Mazda Gear change problem when engine hot

ALI99

MEMBER
2002 MAZDA 323
1.8L
4 CYL
2WD
MANUAL
90,000 MILES

Hi there,
I've been the sole owner of this car for over 10 years and it's rarely needed anything except regular servicing and a new clutch last year.

Earlier this year after a regular service I was told by Mazda that there was a slight hole in the bulkhead behind the clutch which had been letting small amounts of water in when there was heavy rain. I took the car to a recommended panel beater who then welded the bulkhead bracket and repaired the problem.

I noticed almost straight away though that the gears felt a little stickier than usual and the problem got increasingly worse as the car heated up, or if the day was very hot outside. As this happened in summertime, almost every day was extremely hot and it was a real struggle driving the car around - I would have to start in 2nd gear as 1st wouldn't work, then change up into 4th which was pretty stressful as you can imagine.

I spoke with Mazda and the panel beaters but nobody seems to have an answer as to why this is happening. Mazda have offered to have a look at the gear box but this could cost upward of $600 and I'm not sure if that would be guaranteed to fix the problem. I can't help thinking it must be related to the bulkhead repair as the gear problems started immediately afterward.

I would love to get your opinion on this as I'm really lost for answers and can't afford any more costly repairs.

Hoping you can help shed some light - thanks so much

Ali

3 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
108,192 POSTS

Can you upload a picture of the work that was done so I can see the location. Something they did has caused the issue. Also, let me know if you can easily shift the gears when the engine is off.

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Monday, March 24th, 2014 AT 5:23 AM

ALI99

MEMBER
2 POSTS

Hi and thanks for the quick reply,

I haven't been able to photograph the area unfortunately as it would require removing parts of the area around the clutch which I'm not skilled enough to do, and no photos were supplied by the panel beaters.

When I picked the car up they told me they'd had to remove the windscreen and the area underneath to access the part of the bulkhead bracket that need welding, I got the impression they'd done the work in a hurry though as they'd forgotten I was coming to pick it up that day.

I can easily move the gears when the car is switched off, even directly after having these problems with sticking gears as I'm driving along.

The clutch depresses just fine as well, whether the car is hot or not so I'm thinking it has to be something to do with heat expansion - maybe the wrong materials were used? Would that make sense?

Thanks again
Ali