Hi, I've got an 88SE n/a automatic. My problem is I've got heat coming up around the shift lever if the windows or the sun-roof are open. I assume there is some sort sort of boot thingee that would go around the shift lever under the bezel to keep hot air from infiltrating into the cabin. I've checked the mazdatrix site but they don't list anything for an automatic. Also the bezell seems to be of a piece with the radio-heater control surround and the shop maual I've downloaded gives no direction for removing it. The auto transmission part shows a linkage adjustment that obviously has to be done from the top but gives no direction for removing the bezel, including how to take off-apart the OD switch and the the shifter button on the top of the shifter level. Any info-pictures would be appreciated.
Thanks
Gerard

 

Most likely you have an exhaust leak, albeit a small one. I'd start looking at that first.

 

There's no exhaust leak. I'm assuming that like a stick shift there's some kind of inner boot that keeps the hot air from being drawn into the cabin. It doesn't happen with the windows up and the sunroof closed. Doing a search on the topic turned up a number of posts, all of them about manual tran's, describing the same problems and that there was a inner boot that needed to be replaced. Also that the inner boot cought be had from mazdatrix. In checking the mazdatrix site, I found several different inner boots for sticks but nothing for automatics. Additionally the FSM I downloaded gives no info as mentioned above on taking the T-handle on the shifter off. Once again, anyone got any experiance-info on this?
Thanks again,
Gerard

 

i've taken out my shift console before to replace the deteriorated bushing on the shift selector with a teflon bushing. there was no boot. the mounting plate makes a good enough seal i suppose, if i remember correctly. however when i was burning coolant before my rebuild and had a leak in my cats, i did get smoke through that opening.

to remove the shift surround, remove the screw on the front side of the shift selector handle, then pull off the handle. next, pop off the surround with a screwdriver or something and pull it up. if you want to go deeper there are four bolts into the sheet metal (10 or 12 mm) holding the whole apparatus on. once you take everything off you can look right at the tranny.

it does sound like an exhaust leak though...

 

To take the handle off, put your parking brake on, then move the shifter all the way to "L". On the front of the shifter you should have two or three screws. Remove them. Handle comes off. Bingo. The reason the heat doesn't come in when the windows/sunroof are closed is because there is no air flow to allow the heat in. Open the windows, and the air has a place to go, so it goes there. Now, usually this is caused by an exhaust leak, but it is possible that the exhaust is just getting hot, but my very limited experience has shown this not to be the case. I had a small exhaust leak at the gasket between the main cat pipe and the exhaust manifold. I replaced that gasket, and I haven't had another problem with hot air coming in thru the boot.