” transmission shop, I want to point out that the word “reputable” is never used in the same sentence as “AAMCO”, “Lee Myles”, “Cottman”, “Mr. Transmission”, or the names of any other chain transmission shops.
Ask friends, relatives, co-workers, and neighbors for the names of independent transmission shops with whom they have been satisified. An indy transmission shop that has been in business for at least 3 years is much more likely to be honest, to charge less, and to do better-quality work, as compared to chain transmission shops.