MX-5 OC Forum

Hi - My son has a MK3 which is 4 years old and done 30K. It has developed a distinct "Whine" that seems to be coming from the rear of the car. The noise only comes in at 50mph and above and is only there when the car is under load. If you dip the clutch or freewheel it all goes nice and quite.

Would appreciate your thoughts regarding what it could be.

Thanks

Rod

 Hi Rod

Had the same problem 50 mph, diff was rebuilt at £600.00 whine was still there eventually diff was replaced another £600.00 this was all done under my guarantee, it may have somthing to do with the way the brakes have been tested for MOT on a rolling road LSD should not be tested on rolling road brakes some tabs snaps off in diff which then float arround in diff causing damage, if you scroll through the transmission forum you will find more info, I hope your son has guarantee, if not go for the recon diff rather than a rebuild on yours, took nearly a month to sort mine, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the car will be worth it when done.

Steve 

 Hi Rod, Steve,

Steve's car is the only post about a failed diff on any Mk3 I've seen. As his is 1.8 I don't think it will have an lsd so let's hope it is nothing to do with that. That only seems to have affected some Mk2.5 from 2002/3/4 

I'd change the gearbox and diff oil by all means but would check prop uj, wheel bearings, or old worn tyres first.

 Ok I was told it was a LSD when removed, what Rod is discribing is exactly what  I had, still say its the Diff, would be intrested to find out how you get on, sorry if I have miss led anybody.

Rod

Not sure the link below will work not that good at links, but this makes intresting reading, my MK3 is a 55 plate 2006 not sure if this makes a diference LCD or not.

Cheers

Steve

http://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/forums/t/19726.aspx

 Hi Steve,

Yes I remember your problem and am glad you got it sorted. I don't recall it involved lsd though and afaik the Mk3 1.8 did not have lsd fitted on any model or option, that link is to one of the Mk2.5 cars.

It could still be diff whine though of course like you had but I've never seen it reported except on yours. A mate of mine has recently sold his 2006 1.8 with 126K on it and running sweet as a nut so I think they are usually long lived.

Thanks for the replies. My son's car is a basic 1.8 so would assume no lsd. He has only owned it a couple of months and this "Whine" has only just started (or been noticed). Will have him do the basics and see if there is any improvement. Would it be worth putting Molyslip into the Diff whilst he at it?

Regards

Rod

No, only use the recommended oil in the diff.

Do a diff oil change and check that there are no leaks (measure the volume that comes out) or bits of swarf. If that's not fixed it, you'd need to get it on a rolling road to find out exactly where it's coming from as the 'replace bits til it goes away' technique will prove very pricey on a diff!

Hi - Well my son took his MK3 in for a full service at a MAZDA dealership (incidentaly it has only done 22K and has had three previous services done by Mazda). They were made aware of the "Whine" before they started. It turns out that there was a load of metal on the Diff Plug and the oil that came out was black. They even took pictures to show him. In their view a clear indication that the Diff was on the way out. Andrew was quoted £1400 for a replacement unit plus £400 fitting plus VAT!!!!!

What to do next?

Have suggested he

1- Contacts Mazda UK and tells them of the issue. Its out of warranty but who knows they might accept some liability.

2 - Get back to Fords of Winsford who sold him the car back in April. Again no warranty (30 days only) but surely this should have been spotted if they bothered to service the car before pick up?

3 - Starts looking for a Re-Furbished unit. Any reccomendations where to start?

Any other ideas?

Is he safe driving the car in this condition?

Thanks for your help

Best regards - Rod

Rod

 Sorry to hear this, I was convinced thats what it was, bits on the drain plug black oil that smelt pritty bad to I should think, go for the recon diff I have sen them on e-bay for £580.00, I would say Mazda should take some responsiblity having been serviced by them and only done 22k, kick up a bit thats what I did with mine and got a complete repacement at £0.00 cost to me.

Good luck lets us know how you get on

Steve

60Rod:

Is he safe driving the car in this condition?

Well...probably. It's impossible to tell how long it will last before failing. When it fails it might do so gracefully (lose drive) or catastrophically (sieze solid). When that happens he might be pootling along in a straight line, or he might be doing 90mph around a left hander with a lorry coming the other way.

I had a diff fail on my old Spitfire and was lucky  as it failed gracefully...the worst damage was my back, from bending over and picking all the bits up off the road. Mind you, for the few hundred miles just prior to this, the car sounded like I was towing an oil barrel full of bolts along behind me.

 Hi Rod and Steve, That's sad to hear and I'm really surprised. I wonder if there was a bad batch, your 2 diffs would both be 1.8 open diffs I think but are 2 years apart so perhaps just unfortunate statistics and maybe a case of only hearing when one goes wrong. Please let us know how it goes Rod.

On the warranty issue there is little known law under the Sales of Goods Act 1979 applying to major items saying they must be of satisfactory quality, last a reasonable length of time, and be fit for the purpose. This lasts 6 years in UK and 5 years in Scotland and is regardless of any 1 year, 3 year, etc guarantees that may have been given. It is against the seller and also applies to secondhand goods. I would definitely take the details to Trading Standards for advice in your exact situation. Manufacturers don't shout about it for obvious reasons but we recently had a £1000 repair done FOC on a 3 1/2 year old car which they'd first started off saying was "out of warranty" and was clearly a manufacturing defect. Our case may have been easier as we bought from new, serviced, and claimed at the same retail garage, but your 22K documented miles is not acceptable. 

My thanks to everone for their comments. The latest is that my son has contacted Mazda UK and explained the situation. They agree that the Diff should not have failed at this milage and are contacting the dealer who did the last service to get their views first hand. They have promised to get back to Andrew in 2/3 days.

Will let you know how things progress.

Thanks again - Rod

MAZDA CUSTOMER SERVICE STINKS

Hi All - As you might guess from the above MAZDA have, in a very rude and abrupt manner, refused to accept any liability for the DIFF disintergrating on a 4 year old , 22k, MK3. Basically saying "Tough" it's no longer under warranty. 

Next step "Fords of Winsford" who, I hope, care more than MAZDA for their reputation. 

Will keep you informed.

Rod

60Rod:

refused to accept any liability for the DIFF disintergrating on a 4 year old , 22k, MK3

Hardly surprising unfortunately...but then again, you never accept the first offer you receive. Try a firmer letter, mentioning that any reasonable person would expect such a major and expensive component on a car to last more than it has. Mention section 14 of the Sale of Goods Act:

For the purposes of this Act, goods are of satisfactory quality if they meet the standard that a reasonable person would regard as satisfactory, taking account of any description of the goods, the price (if relevant) and all the other relevant circumstances.

Any length of warranty is irrelevant.