Parts for your 2011 Mazda 6-Centre bearing

2011 Mazda 6 centre-bearing — what’s actually fitted

After checking technical references, it’s clear the 2011 Mazda 6 (GH series, Australian and New Zealand market) doesn’t use a tailshaft centre-bearing. The Mazda6 GH is a front-wheel-drive platform with a transverse engine and no propeller shaft to the rear, so there’s nothing for a centre support bearing to carry. This is borne out by the Mazda6 (GH) Workshop Manual under Driveline/Axle – Front Drive Shaft, which details left and right CV axles and the right-hand intermediate shaft assembly only, there’s no propeller shaft or centre support bearing section. The Mazda Electronic Parts Catalogue for GH likewise lists no centre-bearing under driveline for local models. General parts catalogues used in AU/NZ trade (e.g., Repco, Burson, NAPA) list CV shafts and an intermediate shaft support bearing, but no tailshaft centre support bearing for 2008–2012 Mazda 6.

Why no centre-bearing? The car’s FWD layout means the gearbox (transaxle) sends drive to two short front driveshafts. A centre-bearing is a tailshaft support used on rear-wheel-drive or AWD vehicles with a long, two-piece prop shaft running to a rear differential. Because the GH Mazda 6 doesn’t have that hardware, there’s simply no role for a centre-bearing. What sometimes causes confusion is the right-hand intermediate shaft support bearing on some FWD layouts, that’s a bracket-mounted bearing supporting the short intermediate shaft from the transaxle. It’s not a tailshaft centre-bearing, but people occasionally use the term loosely.

Chasing a vibration or rumble that seems like a “bad centre-bearing”? On a 2011 Mazda 6, it’s worth checking these instead:

• Right-hand intermediate shaft support bearing for play or roughness
• Inner and outer CV joints (clicks on lock, vibration under load)
• Engine and transmission mounts (idle shake, thumps on take-off)
• Wheel/tyre balance, flat spots, or out-of-round tyres
• Bent rims or worn hub rings after wheel changes

Note: A rare Japanese-import Mazda Atenza AWD wagon of the same era can have a propeller shaft with a centre support bearing, but that configuration wasn’t offered new in Australia or New Zealand for the 2011 Mazda 6.

FAQs

Does a 2011 Mazda 6 have a centre-bearing?
For Australian and New Zealand FWD models, no. There’s no propeller shaft, so no tailshaft centre-bearing is fitted. The driveline is a transaxle with two front driveshafts.

What part is often mistaken for a centre-bearing on this model?
The right-hand intermediate shaft support bearing. It supports the short shaft between the transaxle and the right CV axle and can cause rumble or vibration if worn, but it’s not a tailshaft centre-bearing.

If there’s a driveline vibration, what should be checked first?
Start with the CV joints, the intermediate shaft support bearing for play, engine/trans mounts, and wheel/tyre balance. These are the usual culprits on a FWD Mazda 6.