Odd metallic clanging on acceleration

D

dldude

:
CX-5
Hey all, I've got a 2017 CX-5 Touring. It's at 55k miles and just last weekend I began to hear this noise: Streamable Video

This video is at a stop and I'm revving the engine ever so slightly. It seems directly connected to the accelerator pedal. When I'm driving full speed (Let's say 50mph), and I want to go to 55mph, I hear it right as I depress the pedal slightly to speed up. When I release the pedal the sound is gone. It has no effect on power or mileage, but does sound like a metal-on-metal clang, which is never good.

Anyone experienced this sort of problem? I called Mazda and explained, yet they want $130 to look at it and warned that anything other than engine internals isn't part of the warranty, so I'm pretty sure they're going to deny any warranty claim. Not sure I want to spend $130 to find that out.
 
dldude said:
Hey all, I've got a 2017 CX-5 Touring. It's at 55k miles and just last weekend I began to hear this noise: Streamable Video

This video is at a stop and I'm revving the engine ever so slightly. It seems directly connected to the accelerator pedal. When I'm driving full speed (Let's say 50mph), and I want to go to 55mph, I hear it right as I depress the pedal slightly to speed up. When I release the pedal the sound is gone. It has no effect on power or mileage, but does sound like a metal-on-metal clang, which is never good.

Anyone experienced this sort of problem? I called Mazda and explained, yet they want $130 to look at it and warned that anything other than engine internals isn't part of the warranty, so I'm pretty sure they're going to deny any warranty claim. Not sure I want to spend $130 to find that out.
Click to expand...

That doesn't sound normal to me at all. Maybe that's engine knock?


dldude said:
Anyone experienced this sort of problem? I called Mazda and explained, yet they want $130 to look at it and warned that anything other than engine internals isn't part of the warranty, so I'm pretty sure they're going to deny any warranty claim. Not sure I want to spend $130 to find that out.
Click to expand...

I don't have any experience with this problem, but I wanted to mention that your dealer is full of it. The warranty covers a lot more than just engine internals. From the current Warranty Booklet:

powertrain coverage.JPG


If they try to deny warranty, you'd be able to make your case with Mazda Corporate, who should intervene on your behalf to get the car repaired.
 
Wow! I specifically asked about the tensioner (as I had read it was a potential source) and he said that nor any belts were covered. I called him out and asked if my Powertrain would function without the tensioner and he said "no". Definitely full of it. Hopefully it doesn't end up a fight.
 
dldude said:
Hey all, I've got a 2017 CX-5 Touring. It's at 55k miles and just last weekend I began to hear this noise: Streamable Video

This video is at a stop and I'm revving the engine ever so slightly. It seems directly connected to the accelerator pedal. When I'm driving full speed (Let's say 50mph), and I want to go to 55mph, I hear it right as I depress the pedal slightly to speed up. When I release the pedal the sound is gone. It has no effect on power or mileage, but does sound like a metal-on-metal clang, which is never good.

Anyone experienced this sort of problem? I called Mazda and explained, yet they want $130 to look at it and warned that anything other than engine internals isn't part of the warranty, so I'm pretty sure they're going to deny any warranty claim. Not sure I want to spend $130 to find that out.
Click to expand...
Can you find another Mazda dealer?

My guess is engine mounts which is covered under 5-year / 60,000-mile powertrain wartanty. The dealer isn’t supposed to charge any diagnostic fee for any problem under warranty.
 
dldude said:
Wow! I specifically asked about the tensioner (as I had read it was a potential source) and he said that nor any belts were covered. I called him out and asked if my Powertrain would function without the tensioner and he said "no". Definitely full of it. Hopefully it doesn't end up a fight.
Click to expand...
No, the problematic (serpentine) belt tensioner isn’t covered under powertrain warranty.
 
dldude said:
It seems directly connected to the accelerator pedal. When I'm driving full speed (Let's say 50mph), and I want to go to 55mph, I hear it right as I depress the pedal slightly to speed up. When I release the pedal the sound is gone.
Click to expand...
In the video, I hear something that sounds like an exhaust leak and around the 3 second mark, I hear something that resembles the chirpy sound of older clutch throw out bearings.

I can't make out any metal-on-metal clang noise from the video.

Does the frequency of the "clang" rise and fall with engine speed or vehicle speed? Does it happen only when you're burning fuel (on the gas) or also in the interval when you release the accelerator and when engine speed drops to about 1000 or below?

Tensioner check: Do you hear it particularly loud on cold start-up?
 
yrwei52 said:
Can you find another Mazda dealer?

My guess is engine mounts which is covered under 5-year / 60,000-mile powertrain wartanty. The dealer isn’t supposed to charge any diagnostic fee for any problem under warranty.
Click to expand...
They only charge the fee if it's NOT under warranty, but I/They don't really know that until they diagnose. I understand that, however the one guy I spoke to seemed a bit squirrely about what was covered when I asked about potential sources.
 
dynamho said:
In the video, I hear something that sounds like an exhaust leak and around the 3 second mark, I hear something that resembles the chirpy sound of older clutch throw out bearings.

I can't make out any metal-on-metal clang noise from the video.

Does the frequency of the "clang" rise and fall with engine speed or vehicle speed? Does it happen only when you're burning fuel (on the gas) or also in the interval when you release the accelerator and when engine speed drops to about 1000 or below?

Tensioner check: Do you hear it particularly loud on cold start-up?
Click to expand...
The clang only rises and falls when I'm on the gas, but it does seem to match engine speed. As soon as I let go of the gas it goes away. In fact, I can kind of "Make" it do this by pressing the gas and finding a sweet spot, which is what I did in the video while in Neutral.

No sound at startup. Only when on the gas
 
I detect what sounds like sheet metal. Like when the catalytic converter heat shield is loose and vibrates. I'd start by putting it on a lift and do the old "look and shake" routine and revving up while on lift also. If nothing is noticeable from above while peering under the hood, I'd put it in the air or at least crawl under for a peek.
Do you have a local shop that might look at it for a modest charge. Something like this doesn't necessarily require a Mazda dealer. Years ago, I paid a $20 "lift fee" to have my car raised. After explaining the noise, the mechanic poked around and located a piece of exhaust manifold heat shield that rusted off and was lodged on the top of the subframe. End of metallic noise that I couldn't find and was making me crazy.
 
Jmaz said:
I detect what sounds like sheet metal. Like when the catalytic converter heat shield is loose and vibrates. I'd start by putting it on a lift and do the old "look and shake" routine and revving up while on lift also. If nothing is noticeable from above while peering under the hood, I'd put it in the air or at least crawl under for a peek.
Do you have a local shop that might look at it for a modest charge. Something like this doesn't necessarily require a Mazda dealer. Years ago, I paid a $20 "lift fee" to have my car raised. After explaining the noise, the mechanic poked around and located a piece of exhaust manifold heat shield that rusted off and was lodged on the top of the subframe. End of metallic noise that I couldn't find and was making me crazy.
Click to expand...
It does sound like sheet metal to me too in a lot of ways, though weird it ONLY goes with throttle. Seems directly connected to something in regards to that. Unfortunately I do not have a mechanic I trust. Came from a 100k mi Hyundai warranty to Mazda, so I've been under a warranty my adult life, lol.
 
dldude said:
finding a sweet spot
Click to expand...
To me, this implies that there is a resonating frequency range, so it's probably something loose. Whether that something loose is a critical component or not is unknown.

Perhaps, what Jmaz suggests might be worth checking out. Exhaust heat shields vibrate and can get loose over time, especially if the car's been through a few winters.
 
Well, got back from the dealer this morning.

Guy said the oil was low. When this problem first started I checked the oil (Which is damn near impossible in this car). Seemed like it might be low so I put about 2 Quarts of oil in there just to be safe, even though the oil light never came on nor did the engine show any signs of overheating. I do admit I am a bit late (~15k miles since the last one, and yes I know that's really long but this was over the COVID period where it wasn't quite as simple as it was in previous years) on the oil change, however with no evidence of any issues, especially the oil light, I didn't move quickly on it. The guy said there were no leaks of any kind in the oil system.

He says and oil change should solve the problem, so they do one. They bring the car out and say we're all fixed, however I rev it the very first time in the parking low and the sound is obviously still there. It's like they didn't even check? He says it could be the valve lifters potentially. No more than 5mins later he gets an "Update" from his foreman saying it's the Rod Bearings that are worn out and the whole engine needs replaced for $8600. Of course, this is out of warranty because I cannot prove an oil change was done in the last 5000 miles.

I'm obviously pretty skeptical considering they
A) Said it was fixed after the oil change
B) Listed a few guesses as to what the problem could be
C) Came back within 5minutes with a CERTAIN answer to the problem, even though it was never mentioned before.

Seems to me like they don't really know what the sound is, so replacing the engine is the easiest option. Guess I'll take it to a private garage and see if they can diagnose it

If it truly was an oil problem, I guess I'm pretty surprised a 2017 vehicle could run out of oil without the oil light coming on, and cause the kind of damage that would require an engine replacement. Seeing that many brands are well up to 10k miles between changes.
 
Last edited:
dldude said:
Well, got back from the dealer this morning.

Guy said the oil was low. When this problem first started I checked the oil (Which is damn near impossible in this car). Seemed like it might be low so I put about 2 Quarts of oil in there just to be safe, even though the oil light never came on nor did the engine show any signs of overheating. I do admit I am a bit late (~15k miles since the last one, and yes I know that's really long but this was over the COVID period where it wasn't quite as simple as it was in previous years) on the oil change, however with no evidence of any issues, especially the oil light, I didn't move quickly on it. The guy said there were no leaks of any kind in the oil system.

He says and oil change should solve the problem, so they do one. They bring the car out and say we're all fixed, however I rev it the very first time in the parking low and the sound is obviously still there. It's like they didn't even check? He says it could be the valve lifters potentially. No more than 5mins later he gets an "Update" from his foreman saying it's the Rod Bearings that are worn out and the whole engine needs replaced for $8600. Of course, this is out of warranty because I cannot prove an oil change was done in the last 5000 miles.

I'm obviously pretty skeptical considering they
A) Said it was fixed after the oil change
B) Listed a few guesses as to what the problem could be
C) Came back within 5minutes with a CERTAIN answer to the problem, even though it was never mentioned before.

Seems to me like they don't really know what the sound is, so replacing the engine is the easiest option. Guess I'll take it to a private garage and see if they can diagnose it

If it truly was an oil problem, I guess I'm pretty surprised a 2017 vehicle could run out of oil without the oil light coming on, and cause the kind of damage that would require an engine replacement. Seeing that many brands are well up to 10k miles between changes.
Click to expand...

Yeah I think if you don't follow the maintenance schedule, it's grounds for voiding the warranty, which is unfortunate to say the least.

I would be very skeptical as well, but I wouldn't be surprised. This is typical of all dealership service centers - they would much rather throw parts at a problem than spend time diagnosing and repairing. That $8600 quote is very high as well, you can probably cut it down to less than half of that by going to a reputable independent shop and sourcing a used engine (all assuming that the engine is actually the problem, and that the existing engine can't be repaired).

Since the dealership may no longer honour the warranty, you might as well take it to a good independent shop and see what they say.
 
dldude said:
Well, got back from the dealer this morning.

Guy said the oil was low. When this problem first started I checked the oil (Which is damn near impossible in this car).
Click to expand...
If you check the oil level the first thing in the morning before the engine start, it’ll be much easier to see the oil level on the dipstick.


dldude said:
Seemed like it might be low so I put about 2 Quarts of oil in there just to be safe, even though the oil light never came on nor did the engine show any signs of overheating.
Click to expand...
The SkyActiv-G 2.5L in your 2017 CX-5 doesn’t have cylinder deactivation, and it doesn’t have oil level sensor. The only warning you could get is the low oil pressure warning light.

77641BE1-2CC0-4F56-99F4-2C55F627FE8E.jpeg


As long as the oil pump pickup inlet can get oil, the oil pressure warning light won’t be on even though the oil level is very low. From my personal experience, the oil pressure warning light had never come on when the oil level was 2.5 quarts short from a total 4.4 quarts of oil capacity due to drain plug leak (dealer did the oil change) on my 2018 Toyota Yaris iA with Mazda’s 1.5L. With 2 quarts low, your engine definitely could be damaged if you keep driving even though the low oil pressure warning light has never come on.


dldude said:
I do admit I am a bit late (~15k miles since the last one, and yes I know that's really long but this was over the COVID period where it wasn't quite as simple as it was in previous years) on the oil change, however with no evidence of any issues, especially the oil light, I didn't move quickly on it. The guy said there were no leaks of any kind in the oil system.

He says and oil change should solve the problem, so they do one. They bring the car out and say we're all fixed, however I rev it the very first time in the parking low and the sound is obviously still there. It's like they didn't even check? He says it could be the valve lifters potentially. No more than 5mins later he gets an "Update" from his foreman saying it's the Rod Bearings that are worn out and the whole engine needs replaced for $8600. Of course, this is out of warranty because I cannot prove an oil change was done in the last 5000 miles.

I'm obviously pretty skeptical considering they
A) Said it was fixed after the oil change
B) Listed a few guesses as to what the problem could be
C) Came back within 5minutes with a CERTAIN answer to the problem, even though it was never mentioned before.

Seems to me like they don't really know what the sound is, so replacing the engine is the easiest option. Guess I'll take it to a private garage and see if they can diagnose it

If it truly was an oil problem, I guess I'm pretty surprised a 2017 vehicle could run out of oil without the oil light coming on, and cause the kind of damage that would require an engine replacement. Seeing that many brands are well up to 10k miles between changes.
Click to expand...
If your engine suffered not only long oil service life (15,000 miles, twice as long as recommended 7,500 miles), but also very low oil level (2 quarts low), it’s very likely you engine does have some damage. Whether or not if it’s rod bearings it’s hard to say unless you take the engine apart to confirm.
 
yrwei52 said:
If your engine suffered not only long oil service life (15,000 miles, twice as long as recommended 7,500 miles), but also very low oil level (2 quarts low), it’s very likely you engine does have some damage. Whether or not if it’s rod bearings it’s hard to say unless you take the engine apart to confirm.
Click to expand...

This makes sense. I'm not really Blaming Mazda here, as I definitely should have stayed on top of the oil better. Only frustration is their lack of real diagnosis and offering only an engine replacement.

Going to take it to a private garage to see about fixing the sound, which is the only real difference the moment. Any thoughts on risk here? Part of me wants to just drive it into the ground if there's no other solution than the engine swap, and part of me wants to trade it in while used car values are high.
 
dldude said:
This makes sense. I'm not really Blaming Mazda here, as I definitely should have stayed on top of the oil better. Only frustration is their lack of real diagnosis and offering only an engine replacement.

Going to take it to a private garage to see about fixing the sound, which is the only real difference the moment. Any thoughts on risk here? Part of me wants to just drive it into the ground if there's no other solution than the engine swap, and part of me wants to trade it in while used car values are high.
Click to expand...
The foreman may have enough experience seeing the rod bearing damage with similar noise. The engine should be serviceable for many miles only with the noise. If I were you, I’d try good GF-6 (thicker) 5W-30 oil (Mazda recommends 5W-30 oil world wide on the 2.5L) and see if the noise is getting better. And I’d also check the trade-in value and see how much it can get. I wouldn’t bother trying to fix the problem as the labor can be high. But it won’t hurt to get a second opinion from an indie. It’s your call.
 
yrwei52 said:
The foreman may have enough experience seeing the rod bearing damage with similar noise. The engine should be serviceable for many miles only with the noise. If I were you, I’d try good GF-6 (thicker) 5W-30 oil (Mazda recommends 5W-30 oil world wide on the 2.5L) and see if the noise is getting better. And I’d also check the trade-in value and see how much it can get. I wouldn’t bother trying to fix the problem as the labor can be high. But it won’t hurt to get a second opinion from an indie. It’s your call.
Click to expand...
Was able to get into a good mechanic today. He INSTANTLY said "It's dead". No going back now... hoping to get a reasonable trade in value
 
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