ticking from hydraulic lifters and infamous idle problem

[socal79]

To all of you that own this car: I also own a 93 MX3 1.6L manual. the dreaded ticking is your hydraulic lifters, or hydraulic lash adjusters as they are properly called. I replaced every single one of them(16), exhaust and intake sides, for about $400 total. I also did a complete oil system flush and switched to 5w-30, higher mileage formula motor oil. it took a week or so to really make a difference(I only drive about 10 miles a day) but it did significantly help reduce the noise. What has really happened in your engine is this; mazda makes a ****ty lash adjuster with the ports being just a little too small. they freeze on average at about 90k miles. By the time you start to hear "ticking", your valves are already being moved away from their original clearance and position, which means to correctly fix the problem, you will need to actually adjust your valves. however, most of us can get by just by replacing the failed lash adjusters. I got them for 23 bucks each from a mazda dealership. I suggest you replace them all, because eventually you will need to anyway. Now before you go out and blow 400 big ones, try a complete oil system flush and refill with lighter oil (5w-30). If the noise is not significantly reduced after 50 miles, I suggest you check your lash adjusters. It is a very easy procedure that you can follow right out of the Chilton's manual. The only tool you will need is a torque wrench that reads in in-lbs or n-M, (trust me, you don't want to break the valve cover bolts).
One more thing, the "infamous idle" problem is 99% of the time your idle air control valve. I talked to quite a few Mazda dealerships all over the country(I did my homework),and after the 10th or 11th one told me that the "infamous idle" was their most common problem, and that their records showed that it was one of their more common parts ordered, I was convinced. The "unplug it" trick works TEMPORARILY. Do not leave it unplugged, you are just asking for more problems. Rather, clean it out completely and reinstall it. What you find will suprise you greatly.
I hope my ranting helps someone, please let me know. sorry for the length.<p>[ April 02, 2003: Message edited by: christos ]</p>