The infamous RATTLE....

N

north42g

Member
:
Mazda Protege5
So just the other day my '02, 135k mile, PR5 starts to develop the notorious Rattle. At first I thought It was manual trans related , then after searching these forums i starting to think it is the TSB regarding intake.

My question is How to address this rattle noise? I don't want it. I want my car to run properly, period.

So what do I do here pull the intake and replace what?

I don't know how to describe it other than its a rattle at low acceleration. i thought is was only when cold but it isn't. It hard to pin point where its coming from when parked with the hood up @ idle.
Does the dealer cover this?
 
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First off is it a engine rattle or a body panel rattle... do you hear it at idle and you might have to come out of pocket on that TSB related to the VTCs screws
 
Phone a Mazda dealer with your Vin number and they can tell you if it has been done. It is still covered under warranty if your car is in the right Vin. range.
 
Phone a Mazda dealer with your Vin number and they can tell you if it has been done. It is still covered under warranty if your car is in the right Vin. range.

Here's a link to some related links:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123828570-vtcs-question

Your '02 probably isn't covered by the recall.

My '02 P5 had a rattle and it turned out to be the exhaust hangers near the cat. had rusted off and were bouncing against the exhaust pipe. I may try to connect it back up sometime soon,... there's no support in the middle.
 
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StealthWyvern said:
First off is it a engine rattle or a body panel rattle... do you hear it at idle and you might have to come out of pocket on that TSB related to the VTCs screws
Click to expand...

This is an Engine related noise. NOT a Body or exhaust noise.

So the first step is to call the Dealer Service dept.? OK.
I'd rather do it myself, but if its free...its for me!
 
Ok so what now? I suppose That I remove the VICs unit solenoid and call it a day?
No, I want it to work the way it was intended too. hopefully its not to time consuming.
So if in fact this IS the VICs/VTCs issue, By NOT doing anything...am I risking two or more tiny screws falling into the head and/or combustion chamber etc...etc... catastrophic failure ...etc...etc...
 
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No not just the solenoid...It is a bit of work... pulling off the intake manifold and seeing if the screws are still intact to the butterflies or if they have luckily passed through your motor and ended up spitting out and stuck in the cat.
 
Disconnecting the solenoid may tell you that the the VTCS system is screwing up and not working properly. (not necessarily a lost screw).

Maybe you are hearing the clatter of the butterflies because they are engaged when they're not supposed to be, but I don't know whether or not they are open or closed when you disconnect the solenoid. That either closes or opens them. (I don't know what their rest state is with it unplugged).

Maybe they are closed for you and the increased RPM makes them clatter.
 
OK,... I went out and disconnected my green solenoid connector for the VTCS then started my car. It started up fine,... I looked at the actuator and couldn't tell whether or not it was pulled so I pulled vac line off the solenoid and sucked on it (that's what she said) and I could see the rod pull and then the RPMS increased.

Then in an attempt to do a better diagnostic test, I reach up and plugged the vacuum leak at the solenoid, then reached over with my other had and hit the throttle, with my head perched precariously over the engine to apply and release vacuum while listening for this all too common clatter.

I couldn't hear any clatter at all no matter what I did.

How loud is this clatter supposed to be??? Am I just used to a noisy engine,... It seems pretty quiet to me.
 
shane02pro5 said:
No not just the solenoid...It is a bit of work... pulling off the intake manifold and seeing if the screws are still intact to the butterflies or if they have luckily passed through your motor and ended up spitting out and stuck in the cat.
Click to expand...

HOLY CRAP! Really? oh boy...I better get right on this. I can't have screws and such dancing around my engine!
 
You may still have grounds for at least some help from Mazda. The only reason they didn't recall all P5's was because some of them (like maybe yours) had lock-tite so they didn't recall them. If you can prove it was their screw that damaged (potentially) your car then they might spring for some of your costs.

My sister has done that twice with a crapped out transmission for her civic,.... partial reimbursement.
 
Me thinks its too late guys! I think I hear the rattle in the CAT!!! not good.Either that or the cat itself is falling apart...but I've heard broken CATS before and it doesnt sound so metal on metal type of rattle if you know what I mean!
 
i think i found the real problem....loose nut behind the wheel! (me)

It the clutch. specifically the bearing on the end of the fork. here is alot of play in the fork causing me to have no clutch pedal.
 
Well that sounds easier and cheaper. Well maybe neither but more like scheduled maintenance as opposed to fixing damage.

I'm hoping to be on my original clutch till it over 300,000 kms. I drive like an old man so I think it's possible. (I'm at 210,000 now)
 
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pcb said:
Well that sounds easier and cheaper. Well maybe neither but more like scheduled maintenance as opposed to fixing damage.

I'm hoping to be on my original clutch till it over 300,000 kms. I drive like an old man so I think it's possible. (I'm at 210,000 now)
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, I'm still on the original clutch and I just rolled over 200,000 miles (320,000 km) last night.
 
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