Mazda 3 skyactiv tick, something oil can't fix?

[jayjr1105]

I have a 2013 Mazda 3, 2.0L Skyactiv motor with 55,000 Miles. In the past 3 months I've noticed a really loud ticking from under the hood. It's really noticeable with the windows cracked and the radio off. It's so loud that people have asked me what's wrong with my car when I pull into parking lots. I've checked oil, taken it to the dealership and have had people watch the video on youtube (stay tuned). The dealership said this is normal noise from the high pressure fuel pump/injectors on newer Mazda motors. I called BS then asked them to let me listen to a similar model car on the lot and of course they didn't have any cars with that engine (the 2.0L skyactiv is super common).

Could I try an additive to quiet this up? Anyone else have a really noisy mazda? Why didn't I hear this in the first 10 months of owning the car? BTW I do OCI's around 6-7K miles. Mobile 1 AFE and Idemitsu this time around. I recently had a blackstone lab analysis that returned an "everything is fine" report.

This noise is driving me nuts, please help!

 

[PimTac]

High pressure fuel systems do make a ticking sound. Some are louder than others. I've heard GDI engines that sound like diesels.

 

[KrisZ]

I wonder if it has the variable intake runners. These make a loud ticking noise when they can't be actuated properly.

 

[burla]

If an additive or oil would work it would be something that plates or something that offers a different viscosity or something that offers a different density or polarity ot branched chain lubrication, or like you say oil wont fix it. Some good things to research though.

 

[UncleDave]

Vid it and throw it on youtube for us to hear.

DI pumps tick, but not like an old sticking lifter...

UD

 

[burla]

First thing, get off 0w20 and see if that changes the sound at all. Even if that is the spec oil the reasoning behind those tight tolerances are long gone. That is why most HM oils are thicker, because a 2013 car driven a lot certainly would benefit from a thicker oil, tolerances are widened substantially then when that vehicle was new.

 

[burla]

I don't know the application, anything stopping you from 0w30? Look at high moly oils as well.

 

[SirTanon]

Did it happen to sound anything like this?

 

[jayjr1105]

I literally just changed the oil 2 weeks ago with Idemitsu 0w20 (not the high moly stuff). I'd really rather not change the oil again so soon just for experimenting sake. Could I throw a high quality additive in there to see if it helps?

 

[jayjr1105]

Originally Posted by SirTanon
Did it happen to sound anything like this?



At work, I'll watch that soon though.

 

[PimTac]

First, it is likely not the engine. Going thicker or throwing additives in it will not help.

Try to trace it. It could be a pulley or a bolt on making the noise. It could be something loose. Is the noise louder at cold start or get louder or quieter as the engine warms up? There are lots of possibilities here.

 

[burla]

An additive that has decent science behind it is lubeguards biotech, ester based oil soluble moly with a dose of phos, likely boost phos level near gf-3 levels no big deal imo. We call it poor man's redline, same science just less of it when considering the level in a crank case. Read the hemi tick thread, someone did report biotech helped their tick. There can be many causes of tick, lubrication will absolutely quiet some of them, and some they wont.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Pulleys and alternator bearings maybe. If its that loud, I doubt its a classic HLA (lash adjuster) bleed-down tick.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted by burla
First thing, get off 0w20 and see if that changes the sound at all. Even if that is the spec oil the reasoning behind those tight tolerances are long gone. That is why most HM oils are thicker, because a 2013 car driven a lot certainly would benefit from a thicker oil, tolerances are widened substantially then when that vehicle was new.



Please provide evidence of this. Most engines with 100K+ miles could be torn down and be within tolerances of new.

 

[jayjr1105]

Here's the deal guys. I had it in at the dealership. If there was something wrong with it that they could have made money off of, wouldn't you think they would have offered to fix it? (bearing, pulley, lash thingy, alternator, etc.)

 

[burla]

Have you heard of high mileage oils? At what mileage do they recommend use? And what thickness are they? I'm sure you know better then the people who actually develop the oils and sell them, but some things are common knowledge.

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted by jayjr1105
Here's the deal guys. I had it in at the dealership. If there was something wrong with it that they could have made money off of, wouldn't you think they would have offered to fix it? (bearing, pulley, lash thingy, alternator, etc.)




Do you have another dealer you can go to?

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted by dave1251
Originally Posted by burla
First thing, get off 0w20 and see if that changes the sound at all. Even if that is the spec oil the reasoning behind those tight tolerances are long gone. That is why most HM oils are thicker, because a 2013 car driven a lot certainly would benefit from a thicker oil, tolerances are widened substantially then when that vehicle was new.

Please provide evidence of this. Most engines with 100K+ miles could be torn down and be within tolerances of new.

I absolutely guarantee the tolerances are the same as when it was new, regardless of the oil used or the age of the vehicle.

 

[SirTanon]

4-year-old car with only 55,000 miles? There's no way the tolerances have changed enough to make a difference.

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted by kschachn
Originally Posted by dave1251
Originally Posted by burla
First thing, get off 0w20 and see if that changes the sound at all. Even if that is the spec oil the reasoning behind those tight tolerances are long gone. That is why most HM oils are thicker, because a 2013 car driven a lot certainly would benefit from a thicker oil, tolerances are widened substantially then when that vehicle was new.

Please provide evidence of this. Most engines with 100K+ miles could be torn down and be within tolerances of new.

I absolutely guarantee the tolerances are the same as when it was new, regardless of the oil used or the age of the vehicle.




Yep. I totally agree.

Some ideas; loose spark plug, loose exhaust manifold bolt. Check the serpentine belt and pulleys. Check the heat shields to make sure they are secure.

There are lots of possibilities.