Every morning, or after the car has sat for a while, there is a loud clank from the engine area when I shift it into reverse. Sometimes I hear the same clank when shifting into drive, but not always.
I brought it into the mechanic thinking it was something to do with the transmission. He said the transmission is fine and that the noise is coming from the "drivetrain spacer" and it'll cost $500 to fix. He also said that fixing it is optional.
So, here are my questions.... what does this spacer actually do? Should I bother fixing it? Will something wear out faster if I don't fix it? Will it affect performance, fuel efficiency, safety, etc.?
Thx
[UPDATE: 2017-Mar-15]
Well, I finally got rid of my 2004 Mazda, mostly because it was so rusted it became unsafe to drive. It did me well: 13 years & 286,000 km.
The problem in this question never resulted in anything breaking. Nothing in the engine, transmission or drivetrain failed because of it.