Mazda - Mazda3 :: 2005 - Gear Selector Won't Click Into Position
Jun 13, 2015
The gear selector on my 2005 Mazda 3 with automatic transmission is difficult to move between P, R, N, and D positions. It does not "click" or fall into position like it used to. It has gradually gotten worse. When the car is in Park, it seems to not want to go all the way up into the Park slot. Even though the car actually parked, the P will not light up on the dashboard, which sometimes causes the car not to start when the key is turned. So sometimes I have to put it in Neutral to start.
Now the problem is that when it is in Drive, it will "fall out of gear". I put that in quotes because it is still in drive, but it was shift up to a higher gear if i don't physically pull the gear selector knob back. For example, if i'm driving and the car is in 4th gear going 60mph, and the shifter know slides up an eight of an inch, the D light will go off and the car will move into a higher gear (not sure which one, feels like 2nd or 3rd) and the engine will rev up. It doesn't feel like neutral.
Is there anything I can do myself? I plan on trading in the car in the next couple months, but I'd prefer to not have to get it worked on until then.
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I have a 2005 Mazda3 with a 2.0 engine & a five speed transmission and 94,000 miles. Since June the car has twice not started, and so far three trips to two different Mazda dealers have not resolved the problem. The car had sat overnight, when I tried to start it the engine it turned over normally, and sounded normal, for just a second. Then it sounded like it started turning over much much faster than normal and the turning over sound changed to the sound of a high speed "whirl" (I don't know any other way to describe it).
In both cases the car just turned over and over and never sounded like it was going to start, resulting in a tow being needed. I've now found out that the dealer started the car by pushing the gas pedal to the floor, then cranking over the engine and then very slowly releasing the gas pedal until the engine started to fire. In the three months in between the non start days the car has started fine and it drives fine, lots of power, constant power with no surges or bogging down. The dealers have checked the compression, fuel PSI, and run computer diagnostics and everything appears to be normal. They also removed the value cover and say that as far as they can tell the fuel injectors seem to be functioning normally.
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I have a 2005 Mazda 3, with ABS. Recently, the brakes on this car began to fade about halfway through the pedal travel, then firm up. This is while driving, (ie, with the engine running). When the engine is off, the pedal pumps up high and firm. I bled the brakes, eliminated the possibility of any hydraulic problem such as a leak, no change. I then reasoned that since the problem only appeared when vacuum was applied to the power assist, that must be the culprit. Replaced the power assist, problem remains. Next suspect is the master cylinder, but, as I said, with the engine off, the pedal is fine. Usually cars make sense to me, but this has me questioning my instincts.
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I have a mazda 3 and i just tried to start it but its just making a clicking noise. The radio works so does that rule battery out....
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New sound today: a click that simultaneously happened when the parking light (a yellow light with a P) came on the dash as I applied my brakes. i had already put the car in park but not yet applied the electronic parking brake.
I found it odd as i had my hand on the gear selector and felt a slight tap. So while the car was still on and in park with no electronic parking brake applied, i let go of the brakes and the yellow P light went off. so i applied the brakes again, the click sound and tap feel from the gear selector and the yellow P light came back on the dash.
Never had that happen before. Applied the electronic parking brake and that little light came on as normal on its button. that's when i normally see the yellow P light up on the dash. I always use the electronic parking brake so i am not sure what page 205 in the manual is referring to when stated:
If the electronic parking brake has not been used for a while, an automatic system check will occasionally run while the vehicle is parked. this system check makes audible noises.
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Took my car in for oil/filter change and in some odd circumstance, the young mechanic managed to drain 1 liter of transmission oil out of my car (which I didn't know at the time). After driving for 10 minutes (~5 km), I noticed my reverse gear wasn't shifting properly. After ~30 minutes of driving, my car was smoking from the exhaust pipe (turns out he had overfilled my engine oil too!!). Took the car back in to complain the mechanic supervisor claims my transmission is still fine and all I need to do is refill the lost fluid. Another independent mechanic later tells me my transmission line is likely fried if I had experienced what I did, and those guys should be responsible to replace everything. Since fluids have been topped up, I have no proof of who is right. So my question is, if I only drove for maximum 50 km after my transmission fluid was drained and engine oil overfilled, would that be enough to cause serious damage to the car?
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This past weekend, however, I took it out on the highway and found it has a pretty bad vibration. The vibration is coming from the body, not the steering wheel, so i initially suspected the real wheel balance. Next I varied my speed betwn 50-75 mph expecting to feel the vibration intensity vary, but it did not. While doing that however I realized that when I let off the throttle, the vibration stops. Given it some gas and it comes right back.
I got off the highway and pulled in to a parking lot. Driving at parking lot speeds, accelerating or not, there is no vibration. Come to a stop either in gear or neutral, and the engine is rock solid steady. Then got back on the local streets and the vibration returned but only while accelerating, even gently.
At this point I should mention that we replace a bad motor mount a yr and a half ago when we bought the car, the upper passenger side. The mount damage was easily so it was an easy diagnose. Replacing it eliminated the vibration the car had at the time. We had also planned to replace the lower rear mount at the same time but the one we bought was defective, and the one we removed from the car looked fine, so we put it back in.
So now I am wondering if the rear mount has failed, but it is not possible to see the rubber unless you removed it. Could it be an issue with the engine itself, or do all these symptoms point to the mount?
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For the last few weeks my car has been making a winding sound at highway speeds. It sounds as if it is winding out at high rpms but it isn't. When I let off the gas, the sound doesn't decrease until the car begins to slow significantly. It also seems not to make the sound if I am going around a right hand curve. The car is a 2005 5-speed mazda 3.
What the problem might be? And is it safe to drive 600 miles back home before having it checked out. With the holiday, I don't have many options.
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I have a 2008 Mazda3. The car has a replaced engine with 24,000 miles on it. The engine was put in before I bought the car.The car and engine run like a top; except at certain RPMs and when in gear. When I have the car in any gear (auto), the engine makes a rougher noise at RPMs 1400-1700. As I apply more gas, the RPMs seem to get stuck at 1700, then it will break through and run smooth 2000+ RPMs. The engine sounds perfect at all RPMs except 1400-1700 when in gear. When I have it in park and rev the engine, the engine sounds perfect at all RPMs.
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Our 2005 Mazda 3 appears to have a problem with the thermostat. My mechanic read a check engine light code connected with a thermostat problem. My wife has noticed that the car seems to take longer to reach normal operating temperature than it used to (close to 15 minutes of driving). Other than probably diminishing the gas mileage and having to wait longer for nice heat is there any down-side to this problem? Is it likely to get worse and fail altogether? The shop guesstimates it will cost around $150.00 to replace.
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This issue with my 2003 Mazda Protege 5, manual transmission, has been going on for years. I'd like to sell the car, so I'd like to fix it.
On occasion I am unable to shift into first gear from a stopped position. This never happens in the late fall, winter, or early spring - it all seems to depend on how warm it is outside. It is always fine at the start of the trip, but becomes a problem in what seems like a period of time proportional to how warm it is outside. Again, when its cool outside, it pretty much doesn't happen. But once we pass 25C / 77F it is common, and will almost certainly happen on any trip of over a 10 minutes. The hotter the weather, the faster it shows up as a problem.
If I leave the car and come back after it cools down, first gear works fine again. And I can downshift into first gear as I come to a stop with no issues - I just hate riding the clutch like that, so I've been starting in second gear instead.
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I have a 2006 Mazda3 with about 112K miles on it and what I have noticed recently is that the steering shakes a lot. I looked up online for a possible cause and have found that wheel balancing could be a reason. I got wheels balanced and aligned but still there is still some vibration in the steering, so what do you think could be the reason? I have got rotors machined once before, like a year ago.
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I have a 2004 Mazda 3. I just had it inspected and cabin air filter replaced. Now, my car makes a loud noise when the a/c is on and I'm accelerating. The noise sounds like a fan is vibrating /something is blocking it or like a motor is rev-ing that shouldn't be. There definitely is something wrong that wasn't there before the filter/s replaced. I watched a Youtube video on it... a real pain to replace them, but it looked like the fithad to be pretty tight... Could the filters have been installed incorrectly or some part not put back together correctly?
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I hear a noise- what I can best describe as a metallic plucking sound - like a low metallic chord being plucked- when my automatic transmission 2008 Mazda3 shifts from first to second gear. It only happens the first time. I don't hear it after the car ihas been driving and is warmed up. Any thoughts on what could be happening?
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My mazda 3i is cutting out while driving. I added fuel injector additive to gas and it still cuts out. Battery check is fine. What the issue can be. RPM loss
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I've noticed this winter that my Mazda 3's heater is barely working using fresh air. It definitely gives out warmer air than the outside temperature, but not by a whole lot. If I turn on air recirculation, then the air becomes appropriately warm. What would cause the heater to work one way and not the other?
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I own a mazda 3 6 speed and im curious as how to test my clutch for slippage. I read on a old forum that to put the e brake up and put the car in 1st gear and release the clutch. When i did that my car tried to move but after a couple seconds i put it back in neutral. Another forum said to do the same but put it in 3rd as i released the clutch it stalled right away.
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My mechanic told me today that one of my struts on my 2006 Mazda3 (with 110k miles) is leaking and that the strut needs to be replaced. Is this something that has an impact on safety, or is it something I can stretch for a while longer? Is the strut going to break if it is leaking? Also, wouldn't I have to replace both of them?
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Is it ok/better/worse to skip gears while accelerating in a manual car? Example would be starting from a stop in 1st and going strait from 1st to 3rd gear. , I have a mazda 3 and i usually run 1st up to 3500 rpm or so and when i hit 3rd its around 1400 when I let the clutch out.
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My 2007 Mazda3 2.0 engine had the CEL on. took to autozone... gas cap code cleared. After the code was cleared next times I filled up, whether empty or 1/4 tank, car wouldn't start unless gas pedal is pushed to floor. Took to dealer. Dealer said code was for gas cap and maybe a vacuum hose. Did something to gas cap and cleared code. Light back on 2 days later with hard start still there. Replaced vacuum hose... CEL off, now 2 days later CEL off but still has the startup after fill up problem. At $90/hr I'm hesitant to return to dealer.
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Last weekend we noticed that the engine temp was spiking. I still does. Sometimes it's a matter of just 8 blocks of driving before it's up, during which the heater doesn't want to blow hot air. Or, it will have a normal operating temp around town, and then start to spike when we hit the highway, and the heater works fine then (it even seems to take some of the temp off of the engine, like it should.) I took it to Autozone to have them run codes and it came back with a faulty coolant temperature sensor (I don't remember the CEL code.)
I have the replacement sensor and can replace it, but I'm not convinced that this is the problem anymore. Yesterday I had the coolant flushed, but I still have overheating issues. In fact, it seemed to be worse on the ride home from the coolant flush. Anyway, I noticed riding back from Autozone today that it felt like the engine was braking, as if my car were a manual. Now, I've ridden a few manuals before, and the braking I felt wasn't as heavy as the braking you feel when you release the accelerator and the clutch is still engaged, but it's similar. I think I'm a little overdue for a transmission fluid change. Could that be it?
My Mazda3 is a 2008 automatic with the smaller engine. It's stock.
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