Ok, I don't have a P5, but I'm considering buying one.

Do you find that this to be a big issue with these cars? I've heard about this problem from a friend of mine, but he's kind of a jackass, and didn't really believe him.

Any other problems that are noteworthy?

Thanks in advance.

I have had my car for over a year, 14000 kms. And this is the first time it happened. Honestly it didn't happen today, and it only gave two hicuups at the first two stop signs less than 100' from my house. So is it a big problem, no. Am I concerned? Not with 4 years left on my power train warrenty. I don't beat on my car in the first 5 minutes so if this is the exent of the problem, I would rather live with it than rip the tranny apart, even under warrenty. If it gets worse my opinion may change.
Stocker.

Fucking Clutch
 

This also happens to my car in the same way stocker's does.(2 stop sings 100 feet from my house) I let my car warm up in the morning most of the times but it happens randomly cold or warm. Wonder what Mazda has to say about it.

:squint fi

I had the same problem with the cltch skipping. After a few tries at the dealer, we were stumped. After some investagative surgery the dealer just replaced the clutch plate and flywheel.

Now it seems to be work as planned.:)

Man, our trannies really suck, don't they? Not engaging in gear, synchros not synchronizing, falling out of gear...hmmm.

I don't know, mine seems pretty friendly after it warms up. The worst trans I've ever experienced was in my '89 Mekur XR4-Ti. It crunched even when you were taking it easy. They also had a tendency to blow apart after a while. Too weak for the 175 HP it put out. Fun car except for that and the brakes which warped the rotors every 6000 miles. It will be interesting to see how our trannies hold up in the MSP.

BTW my clutch just started doing this stutter thing a couple weeks back. I agree with Stocker, if it stays minimal I'll live with for a while, if it gets worse, hello warranty.

I have this problem with my 02 ES. It only happens when I first start to drive in the morning or after awhile of not driving. I just figured the clutch had to warm up a little first because isn't the clutch like a brakepad? Maybe my understanding is wrong, but after a few shifts , it's warmed up enough to work well.

-Jon

Clutch Stutter
 

This happens to my p5 every morning if I don't let it warm up for about 5 mins. If I'm in a hurry, I'll just wind up, then let out the clutch. After the car warms up, goes into 1st gear w/o stutter virtually every time. Sounds like alot of people are noticing the same problem. My dealer requested the car be left overnight, so their mechanic could duplicate it. Gonna take it in soon.

I noticed this problem too, but I found my fix. Get the FRONT eurethane engine mount (rear would make it way too harsh and not worth the install time). Once I put it on, all the chatter went away. I do think its a clutch problem, but the engine mount seem to deaden the effect. The only downfall is that there is more vibration.

I got my car back today with a new clutch under warranty. The dealer (NorthHill Mazda) said that everything appeared fine. They replaced the clutch disk and cover, and left the flywheel alone, satating there appeared to be no problem with it. I will run it for a while and see if the problem reoccurs. Nothing so far, but it is quite warm here today and it wouldn't normally happen under those conditions. I had no issues with getting them to do the work, they were more than happy to deal with it for me.

Dale.

Thanks for putting those up Edwin.

I've got a '99 and have about 83,000km on it. I use to always get clutch shutter, specially in the mornings. Ever since I put on my sparkco wires, its stopped..

About the motor mounts..
 

I just recently replaced my motor mounts with urethane ones. ( I thought it was clutch chatter but it was the mounts) The problem was instantly eliminated. I would strongly recommend replacing the stock pieces with more rigid ones if you are running an aftermarket intake system - The brake master cylinder likes to dent and possibly punch holes in the intake tube. I went through two different intakes before i figured this out. Now if I can only handle the constant vibration that the motor mounts cause. My car now feels like a 70's muscle car.

P.S. Running urethane engine mounts w/ a lightened flywheel AND a beefier clutch is NOT recommended for daily drivers. Keep the stock clutch. Trust me, I know.

TheMAN... a few questions please... do you know what the release date of this TSB was? I took my P5 in to the dealer for the clutch chatter problem about 2 weeks ago and they specifically told me that there were no TSBs on it. Im hoping that they werent lying to me. A second dealer said they would check for me (for a TSB) about a week ago, but I never got a call back from them.

I printed the list of the TSBs on the FAQ page and plan to take it in to show them. Do you know if the id numbers that are part of the TSB title are the ones they use in the dealers?... so I can tell them to look it up by the number if necessary.

Also, where do you get all this great info from:) are you a mazda tech or something?

I brought my P5 in to the Mazda dealer, they kept the car overnight, tested for clutch stutter the next morning, they were able to duplicate the problem. They found the service bulletin and replaced 3 parts - clutch disc, fly wheel and housing. The car no longer stutters at anytime, smooth engagement now. Covered under warranty - even the loaner car, its a beautiful thing.