- #1909 of 2018
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Re: New Mazda 626 owner [chuck1]
by backy
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Jan 14, 2006 (9:48 pm)
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Replying to: chuck1 (Jan 14, 2006 12:11 pm)
OK, I looked up the history on the Contour and Mystique on Consumer Guide, and they noted only one problem with the operation of the automatic tranny, which was that for 1995 models the transmission may go into limp-in mode due to a faulty manual lever position sensor. That was it, and no recalls involving the automatic transmission.
If the automatic were very unreliable on the Contique, I would think it would rate some mention there--it looks like a pretty comprehensive list.
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- #1910 of 2018
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Re: New Mazda 626 owner [backy]
by chuck1
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Jan 15, 2006 (3:53 pm)
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Replying to: backy (Jan 14, 2006 9:48 pm)
If you have one, (CD4E) you have a time bomb on your hands. That transmission was the SAME on all model years. So the '95 being poor and the rest OK makes no-sense whatsoever. I think you put too much "worth" in to publications. There are places where this transmission is talked about intensely, but due to Edmunds rules of use I can't give them to you. As I mentioned, I had three-two Failed because of that lousy CD4E transmission. Don't believe us on this board? Talk to any high quality tranny shop, they will tell you.
Good luck!
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- #1911 of 2018
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Re: New Mazda 626 owner [chuck1]
by backy
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Jan 15, 2006 (9:29 pm)
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Replying to: chuck1 (Aug 31, 2000 3:42 pm)
My thinking is that if the problem were prevalent on cars like the Mazda 626, Contour, and Mystique, it would be well known enough to be reported in mags that check into just that kind of thing. You could just be one very unlucky Contour buyer for all I know. (One who is a glutton for punishment--you bought another one after a tranny failed. I wouldn't be that forgiving I guess.)
What years were your three Contours and what were the two with the failed auto trannies? Sometimes automakers make fixes to problems like this, e.g. the DC vans used to have a horrible 4-speed auto tranny, but it improved over time.
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- #1912 of 2018
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Re: New Mazda 626 owner [backy]
by chuck1
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Jan 15, 2006 (10:35 pm)
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Replying to: backy (Jan 15, 2006 9:29 pm)
"What years were your three Contours and what were the two with the failed auto trannies"
I had a '96 w/ the Duratec V6 and CD4E -it FAILED. I had a '98-- with the Duratec V6 and CD4E it FAILED. I had a '97 Mystique and it was OK. I don't trust car magazines including consumer reports. Consumer reports is one of the worst.... very biased!
As far as my motivation is concerned, the motor (v6) was co-designed by Porsche and it was one of THE BEST HANDLING cars on the road at the time. They were often referred as the "poor mans BMW!". It was sold in Europe as the Ford Mondeo and won high praise.
If you want your tranny to last-change the transmission fluid right away and spend the $100.00 bucks on a after market transmission cooler--it might help it last longer. You are on the down-hill side of the expected transmission life of the CD4E.
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- #1913 of 2018
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Re: New Mazda 626 owner [chuck1]
by backy
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Jan 16, 2006 (11:27 pm)
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Replying to: chuck1 (Jan 15, 2006 10:35 pm)
Now I am confused again--I thought the problem was only on 4-cylinder 626 models. Are you saying that Ford used a tranny on their V6 that Mazda used only on their 130-hp 4-banger? Or did I misunderstand that this tranny is used only on the 626 I4?
I leased a '95 Mystique 5-speed for two years so I know what you mean about the handling. I liked that, and the traction control--very rare on a low-priced stick shift car at that time. I thought the rest of the car sucked, however--dumped it after the lease ran out. It was in the shop most of the first six months I owned it for various problems and recalls.
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- #1914 of 2018
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Re: New Mazda 626 owner [backy]
by chuck1
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Jan 17, 2006 (7:50 am)
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Replying to: backy (Jan 16, 2006 11:27 pm)
"Now I am confused again--I thought the problem was only on 4-cylinder 626 models. Are you saying that Ford used a tranny on their V6 that Mazda used only on their 130-hp 4-banger?"
The answer is "YES".
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- #1915 of 2018
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Re: New Mazda 626 owner [chuck1]
by backy
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Jan 17, 2006 (7:30 pm)
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Replying to: chuck1 (Jan 17, 2006 7:50 am)
Well, I think you may have pinpointed the reason for the trouble with the Ford auto tranny on the V6 Contour and Mystique. It is possible that the same problems would not occur with the 4-cylinder 626, since there would be much less stress on the tranny with the lower-powered engine.
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- #1916 of 2018
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Re: New Mazda 626 owner [backy]
by p100
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Jan 18, 2006 (8:10 am)
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Replying to: backy (Jan 17, 2006 7:30 pm)
It is obvious that you are looking for some way to exonerate this transmission so you can feel better about buying the Mazda you mentioned.
Lt me add this: Several years ago I talked to a Mazda tech at a certified Mazda dealership and asked him if the rumors about these transmissions failing are true. He said yes, and confirmed that they were replacing these transissions left and right, often on cars with less than 80K miles.
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- #1917 of 2018
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Re: New Mazda 626 owner [p100]
by chuck1
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Jan 18, 2006 (9:16 pm)
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Replying to: p100 (Jan 18, 2006 8:10 am)
"He said yes, and confirmed that they were replacing these transmissions left and right, often on cars with less than 80K miles."
You know I didn't want to beat "that dead horse" but other sources on the internet confirm what you are saying.......
I wish him luck, and I would add a tranny cooler and change the fluid ASAP!
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- #1918 of 2018
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Re: New Mazda 626 owner [p100]
by backy
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Jan 18, 2006 (11:17 pm)
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Replying to: p100 (Jan 18, 2006 8:10 am)
I feel fine about my Mazda. I am just trying to get the facts here. I don't go by anecdotal evidence about a car because it does not give the complete picture. Here is an example: suppose that there were 1 million '98-'02 626s, and Contiques, made with the Ford auto tranny. (That would be only 90,000 per model year that these vehicles were sold, which seems conservative.) Suppose 1% of the trannies failed prematurely--which means 99% did not fail. That is 10,000 failures. That's a lot of unhappy people to make posts on discussion boards and web sites. People who have a car with a major failure like that are apt to complain about it. (Not too many people take the time to post, "No problems with my car's auto tranny!") But overall, the odds of the tranny not failing would be excellent. Even if you bump the number up to 50,000, or even 100,000 failures, the odds are still heavily in favor of non-failure.
So if you can find this Mazda tech and ask him how many failed auto trannies he has seen on 2000 MY 4-cylinder 626s with less than 80,000 miles, that would be useful information to me. Otherwise it's just anecdotal.
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