Parts for your 2008 Mazda Premacy-Centre bearing

2008 Mazda Premacy centre-bearing — is it actually a thing?

The 2008 Mazda Premacy (CR series, also sold as the Mazda 5) doesn’t use a centre-bearing in its driveline. This model is front-wheel drive only, so there’s no long, two-piece propeller shaft running down the centre of the car and therefore no chassis-mounted centre support (carrier) bearing to hold such a shaft up. Any mention of a “centre-bearing” for this car usually comes from mixing it up with the right-hand intermediate driveshaft support bearing found on many FWD Mazdas — that part is different in design and purpose.

Why isn’t a centre-bearing used here? The Premacy’s transverse engine and transaxle send power straight to the front wheels via two front drive shafts. To cut torque steer and keep things balanced, the right side uses an intermediate shaft that bolts to the engine block with a bracket and a pressed-in support bearing. That bearing is sometimes casually called a “centre-bearing”, but in Mazda literature it’s the intermediate shaft bearing, not a prop-shaft centre support. With no rear differential, no prop shaft, and a torsion-beam rear end, there’s simply nothing for a traditional centre support bearing to do on this vehicle.

It’s worth noting for context that some first-generation Premacy (1999–2005) Japanese-market 4WD models did have a propeller shaft and a centre support bearing. That’s a different platform and layout to the 2008 CR series. On the 2008 car, if there’s a rumble or vibration that sounds “driveline-ish”, the usual suspects are front wheel bearings, CV joints, engine/trans mounts, or the intermediate shaft bearing on the right side — not a centre-bearing in the classic rear-drive sense.

• Mazda 5/Premacy (CR, 2005–2010) Workshop Manual — Driveline/Axle: details only “Front Drive Shaft” and “Intermediate Shaft” with support bearing, no “Propeller Shaft” or “Centre Support Bearing” section.
• Mazda Electronic Parts Catalogue (EPC) for CR Premacy: lists front left/right drive shafts and a right-hand intermediate shaft assembly with bracket and bearing, no part listing for a propeller shaft or centre support bearing on CR models.
• Chassis specification guides for CR Premacy/Mazda 5: front-wheel drive layout, torsion-beam rear suspension, no rear differential.

FAQs

Does a 2008 Mazda Premacy have a centre-bearing to replace?
No. This model doesn’t use a propeller shaft, so there’s no centre support bearing to replace. If there’s vibration on acceleration or a droning from the right-hand side, workshops usually check the front wheel bearings, CV joints, and the right-hand intermediate shaft support bearing instead.

What’s the bearing people talk about on the right side of the Premacy?
That’s the intermediate driveshaft support bearing. It’s pressed onto the shaft and housed in a bracket bolted to the engine. It supports the longer right-hand shaft to control vibration and reduce torque steer. It’s not the same thing as a prop-shaft centre-bearing found on rear- or all-wheel-drive cars.

Were any Premacy models fitted with a true centre support bearing?
Earlier, first-generation Japanese-market 4WD Premacy variants used a propeller shaft with a centre support bearing. The 2008 CR series is front-wheel drive only, so it doesn’t have that component.