Question regarding tranny fluid requirements for a '02 Protege ES
 

I have a 5-spd Protege ES 2.0 with 108k kms on it.

A few months ago I went to the Mazda dealer for servicing and they changed the transmission fluid. They said that my Protege uses automatic transmission fluid even though its a manual. Is this correct? I just found out this board now that's why I'm asking 3 months later.

The reason I ask is because I find the shifting to be quite rough in the lower gears and for some reason the drivetrain noise is much louder and rougher as well.

Not even close.
The owners manual for my '02 P5 5-speed lists 75w90 for all climates and 80w90 for warm climates.
It lists ATF M-V for automatics.
They couldn't possibly make a mistake as stupid as that... could they!? Manuals have used 90 weight since the beginning of time

Welcome to the Forum.

Dump that ATF as soon as possible before you damage your transmission. Not only does the FSM call for SAE 75W-90 oil it also specifies an oil with an API service rating of GL-4 or GL-5. This latter rating is a measure of the extreme pressure additives incorporated into the oil to insure proper operation. ATF does not contain these additives so problems can occur. It's unbelievable that a dealer would make such an error.

My advice is to replace the ATF with a synthetic M/T oil such as Red Line MT-90.

If you want more complete information on M/T oils, check out:
www.clubprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11672

do you have any proof that they suggested ATF and even installed regular ATF in the tranny? If so they just bought you a new tranny.

Redline 75w90 is a good bet as is Royal Purple.

just fyi though, Hondas use 10w30 motor oil in their manual transmissions.....so it's not unheard of.

Just to add my input:
Ive been having some shifting problems with my 02 p5.. (harsh shifting when going up to 3rd), and i had been running Mobin 1 Synthetic Gear oil. I replaced it with RedLine MTL and it did wonders, not only the shifting is smoother, but the shifting problems is gone as well. Never tried Royal Purple, but ive heard its awesome as well.

Red Line is an excelent product but MTL may be a bit too low in viscosity since Red Line rates it as a 70W-80 oil. Since the FSM specifies 75W-90 for all season use, Red Line MT-90 would be the better and safer choice.

Check out: www.redlineoil.com

goldstar speakeths the troof

...check the color. ATF is red.

And, that interesting tidbit about Honda transmissions has some historical significance. Honda was the world's largest motorcycle maker long before they ever built cars in significant volume. Motorcycle crankcases and transmission housings are almost always shared, and thus use the same oil. I guess Honda knew how to build a transmission that eschewed gear oil for standard motor oil, and they never deviated from it (even long after they learned how to build separate transmissions and engines).

Here's another vote for Reline MT90. I purchased it from Summit Racing. Got here in 4 days.

I just found my Mazda invoice and it lists "0000-23-ATF3 AUTO/TRANS" as the replacement transmission fluid. I got it replaced approximately 4 months ago and I've added 7000km of driving from that date. If I remember correctly the service advisor mentioned that the manual transmissions use the same oil as the autos. I think Mazda should replace the transmission but I'm not sure what type of damage has been caused by the use of incorrect transmission oil and whether Mazda will consider this significant to warrant a replacement transmission. Does anyone have any insight before I talk to the Mazda dealer tomorrow?

Thanks a lot!

The only "insight" you should need is to whip out your owners manual and show them the part where is says 75-90wt fluid for the manual transmission.

And then take all your future business elsewhere. Any dealer that makes that kind of mistake will no doubt make more.

get them to pay, tell them its slipping lol, hahha get a new tranny, Hey at 100+ km, your on your own

I went to the dealer today and they claim that it's just a mistake on the invoice. They said they use standard oil containers for ATF fluid and for manual transmission fluid, they have a barrel with a pump to insert it, so it's impossible for them to put ATF fluid in the tranny. I think I'll switch to MT-90 and see what colour the existing fluid is.

Thanks a lot everyone for your help.

dude i would have them do another flush just to make sure, remember your out side warrenty, so at least here you have them on the tail, ulness you were there and saw them pump in the right one, i would demand a empty and a flush,