a little off for some groups: 1989 Mazda 626 clacking from top of engine

Grumpy AuContraire wrote:
>
>
> Michael Pardee wrote:
>> "Hachiroku ????" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:JYiQh.8917$IY4.8369@trndny03...
>>
>>> I'm crossing this to Honda and Toyota because there are some sharp
>>> individuals in these groups, and also in the Ford group since this is a
>>> common engine among Fords, IIRC.
>>>
>>> The problem: 1989 Mazda 626. Over the course of the winter, occasionally
>>> on cold days the engine would clack from just under the valve cover.
>>> Since
>>> I seem to recall seeing somewhere that this engine has hydraulic lifters
>>> of some sort, it just seemed that allowing the engine to warm and
>>> circulate oil would cause this to stop as the lifters (or whatever!)
>>> responded to the rise in oil pressure. It always worked, and when it
>>> didn't, I would check the oil, add 2/3 3/4 of a quart, and be done
>>> with it.
>>>
>>> Saturday the oil was down less than 1/4 from the Full on the dipstick.
>>> Since it's getting an oil change in about 500 miles, I let it go.
>>>
>>> This morning I had to make a trip about 30-35 miles one way. When I
>>> returned home I noticed the engine was making a louder noise than usual,
>>> and when I went to investigate it was the clacking noise from under the
>>> Valver Cover. I shut the car off and let it cool.
>>>
>>> Before I left the house later, I added 2/3 of a quart of Castrol
>>> Synthetic
>>> (the closest bottle of oil I had) and started it. I let it run for a
>>> while but the clacking continued. I added about 1/3 quart of Marvel
>>> Mystery and let it run till warm and the noise never went away. After
>>> parking the car for about 2.5 hours, when I started it up the
>>> clacking was
>>> still there. I drove home still clacking, but quieter.
>>>
>>> The partiulars: this is the 2.0L 12-vavle engine, OHC, new timing belt
>>> <3,000 miles ago, fuel injected. It's going to get parked in 1-3 weeks
>>> when I take my Supra out of winter storage. Any ideas about what it
>>> is or
>>> what I should look for? If I find the Haynes I will be able to answer
>>> more
>>> questions concerning the motor. It looks good and runs great, even with
>>> the clacking.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> I don't have much experience with hydraulic lifters, but the one time
>> I had to replace some I replaced them all. Replacing them isn't
>> without risk, since the cam lobes were fitted to the originals and now
>> they're pushing a whole new set, but the buzz was that if one or more
>> were collapsed the others were in similar shape. I got rid of the car
>> for other reasons a few months later.
>>
>> I was advised any attempted repair is temporary. Maybe that would have
>> been good enough for a few months :-(
>>
>> Mike
>
>
> I agree. Once a lifter becomes noisy, it's time to bite the bullet and
> replace 'em all.
>
> Regarding "fitting to the cam," well that's another issue nowadays since
> modern motor oils tend not to support good lubrication of direct
> contact engine parts (also due to EPA restrictions).

really? where's you get that information from?

> So far, diesel
> rated lubricants still have the additives to prevent wear on direct
> contact engine components.

why diesel lubes? what's the composition difference?

>
> Roller lifters available for vintage cars including Honda anyone?
>
> JT
>
> (Who's manual calls for motor oil for the tranny which is also a no-no
> these days...)

jim beam wrote:
> Grumpy AuContraire wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> Michael Pardee wrote:
>>
>>> "Hachiroku ????" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>>> news:JYiQh.8917$IY4.8369@trndny03...
>>>
>>>> I'm crossing this to Honda and Toyota because there are some sharp
>>>> individuals in these groups, and also in the Ford group since this is a
>>>> common engine among Fords, IIRC.
>>>>
>>>> The problem: 1989 Mazda 626. Over the course of the winter,
>>>> occasionally
>>>> on cold days the engine would clack from just under the valve cover.
>>>> Since
>>>> I seem to recall seeing somewhere that this engine has hydraulic
>>>> lifters
>>>> of some sort, it just seemed that allowing the engine to warm and
>>>> circulate oil would cause this to stop as the lifters (or whatever!)
>>>> responded to the rise in oil pressure. It always worked, and when it
>>>> didn't, I would check the oil, add 2/3 3/4 of a quart, and be done
>>>> with it.
>>>>
>>>> Saturday the oil was down less than 1/4 from the Full on the dipstick.
>>>> Since it's getting an oil change in about 500 miles, I let it go.
>>>>
>>>> This morning I had to make a trip about 30-35 miles one way. When I
>>>> returned home I noticed the engine was making a louder noise than
>>>> usual,
>>>> and when I went to investigate it was the clacking noise from under the
>>>> Valver Cover. I shut the car off and let it cool.
>>>>
>>>> Before I left the house later, I added 2/3 of a quart of Castrol
>>>> Synthetic
>>>> (the closest bottle of oil I had) and started it. I let it run for a
>>>> while but the clacking continued. I added about 1/3 quart of Marvel
>>>> Mystery and let it run till warm and the noise never went away. After
>>>> parking the car for about 2.5 hours, when I started it up the
>>>> clacking was
>>>> still there. I drove home still clacking, but quieter.
>>>>
>>>> The partiulars: this is the 2.0L 12-vavle engine, OHC, new timing belt
>>>> <3,000 miles ago, fuel injected. It's going to get parked in 1-3 weeks
>>>> when I take my Supra out of winter storage. Any ideas about what it
>>>> is or
>>>> what I should look for? If I find the Haynes I will be able to
>>>> answer more
>>>> questions concerning the motor. It looks good and runs great, even with
>>>> the clacking.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> I don't have much experience with hydraulic lifters, but the one time
>>> I had to replace some I replaced them all. Replacing them isn't
>>> without risk, since the cam lobes were fitted to the originals and
>>> now they're pushing a whole new set, but the buzz was that if one or
>>> more were collapsed the others were in similar shape. I got rid of
>>> the car for other reasons a few months later.
>>>
>>> I was advised any attempted repair is temporary. Maybe that would
>>> have been good enough for a few months :-(
>>>
>>> Mike
>>
>>
>>
>> I agree. Once a lifter becomes noisy, it's time to bite the bullet
>> and replace 'em all.
>>
>> Regarding "fitting to the cam," well that's another issue nowadays
>> since modern motor oils tend not to support good lubrication of
>> direct contact engine parts (also due to EPA restrictions).
>
>
> really? where's you get that information from?
>
>> So far, diesel rated lubricants still have the additives to prevent
>> wear on direct contact engine components.
>
>
> why diesel lubes? what's the composition difference?
>


We went through this a few months ago. I'm much too lazy to do it again.

JT

On Thu, 05 Apr 2007 19:30:40 -0700, Michael Pardee wrote:

> "Hachiroku ????" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:f7iRh.7565$iw5.2250@trndny06...
>>
>> It's not really a 'lifter', as I think I understand the term.
>>
>> The car has an OHC, 3 valves per cylinder. They are actuated by rockers,
>> and at the end of each rocker is an HLA (Hydraulic Lash Adjuster). I
>> guess it's supposed to eliminate the need to adjust the valves by
>> expanding or 'deflating' with oil to take up the slack. It seems they
>> collect gunk, as do the holes providing the oil.
>>
> Sounds like the same operation as a hydraulic lifter, but located on the
> other end of the rocker arm. Lifters deflate in pretty much the same way,
> but I don't know if it is usually that they stick "down" or if they leak
> too badly to work.
>
> Your plan to tackle it when more convenient sounds good to me. At least a
> collapsed HLA (almost wrote "lifter") won't strand you anywhere.
>
> Mike


Well, once it fianally STOPS snowing I'll pull of the valve cover and have
a look. I have a Supra I use in the summer, the Mazda's a winter beater.
When the Supra goes on the road I plan on giving the Mazda a better going
over than I did in December when I bought it. But the forecast is for more
snow this week.

And the funny thing is, I drove it about 20 miles yesterday, no problem.
This afternoon it fired up just fine, I drove it about 7 miles and the
ticking came back. I stopped for a cup of coffee, and the next three times
I started it, it ran fine.

So, I guess the cover comes off in the (real) spring...