Sean Quach

Hello mazda 3 owners, I have been having these problems with my 2005 mazda 3 2.3s hatchback with 160k on it. Here we go...
1. Third Gear Shift Vibration
So what happens is when the car is cold as I shift into third no vibrating occurs in the ****, but after 15 minutes or so, the vibrations start to occur. It wonder if it could be the syncros in the transmission that are worn?

2. Rough Idle Occuring While Car Is Slowing Down with Clutch Engaged
When the car is slowing down with my clutch in my revs jump up and down between 500-1000 as if it is going to stall, but when i stop the car completely the revs stabilize to normal. Whats going on? EGR valve or MAF sensor, i dont know exactly what to check. So it would be nice if someone could give me suggestions on what I should be inspecting?

3. While im turning right, I hear a scraping noise coming from the front right wheel well as if something is touching...could it just be snow since i drive in the winter?

4. Im noticing a lot of engine vibrations especially after hitting bumps on the road, it is felt like an after-vibration occuring. Suspecting motor mounts that are blown? I saw a crack in the plastic so Im guessing its broken then...

5. The ride quality is somewhat bouncy, and when I accelerate over a bump, MASSIVE wheel hop occurs, so could it also be due to motor mounts/shocks?

A problematic car, but at least its fun to drive and it works My entire family owns Mazdas (CX9, RX8)

djs2571

1. 3rd gear vibration- i'd guess this is related to the motor mount, not sure why it takes 15 mins to start though.

2. rough idle - check for cracks in the air intake hose, I know other cars will do this "hunting idle" with intake air leaks.

3. have you looked to see if anything looks like it's contacting the wheel? Snow does build up... but is the scraping metalic or plastic sounding?

4. the 2005 I think had a recall on motor mounts. This may tie into the shocks in answer 5 too, bumps and bad shocks can let the wheel bounce.

5. Ride quality should be good, when is the last time shocks / struts were replaced?
As for wheel hop on acceleraing, i've had that issue on mine and think it's a geometry problem, or due to soft mounts for the suspension components for a smoother ride. My wheels hop when spinning out but it depends on the surface. I haven't done it much to know exactly what times it will happen though.

Good luck figuring out the issues.