I have a 1995 Mazda Protege and I noticed that there is a knocking/ clacking sound while it idles somewhere around/ behind where the belts are (maybe the timing case). I don’t think I can hear it while I’m driving but the suspension isn’t that great so I’m not sure. Any theories. A ways back a mechanic said that he heard a noise from the timing case but I plan on driving this thing till it dies.
a way back… and you didn’t do anything to maintain it then?
have you by any chance looked at the dipstick (not in the rear view mirror) and checked for oil?
how many miles? done the timing belt… EVER?
your desire to drive it until it dies may be closer than you think!
HAhaahah. You’re a funny guy; I love people that give advice by telling you what an idiot you are to start with.
A few things:
[list] I’ve tuned it up and I change the oil regularly and the level is fine. And I still have 700 miles till the next oil change. [/list]
[list]It has about 150,000 miles on it now.[/list]
[list]The records showed that the timing belt was changed along with and possibly due to the water pump maybe around 100,000 or 80,000 miles but I can’t remember since I don’t have it in front me right now.[/list]
[list]I’ve only owned it a year and I’ve used it for a heavy commute.[/list]
[list]It has a seal problem with the transmission apparently common in Mazdas that causes the shift to slip on occasion when not warmed up. I was told by expert transmission guys that it would probably last a year so I didn’t want to put too much money into it.[/list]
[list]Originally the guy who heard the sound also noted that I had lower compression in one of the cylinders. Also no other Mechanic has mentioned/ or noticed anything since even though I’ve asked them to check.[/list]
[list] Once again I heard it first today while it was idling. I warm it up every day and did not hear it before.
Any theories are appreciated. If it is something substantial I might look for the nearest lake.
THAT is the kind of info that everyone needs to help you…does this noise come and go? i asked last time if you checked the oil. i meant recently, not 2300 miles ago, when the oil was changed. just making sure. you must realize that many items can cause a noise.
i asked specifically about the oil, because (although YOU may check it) most people don’t. (even people; when asked, usually recall checking it, but can’t really pinpoint the LAST time they actually checked it.) this could be something as benign as low oil. does it burn oil? does it leak a trail of drips where you park it?
on to other things. check the receipt for the timing belt change. were new idler pulleys and a tensioner installed? that would be the second thing to ascertain as having been done.
your engine MAY have a valve lash out of whack. but first things first, ensure the oil level is up and it is pumping>
by the way, any check engine light on?
Thanks! I checked the oil about 2 weeks ago but I’ll check again tonight. There is no check engine light on. It doesn’t burn or drip oil as far as I can tell but I could easily test that overnight with some cardboard or by someone following me(I haven’t noticed blue smoke). I’ll check the other receipt as well. I’ll let you know.
I had the dealer look at this while looking at another issue and they said that the noise is coming from the inside the engine not the Tensioner area. The mechanic says that it sounded like a loose bearing in the crank shaft area? maybe I didn’t hear that right? That it could have been caused by a drive belt being to tight, however; To have a better understanding they would have to take off the oil pan, the exhaust and such…5 hours of labor.
To hear if it is caused by a belt driven component, other than the timing belt, take all the belts off and run the engine. You could use a 3 foot long piece of hose to listen to the engine to localize the sound.
the easiest thing to do, as hellokit says is to remove the serpentine belt. run it and see if there is a difference in noise. that would eliminate the belt as being part of the equation. (not talking about running it around the block, just running it in the driveway for a few minutes.)
the dealer response doesn’t make sense. if the noise is NOT from the belt area, how is the belt tension a factor. that IS in the area! the main serpentine belt pulley IS attached to the main crank pulley. so they are all connected in one way or another.