Vavle train noise - New Car
- Thread starter |2az
- Start date
Our Protege5 sounds like a damn diesel delivery truck on immediate start up. I thought there was something wrong after we bought it, but then it turns out, due to the oil distribution set up, they all do that on start up as set from the factory.
Where did you get the magnetic drain plug? Are you using the euro formula casrtol? I've been using OEM oil and filters, but I'm thinking of switching to pure one or mobil1 filters.
I switched from Mobil 1 bulk fill @ the dealer and stock filter to the green capped Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy kind and the Mobil 1 filter. Noticed a bit more noise at startup but engine seems to rev a bit more freely too. Didn't notice any improvement in gas mileage though, sure hope I'm not wearing the motor more now... didn't put in the magnetic plug but maybe I will next time. O'Reilly's has a plug that will fit the 2. Oil has stayed golden in color so far longer than the dealer fill did...
Hm,
From a small research that i did, i found that for you guys in USDM you have different Mazda oils and manufactured by different maker than here in EUDM.
Here in EUDM the mazda oils are called Dexelia and produced by Total/Elf.
It's a bit confusing...
The last 2 years i am with Torco 5w-30 up until i turboed and i changed to 5w-40 from Torco again.
From a small research that i did, i found that for you guys in USDM you have different Mazda oils and manufactured by different maker than here in EUDM.
Here in EUDM the mazda oils are called Dexelia and produced by Total/Elf.
It's a bit confusing...
The last 2 years i am with Torco 5w-30 up until i turboed and i changed to 5w-40 from Torco again.
Racebrewer
Member
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- Mazda, Mazda 2 Touring MT
I've picked up magnetic plugs at Pep Boys. You need to know the thread size.
I've been using Castrol Edge Platinum and Titanium when Advance puts them on sale (almost every month). For filters I've been using Purolator Pure One and Bosch Long Distance. Again, when Advance does a package deal on oil and filters.
John
Mazda builds great cars but whoever produces their manuals should be taken out to the woodshed and beaten with a sizeable length of rubber hose. Using valve train noise as a guide for adjustment is very foolish. A direct acting valve train ( as opposed to rockers or followers ) has very few wear points and the most likely cause for adjustment would be valve recession. Valve recession moves the valve up in the head and closer to the cam causing a tight valve. Noise due to excess clearence unless extream or let go for long periods of time is annoying but mostly harmless. On the other hand a tight valve is silent and very destructive, valves rely good valve to seat contact to transfer heat and a tight valve will not seat as well allowing high temp gasses past and a reduction in the valves ability to shed heat. This is what causes burnt valves and seats and in extream cases seperation of the valve. I asked at the Mazda dealer about this and was told " you would likely see an engine light with a tight valve" crazy - an engine light would be caused by the very leakage we are trying to prevent.
I do however like the idea of buckets as the means of adjustment.
Shim on bucket systems are easy to adjust but they add higher inertial loads to the recip. portion of the valve train which can leed to float and when the valve floats the cam lobe can kick the shim out. Shim under bucket systems are lighter and the shim can not be ejected but require cam removal and the removal of the small shims which are easily dropped down a cam chain run or oil drain back hole. The bucket only system has the potential to be light and reliable though more expensive to service.
I do however like the idea of buckets as the means of adjustment.
Shim on bucket systems are easy to adjust but they add higher inertial loads to the recip. portion of the valve train which can leed to float and when the valve floats the cam lobe can kick the shim out. Shim under bucket systems are lighter and the shim can not be ejected but require cam removal and the removal of the small shims which are easily dropped down a cam chain run or oil drain back hole. The bucket only system has the potential to be light and reliable though more expensive to service.
Racebrewer
Member
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- Mazda, Mazda 2 Touring MT
Hi,
A few years back I intentionally adjusted the vales on my Honda to the tight end of the adjustment range. Yup, it tossed a CEL (I've forgotten which code) and kept tossing them until I loosened up the valves a hair.
Myself, I prefer a screw adjustment system. Its cheaper to service and my labor is free.<LOL>
I wonder how $$$ the buckets are? All the more reason to run good oil.
John
A few years back I intentionally adjusted the vales on my Honda to the tight end of the adjustment range. Yup, it tossed a CEL (I've forgotten which code) and kept tossing them until I loosened up the valves a hair.
Myself, I prefer a screw adjustment system. Its cheaper to service and my labor is free.<LOL>
I wonder how $$$ the buckets are? All the more reason to run good oil.
John
Screw type are by far the easiest and cheapest for the home mechanic but not so good for high performance. Screw type adjusters are probably the heaviest of all common systems. Even a few grams at high RPM makes a difference, the lobe accelerates the valve open and the spring has to stop and reverse the direction of travel. If there is to much weight or the spring is to weak the valve cannot move quick enough to follow the profile of the cam and valve float occures. As allmost all forces in the engine are exponential a small increase makes a big difference at the high G loads of high RPM. A stronger spring can be used but that puts additional strain on the system. Good oil is a wise practice but will not have much effect on valve recession, some degree of recession is a normal part of engine use and is one of the reasons valves are adjustable. High performance motorcycle engines went from screw adjusters to shim on bucket and finally shim under bucket, the shim under bucket allows them to rev to 15k and higher.
Racebrewer
Member
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- Mazda, Mazda 2 Touring MT
In terms of "Good Oil", I was more concerned about the cam lobe and bucket wear with the cam sliding over the bucket. Some oils have a reputation for not handling that well
Thanks Derrick, the $12 a bucket doesn't sound do bad, but for a guy who does his own work, it'll be a pain. Measure clearances, then dis-assemble and measure buckets or figure out what is needed. Drive 65 miles round trip to dealer, in another car, IF they have the buckets. Re-assemble buckets, cams and gears.
Just makes me glad I drink to excess.
John
Thanks Derrick, the $12 a bucket doesn't sound do bad, but for a guy who does his own work, it'll be a pain. Measure clearances, then dis-assemble and measure buckets or figure out what is needed. Drive 65 miles round trip to dealer, in another car, IF they have the buckets. Re-assemble buckets, cams and gears.
Just makes me glad I drink to excess.
John
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Well yes good oil will minimize lobe to bucket wear, but that wear would cause a loose clearance. My point was that recession will cause a tight , silent valve. Recession is largely uneffected by oil quaility. Befor moving to autos and large equipment I spent years as a motorcycle snowmobile mechanic, Lobe to shim or lobe to bucket wear was never really a problem. More likely to be a problem on engines with heavy springs or radical cams that do not ( realitivly speaking) ramp the valves open and closed gently. My concern is not oil quaility, I am all for useing the best oil possible, its Mazdas method of determining adjustment intervals by listening for loose, noisy valves. Recession is likely to occur at a greater rate than lobe/bucket wear, so using a noisy valve train as a guide to adjustment could leed to damage.
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- All Mazdas!
