SkyActiv drain & fill

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Changed the ATF in my Mazda6 today. Almost as easy as changing the engine oil. Just had a bigger access panel to remove.

I found a Service manual for the 2014 and they really haven’t changed anything since. FZ fluid is easy to find at the stealer and mine charged $14.89/qt.

Mazda was really thoughtful and used the exact same fastener and washer as the engine oil drain. That meant my stash of 14mm washers was all I needed. I bought a 50-pack from Amazon for $8 a couple years ago since I used to have Honda’s and still have a Honda motorcycle that uses the same washer. Instructions

I checked the dipstick when the engine was off so I had a baseline and roughly measured the amount removed at 3+ quarts. Took 3.8qts to put the level right when the fluid temp was 50C on my ScanGuage. if you don’t have Popeye forearms, you can get to it from the engine bay. Adjustment

MolaKule’s advice about changing FF before 10k was the reason for the change. Car has 8k on it.

A side funny story...I called another dealer to shop prices and was quoted $26/qt! They parts dork told me that if my fluid is low I should bring it in for warranty. I told him that I wanted to change the fluid and he basically yelled at me not to split the cases...even Mazda pre-fills the new tranny’s sent to dealers! I mentioned that Mazda was kind enough to install both a drain plug and dipstick so It’s easy. Don’t be that guy! There’s such thing as the internet now and there’s a good chance your customer may know more than you.
 
You did a D&F on the Skyactiv Drive at 8K? I am going to hold my tongue regarding what a waste that was.
 
Originally Posted By: DBMaster
You did a D&F on the Skyactiv Drive at 8K? I am going to hold my tongue regarding what a waste that was.

By saying that you’re not holding your tongue. This is a no judgment zone, D-BagMaster

Ever read Mola’s posts?
 
Originally Posted By: DBMaster
DB stands for D*&k Brain, btw.

Lol, I made an assumption! Stay classy, my friend. I know the change wasn’t “necessary”, but I’ve spent more than that on one steak...not the whole dinner mind you.

I don’t need to explain how long the steak lasted...I want the car to be around.
 
I read Critic's and DBMaster's threads on changing the ATF on a Skyactive Mazda and both concurred that they would have went longer after seeing how clean the drained ATF was....I think DB was being kind by informing you of this and you were a bit harsh in response but that's just my opinion....oh well.....
 
I have a 2012 Mazda3 with SA Drive. I felt guilty about not doing a D&F (and, believe me, I have been guilty of over-maintaining for most of my life) so I did it at 60K. The fluid that came out was extremely clean and smelled the same as the new stuff put back in. I ordered it online from a Mazda dealer for right around $15/quart including shipping. I have to let go of the old paradigm and accept the fact that "lifetime" fluid may indeed exist. Transmission and fluid technology changed a lot since my last car - a 1989 Honda Accord.
 
I'm not offended. If I post something like I did I'm challenging someone else's opinion or belief. It's OK if the initial response is irritability. If you never challenge anyone opinions and beliefs remain stagnant. And, it's perfectly OK if they don't agree with me. We're all way too sensitive these days - as individuals and as a society.
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
$14.89 is list for a quart of FZ.


Is the Mazda spec and Mercon LV the same or no?
 
Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
$14.89 is list for a quart of FZ.


Is the Mazda spec and Mercon LV the same or no?


FZ has its own proprietary spec. It claims to be "ultra low viscosity." when I did the D&F I can confirm that it is about as viscous as 0W-20 oil.
 
Maxlife is ok to use in a transmission using FZ and it costs much less
smile.gif
 
2012 3 with SA 100k have not touched trany yet shifts like new who knows maybe get the itch at 125k or not. Engine and filter are done with 5k intervals with M1 engine is pristine love the vehicle and sky technology.
 
I dumbed the factory transmission fill on my 2014 Mazda 3 with manual transmission at about 10k as well. Fluid came out sparkling with metallic bits. Gear Changes got ALOT smoother with new fluid. It was definitely worth the flush to me.
 
Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
$14.89 is list for a quart of FZ.


Is the Mazda spec and Mercon LV the same or no?


FZ is not Mercon LV, it is its own fluid. It is blue on color.

As far as if Mazda and Motorcraft Mercon LV are the same, yes they are. Never sold the Mazda stuff because it takes over a week to come in.
 
Originally Posted By: LotI
Originally Posted By: DBMaster
You did a D&F on the Skyactiv Drive at 8K? I am going to hold my tongue regarding what a waste that was.

By saying that you’re not holding your tongue. This is a no judgment zone, D-BagMaster

Ever read Mola’s posts?


Lots of metal slime on magnetic drain plug even with low miles.
 
Originally Posted By: Kira
Bought the fluid at the dealership for my sister's 2012 Mazda3i Touring.

I was thinking around 75,000 for a D&F but now I don't know.


I did not remove the pan. Instead of a gasket Mazda used sealant. I didn't want to mess with all the scraping, cleaning, and risk of future leaks. I noticed no difference in performance of the unit after changing out pretty close to four quarts of fluid. If I had it to do over again I wouldn't have messed with it. YMMV
 
"We received your FZ fluid for analysis. We opened the container.. it looked clean and smelled good, so we're pretty sure its fine. Run it for another 30,000 miles and resample."

Said no oil analysis lab, ever. Come on, man.


Without doing an analysis of the used fluid, what it looks and smells like isn't too useful. It could have held up fine with no loss of viscosity or depletion of whatever additives it has, and still have a particle count straight out of Hades. In the absence of better filtration, the only way to get crud out of it is to drain and fill with new fluid.

Several high profile posters here have shown that an early changing of the fluid is wise, and have backed that up with real data. Plenty of info out there from other sources as well that back this up.

To be fair, the prudent thing to do here would be to draw a sample, send out off, and see if it really needs to be changed. By the time you do that, even with the hyper-inflated price of the factory juice, you're more than halfway to a drain and fill.

Whether or not at that point it makes more sense to do one or the other is up to your own wallet. At 10,000 my wife's new 3 is getting a drain and fill. I may or may not, for entertainments sake, send what I drain off for analysis. I'm leaning toward yes, just for curiosity's sake. Wasteful of not, my only regret when I do this is that I'm not driving a GM or a Ford, where I could just stroll down to the local Autozone or Walmart and get the factory licensed fluid for $5 a quart.
 
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