Engine Vibration and rattle sound between 2000 and 2500 RPM

J

johnygfunk

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Alright, I've had the CX-5 for about 2 months and put on 2900 miles. Initially this sound wasn't too loud but recently it has increased in volume. It only happens between 2000 and 2500 rpm. It is a loud rattle/vibration sound and seems to be affected by the A/C being on but is not dependent upon it. It is coming from somewhere in the engine compartment and I believe it is from a component of the engine but am not sure.

First off does anyone else have this type of noise? It happens during acceleration onto the freeway most notably on uphill on-ramps.

Second, should I be concerned enough to go to the dealership? It is getting louder but aside from the noise at those rpm ranges it is quiet - super quiet. I am experiencing no performance issues as of yet and no warning lights. I also get great gas mileage with an average of 32.1 thus far. Thanks
 
May be a loose plastic part in the engine compartment. Have a friend rev the car in neutral until it makes your noise and look under the hood to see if you can pin point where its coming from. If you can't find it, I would go see the dealer.
 
I wouldn't spend too much time trying to suss it out. It's a new vehicle and the dealer has to fix it pronto, just in case its something expensive. Many rattles and other spurious noises can have a resonance at certain revs. There are 2 broad categories of noises,..ones that increase in loudness when the engine/trans is loaded, and ones that stay the same under load. The first one is the one which needs quick attention.

I'd look at the oil on the dipstick for any signs of metal particles, look at the coolant for any signs of oil. One guy at work had a noise which was present at certain revs,..that turned out to be a loose crank-pulley. Less serious causes like exhaust heat-shields, can be sussed by pressing on the shield with a large screw-driver or spanner, same goes for loose exhaust hangers.

I'd get the dealer service manager to go for a ride with you in the vehicle driving, so there's no stuff-ups like them saying "we cant find a problem or hear the noise" :)

JJ, best o luck with her
 
johnygfunk said:
Alright, I've had the CX-5 for about 2 months and put on 2900 miles. Initially this sound wasn't too loud but recently it has increased in volume. It only happens between 2000 and 2500 rpm. It is a loud rattle/vibration sound and seems to be affected by the A/C being on but is not dependent upon it. It is coming from somewhere in the engine compartment and I believe it is from a component of the engine but am not sure.

First off does anyone else have this type of noise? It happens during acceleration onto the freeway most notably on uphill on-ramps.

Second, should I be concerned enough to go to the dealership? It is getting louder but aside from the noise at those rpm ranges it is quiet - super quiet. I am experiencing no performance issues as of yet and no warning lights. I also get great gas mileage with an average of 32.1 thus far. Thanks
Click to expand...

Does it sound like a loose firewall? I've had this noise since I had the car. Only happens during moderate to hard acceleration and at 2500 - 2800 rpm for me. The dealer initially thought it was a firewall but confirmed that wasn't the case. Then had microphones sent from corporate and thought they had it pinned downed to the catalytic converter. They replaced and it got a little worse. Now they have an engineer coming out from corporate on Monday, so we'll see what they say. Otherwise the car seems to run perfectly.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I ended up calling a dealer and talking to the head mechanic. He had 2 other customers come in with similar noises occurring at similar rpms and speeds and said it was silly how much time he had spent trying to figure it out but that solution was very simple. In California you have to have 2 plates. The front plate mount hangs the plate on the bottom. What it ended up being is the license plate frame at that rpm and speed mixed with the incline of on-ramps causes it to rattle very loudly. Securing the license plate frame better made the noise disappear completely.

Followed his advice and poof the noise is gone. He stated that on one of the cars it sounded like the car was falling apart because it was happening on both the front and rear. Mine was just the front. Amazing that a little bit of plastic vibrating on the metal plate can cause a noise audible at high levels inside the car. But happy to say that it is gone now and I can stop worrying.
 
Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case with mine. Tried securing the plates and still heard the noise. Mazda corp came out today and said it was an interior trim piece... They adjusted it and left. Go to pick up the car and the noise is still there. Now I have to wait for the Service Manager to reach out to Mazda again. Fun times..
 
Quick update for others that may be experiencing this issue. Mine turned out to be the hood. Noticed it moving a bit during some highway driving. Adjusted the rubber stops and got rid of the vibrating noise and the "loose" hood.
 
I have mine in today for this issue, thanks for the leads of what it might be. I'll report back...

CX_CO - good to see another Coloradan in here!
 
Hmm. Got my CX-5 back yesterday afternoon and was told the vibration/rattle was "normal." Tech said he drove several other CX-5’s and they all sounded/felt the same. Guess ill see if its a break-in issue...
 
johnygfunk said:
Thanks for the advice guys. I ended up calling a dealer and talking to the head mechanic. He had 2 other customers come in with similar noises occurring at similar rpms and speeds and said it was silly how much time he had spent trying to figure it out but that solution was very simple. In California you have to have 2 plates. The front plate mount hangs the plate on the bottom. What it ended up being is the license plate frame at that rpm and speed mixed with the incline of on-ramps causes it to rattle very loudly. Securing the license plate frame better made the noise disappear completely.

Followed his advice and poof the noise is gone. He stated that on one of the cars it sounded like the car was falling apart because it was happening on both the front and rear. Mine was just the front. Amazing that a little bit of plastic vibrating on the metal plate can cause a noise audible at high levels inside the car. But happy to say that it is gone now and I can stop worrying.
Click to expand...

This cannot be the case for me. I don't have plates on my car yet (not even frames on the front or back of the car), but I have the noise as described.
 
I have had this noise also. I only notice it when the car is garaged and I first turn it on. High idle. By the time I finish saying -whats that noise?-
Its gone. I really think its a slightly loose heat shield. IMO.
 
mazdachris said:
I have had this noise also. I only notice it when the car is garaged and I first turn it on. High idle. By the time I finish saying -whats that noise?-
Its gone. I really think its a slightly loose heat shield. IMO.
Click to expand...

I can hear a similar noise for the first few seconds after a cold start. I do not believe it is a loose heat shield (although it sounds similar).

The header on the 2.0L SKYACTIV engine is longer than typical headers to allow a higher compression ratio without causing knocking. Because a longer header causes exhaust gasses to cool more before they reach the catalytic converter, Mazda designed a cold start mode into the engine management to cause the catalytic converter to reach operating temperature sooner by greatly retarding the ignition timing for a few seconds after starting. I believe the noise you are referring to could be due to the hot exhaust gasses rushing out the exhaust valves during the cold start mode with retarded ignition.
 
Yes, cold start mode and associated noise lasts no more than 30 seconds
 
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