Just bought 2003 Matrix XR manual transmission

[Jankar]

I just bought a XR matrix 5spd with about 140,000 miles, car is in great shape and i love it so far. I have been doing some research on the internet about an annoying noise i keep hearing from the passenger side wheel (or at least sounds like its from there) seems like i hear it only at lower speeds when accelerating. In my search on the net i find a thread talking about all the issues that people are having with 03' XR 5spd's. I am now worried that i will too eventually have this issue. Has anyone here had an issue with theirs? I am afraid in the not too distant future i might be faced with the same issue and really don't want to deal with this.

Thanks.

[fishexpo101]

Need more information. Could you describe the noise you are hearing? Is it a scraping, ticking, grinding, thumping, etc? Metallic, high pitch, low pitch, seems to follow road speed, lower or higher intensity if you add more/less load?

Note that only a fraction of the all the Matrix 5-speeds seem to have problems. That said, I'd want to drain and refill the transaxle ASAP, just to see if there is any shaving in there that you need to keep an eye on. Brand and weight of gear oil seems to vary from car to car - some like heavier weights, some like lighter weights.

Personally, I like to stick with Redline MT-90 on all my manual transaxles that take a 75W90 GL-4 gear oil. Some have had great like with GM Syncromesh / Pennsoil Syncromesh gear oil in their cars. Especially if the shifter feels a bit notchy, get some grinding between gears.

[Jankar]

The noise i am hearing is a thumping noise, low pitch, and seems to only happen at lower speeds when i am putting a load on it. I hear like 2-3 thumps and then its gone, when i shift again does the same thing then gone. seems to only hapen through 3rd that i can notice or hear. Hope this clarifies this for you, anyone else hear anything like this?

[fishexpo101]

Sounds like the engine is rocking back on its mounts - especially if it is only through the first three gears - where you can get a decent amount of load on the engine.

Double check the suspension mounting points - especially around the struts and lower ball joint, as those can make deeper, thumping noise as well.

Sway bar endlinks area also likely problems areas. All of the above are quite likely, given the age and mileage of the car.