Club323F • View topic

**Posted:** Fri Aug 20, 2004 7:49 pm

What type of oil is everyone using?

What weight?

Why?

Has anyone tried Mobil 1 15w 50 Fully-Synth?

I've bought a can but am a little wierded out by the strange number..... (trying to reduce the 'diesel-like' rattle coming from the back of the engine at idle; no longer think it's the hydraulic lifters (valves) but could be camshaft (! 8-[ ) so I'm just trying to find out i fit was mainly caused by an oil change, with system flush (thus removing the friendly grime that can keep things quiet!) and having used 0w 30 Casrtol RS (despite the manufacturers reccomendation of at least 10w 40 #-o )

Your feedback would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

Wai

**Posted:** Fri Aug 20, 2004 7:50 pm

...er, that should be 0w 40 Castrol RS....

It was the FREE BMW-Williams caps that did it; ok?!?! ](*,)

**Posted:** Fri Aug 20, 2004 9:33 pm

Which model have you got Wai :?:

**Posted:** Fri Aug 20, 2004 11:38 pm

im using 5W40 AGIP

good oil ! and i tried MOTOR-UP oil and the fuel adds-on. the engine is running good now.

shmulik

**Posted:** Sat Aug 21, 2004 12:01 am

ZXi (the red one around Cambridge!)

Check your personal messages!

**Posted:** Sat Aug 21, 2004 12:05 am

Im using 5W40 at the moment, my motor doesnt like it, im no oil expert but im going back to 10W40.

**Posted:** Sat Aug 21, 2004 12:16 pm

[quote="wai.cheung01"]ZXi (the red one around Cambridge!)

Check your personal messages![/quote]

Nothing new :?:

Are you aware of the Carbon Knock and Friction Gear issues with your engine Wai :?:

Both of these cause a "Diesel" type noise :shock:

**Posted:** Sat Aug 21, 2004 3:05 pm

I'm using 15w 40 Magnatec and it seems very smooth at the moment, plus the zx1 of course.

**Posted:** Sat Aug 21, 2004 3:14 pm

"..carbon knock and friction gear issues"? :shock:

...please enlighten me... 8-[

info and solutions would be most welcome!! :-k

**Posted:** Sat Aug 21, 2004 3:55 pm

The Mazda V6 engines suffers from carbon build up on the piston crowns, this contacts the cyl. head when it gets to a certain thickness and makes a knocking sound. The friction gear issue is a dished spring on the end of one of the camshafts (can't remember which one intake or exhaust) that applies a preload to the gears that link the cams together. The spring losses it's springiness and 2 of the gears rattle together

New spring or a decoke :shock:

The decoke can be done with a Forte type gas treatment type thing, you know engine cleaner in a bottle. Smart money is on it being the friction gear though :twisted:

**Posted:** Sat Aug 21, 2004 5:34 pm

Bugger!!

Just did the de-coke thing last week with half a can of Ecotek Powerboost so I know it's not that.... must be the friction gear then.

I have been quoted about 15 hours labour to change the camshafts but maybe I can get away with less work time if they are just replacing the spring (at least it proves the guys at Barr Tech, Cowley Rd Industrial Estate know their business; the guy there put a stethoscope to the engine and reckoned on it being camshaft related and to go to Mazda for a diagnostic then back to him to do the work once diagnosed as he charges less per hour!!

I will have to find out how much this will cost as I may be able to put up with a little noise!

I will contact Mazda first to find out if changing the oil will help (before I throw out £45 worth of oil and throw in £35 worth!! - a potentially costly experiment!)

Well, at least it prob isn't a worn camshaft!! (good excuse for some Kent Cams though!! :twisted: )

Thanks for the info! =D>

**Posted:** Sat Aug 21, 2004 5:56 pm

I think Mazda charge 4-5 hours labour to do the friction gear, you need to take the intake manifold off but (from memory) do not remove the cambelt or even drain the coolant. It isn't really that much of a job

Changing the oil is very unlikely to quieten a noisey friction gear

**Posted:** Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:01 pm

Thanks!

I'll get Mazda to have a look at it (for confirmation) and then take it back to Barr-Tech for the work!.

I owe you one, I'll get you a pint the next time we sort a 'Cambs Meet' again!

Wai

**Posted:** Wed Aug 25, 2004 5:27 pm

Hello,

I've just bought my Mazda after many years admiring from afar. The first job I did (it was a private sale) was to change the oil. My owners manual says I should use 10W30, not the 10W40 you all seem to be using. Have I done the wrong thing?

Thanks
Ian.

**Posted:** Wed Aug 25, 2004 6:10 pm

i used 0w40 castrol rs for 2 years with no problems, but on my last service I forgot to buy some and have 10w40 fully synth which seems ok and I can barely tell the difference.

**Posted:** Tue Sep 07, 2004 11:29 pm

[quote="Wai.Cheung"]Thanks!

I'll get Mazda to have a look at it (for confirmation) and then take it back to Barr-Tech for the work!.

I owe you one, I'll get you a pint the next time we sort a 'Cambs Meet' again!

Wai[/quote]

Did you find out anymore about this Wai.Cheung :?:

**Posted:** Wed Sep 08, 2004 10:44 am

Mazda basically told me the same as the guy at Barr Tech did, except they charged me £132 for the privilege!!!

I think that I need to find me a decent Mazda specialist whos doesn't charge the earth just to stand over the engine making 'tutting' noises....

getting more into the idea of travelling further afield to have work done on my car cos the savings on labour charges would mean that I have enough to have a short break in whichever town/city I went to instead!!

Looks like I may as well change the HLAs at the same time as the friction gear as this is a standard problem with the K-series V6s once they reach about 100,000 miles..... :cry:

**Posted:** Wed Sep 08, 2004 5:16 pm

using gtx magantec - 0/30w i think....seems to like it no probs for me!!

**Posted:** Wed Sep 08, 2004 7:00 pm

HLA's are about £30 a piece though arn't they :?:

If 2 people have said it is probably the friction gear clattering I'd bite the bullet and get that done. Unless you are putting a 2.5 in it :wink:

**Posted:** Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:03 am

I had heard that HLAs were about £8 each..... still a bugger as I potentially have to buy 24!!

Will have to find out.

If £30 is the case then I guess it's a new 2.5 engine!! :twisted:

**Posted:** Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:26 am

Hi - 'Scuse my ignorance, but wgat is an "HLA" ???

And by the way, my owner's manual recommends that I use 20W50 oil ...

**Posted:** Thu Sep 09, 2004 8:09 pm

Hydrualic Lash Adjuster, or Tappet

**Posted:** Thu Sep 09, 2004 9:23 pm

The hydraulic tappets rattle and hum and rattle again, i asked a mechanic about these and he gave me this tip....
take the tappets out clean en up and saok them in 3in1 oil for 24 hours, put em back in and hey presto

they make less noise ...

usually the tappets aint so much a problem its just the noise. think its something to do with the hole in them that thick oil can't pass through, so using an engine clean/flush and then using thinner oil can do the trick. well it did on mine anyway .. am using 0/40 or is it 30 fully synthetic now.

think £8 is about right for the tappets too

**Posted:** Fri Sep 10, 2004 2:38 pm

[quote="Roadster Robbie"]Hydrualic Lash Adjuster, or Tappet

[/quote]

Ta, mate !!

**Posted:** Mon Sep 27, 2004 2:59 pm

In the last few weeks my tappets have been really loud, and getting worse.

So i decided to try a small service with new oil and coolent.

Used Castrol (forget the name in a white bottle), 10W40. Had it running for five minutes, went away for dinner so it cooled down. Fired it up and the noisey tappets are gone.

Also checked the timing belt and all is well.

My baby is in ship shape. Also the engine is quieter and smoother!

**Posted:** Mon Sep 27, 2004 3:49 pm

Gotta let me know what oil that is - my tappets are noisy and it sounds like a bag of spanners for until fully warmed up!

[b]Mark[/b]

**Posted:** Mon Sep 27, 2004 5:59 pm

Mazda Priory in Cambridge want approx £33 + VAT for EACH tappet for the V6!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guess I'd better go out and pull more notes off my money-tree!!! :evil:

**Posted:** Mon Sep 27, 2004 7:39 pm

I would expect an oil change helps the tappets. Looking at the oil that pissed out my car, i got to say it needed a change

The oil i used was Castrol GTX i think, it comes in a white bottle and was on offer - £15 / 5L with a 1L top up bottle at A1 Motorstores.

**Joined:** Mon Sep 06, 2004 5:40 pm **Posts:** 187

hi guys
i think that i have the same problem with my v6, rattly and certainly doesnt sound good on starting up, especially on these nice cold mornings that we are getting! sounds fine at speed (burble burble) and pulls like a train still but even after 20 or 30 mins driving still sounds rattly.

have been wondeing about doing a full oil change, new filter and engine flush. how easy is it to do at home and what sot of engine flush stuff does anyone reccomend? also know a cheap mechanic so was thinking of getting him to do it as he knows the car anyway.

**Posted:** Tue Sep 28, 2004 11:11 pm

Will, How many miles has your engine done? If it's as much as 90,000 it could well be the Friction Gear! This is apparently a cog that sits against a "v" chaped spring that has the sole essential job of stopping the engine from making it's natural 'ticking' rattling noise!!

I have that problem at the moment and I have already put an engine flush through and also injector cleaners and have been using Optimx since I got the car 2 years ago so it has had a healthy dosage of detergents to clean the engine........ The job to fix the problem will require having the cam cover off (find a cheaper garage for a start!!) just to replace this piddly litle piece of metal that has worn out over time!!

I have also been told that the Friction Gear is 100% aural and will not damage the running of your engine....... just have to put up with sounding like a london Taxi every now and then!!

Turn the stereo up!! :lol:

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