Help with an engine noise?

[Thefriar]

Im getting slight engine (i think) noise kind of a very light knock or heavy rattle not enough to set an engine light though, under moderate to heavy load more noticable when cold, and i hear it best in lower gears (im guessing cause of road noise and hearing loss lol) Car has 150,000 miles on it drivetrain is all original as far as i know except the timing belt, ive owned it since 105,000 and it has also had moderate clutch chatter since ive owned it so for all i know the sound could be a tranny noise caused from the clutch chatter.

Help?

 

[br289165]

Do you know if the VTCS bolt issue in the intake manifold was ever taken care of?

Im getting slight engine (i think) noise kind of a very light knock or heavy rattle not enough to set an engine light though, under moderate to heavy load more noticable when cold, and i hear it best in lower gears (im guessing cause of road noise and hearing loss lol) Car has 150,000 miles on it drivetrain is all original as far as i know except the timing belt, ive owned it since 105,000 and it has also had moderate clutch chatter since ive owned it so for all i know the sound could be a tranny noise caused from the clutch chatter.

Help?

 

[Thefriar]

I am assuming not
the guy who owned it before be just used it as a good gas mileage daily driver

 

[Thefriar]

Btw its an 02 protege lx 2.0L

 

[MazdaSpeeder]

Is is more like knocking due to detonation/bad gas? How long has it been doing it? Have the plugs been changed recently? Do you only hear it under throttle (not at idle)?

 

[Thefriar]

I only hear it under load.
Last time i did plugs was prob 30,000 miles ago give or take a few.
and it doesnt sound like detonation it seems to quiet to be detonation.
and its all stock so im just running regular (88 octane). I just started to notice it about 20,000 miles ago or so



"Do you know if the VTCS bolt issue in the intake manifold was ever taken care of? "
Whats the scoop on this vcts bolt?

 

[br289165]

The late '02 (my car) and early '03 FSDE motors(ours) had butterfly valves inside the intake manifolds, fastened by small screws which could possibly come loose, entering the combustion chamber, causing I guess a louud ticking noise in the engine. I had mine corrected early, before they came off, so I didn't have the problem. There's threads more specific on the issues if you search the forum. Also, if you want to quote a post like this one, just click on quote instead of having to retype what you are asking about,much easier for you.

I only hear it under load.
Last time i did plugs was prob 30,000 miles ago give or take a few.
and it doesnt sound like detonation it seems to quiet to be detonation.
and its all stock so im just running regular (88 octane). I just started to notice it about 20,000 miles ago or so



"Do you know if the VTCS bolt issue in the intake manifold was ever taken care of? "
Whats the scoop on this vcts bolt?

 

[Thefriar]

werd yea i know i just copied and pasted typing is da devil

 

[br289165]

So is it a loud rattle in the motor?

werd yea i know i just copied and pasted typing is da devil

 

[Thefriar]

no its not that loud and it been happening for at least 4 to 5 oil changes so i doubt its anything inside the combustion chamber or it would have destroyed the motor by now

 

[dandan2]

probably an exhaust leak!

 

[br289165]

Crank bearing? Hope not!

no its not that loud and it been happening for at least 4 to 5 oil changes so i doubt its anything inside the combustion chamber or it would have destroyed the motor by now

 

[Thefriar]

probably an exhaust leak!

Would happen all the time not just under load so it cant be

 

[Thefriar]

Crank bearing? Hope not!

hope not as well but that should get louder as the engine warms and the oil thins so i kinda doubt it

and one would think if it was a crank brg making noise for this long it would have given out already

ive been driving with this noise for months now and no catastrophic failures so it doubt it's anything like that

i want to lean towards piston slap since thats the only thing i can think of that would go away with warm up, since brg noises tend to get louder with heat

 

[usel3ss]

I'm having the same problem with my car I had a slight noise from a few months back and now tonight on my way to work when I got off the freeway it was ok but when I drove a little way the slight noise turn to a loud noise. I stop and started to cross the road but my car just bearly moved across took it a long time to finally catch and started speeding up but the noise was still there. A few times it sounded like something was rattling from underneath the car and make noise from the engine at the same time... Before the slight noise would happen when I was trying to stay at speed limit and as of tonight it just got worse....

I had changed my plugs/wires and oil change 3,000 Miles. if someone could help me out on what it might be.

 

[Maroon]

Any updates on this? Did you guys figure out this problem. It sounds like what I have.