I have an MX5 1.8i - 1996, uk spec. about 100k miles. I've owned it for the last 6 years and never needed any major work on it.
I've looked around online and spoken to a few garages and have got really mixed messages about what to do.
The engine makes a ticking noise most of the time. This always happens at idle when it is cold and sometimes disappears with higher revs and warm weather, but this isn't guaranteed. It has made this noise for the last couple of years and I haven't done anything about it because when I have taken it for MoT or service, I have always been told it's nothing to worry about, just an irritating noise.
I have just taken it to a different garage for MoT where they replaced the oil in the valves as possible fix, but they also said that if this didn't work it will probably cost £600-700 to replace the tappits (?). It was an urgent thing as the noise meant that if it continued it would eventually do serious damage to the hydraulics. He told me to do a bit of mileage and go back in a few months for repairs if it continued.
Some advice would be really appreciated as I don't know whose opinion to follow.
If more info is needed I'll try to give it...
Thanks!
Vix
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have you been changing the oil on schedule?
if not the last garage are basically right
if valves are not opening properly you get all sorts of problems like burnt valves etc
go for a dammed good drive in the rain this weekend to get the engine to peak efficiency and this may well cure your problem
then get back on the oil changing intervals and filter (not copy ones mind)
10w/40 oil
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Thanks - I've got about 4 hours of motorway driving this weekend so that might help...
I missed two services and then had the last in jan 2007, so that would make sense.
Should the oil be changed more often as the car is 10+ years, and is it repairable with some TLC or is it an inevitable thing that will just catch up with me eventually? I have heard it's a common problem with Mazdas as they get older, though I'm not sure how true this is.
Thanks again
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more often has to be better on a 100,000 mile engine
i would live with the noise unless willing to spend the money on repair
the job books at 2 hours labour to change the hydraulic tappets plus parts so not that involved,if you did it yourself you may even find only a couple need changing,these used to be checked by squashing them in a vice and squeezing all the rubbish out,dont know if you can use this method with your mazda
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Don't rule out injector ticking. May well be tappets, but injectors can make a more rattly ticking sound as well.
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Sometimes a "ticking" can be an HT spark going astray. One of the few weak spots on the MX5 is the HT leads. They tend to last 30 to 40k miles before starting to fail. When the family MX did this it didn't cause an obvious missfire. For the cost of a set from mx5parts, if you don't know their history, it may be a cheap starting point.
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DOes sound like the tappets. Not a difficult job. Shouldn't cost as much at £600 though...
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