Very New to this and I need Help
 

I just bought a 1992 Miata. I just got it running and it is making this constant tick tick tick noise. I think its the cams or the lifters. Does anyone have any advice or has had this happen to them? I used some Sea Foam that I read about on a thread that had something to do with a similar noise. It helped a bit, but the ticking is still there. I have a long weekend coming up and I was planning on cleaning the lifters. I have never done this and it makes me kind of nervous. Any advice you could give would be helpful. Thank you

There are several different procedures for cleaning lifters, but before doing any of those I would experiment with different weight oils.

Like olderguy said, try some different weight oils, do you know whats in it now? The lifter tick is pretty common, and even after cleaning, it'll usually come back shortly after. More often than not different oil weight will work to quite it down a good bit.

pulling them apart and decompressing lifters, and manually cleaning them, is the best way

I'm not sure what wt oil is in there now. I got the car abandoned vehicle lot. Does anyone have a suggestion of what wt I should run

And could it be my my valve trimming is off?

Valve timing will not make it tick. Try some 5w40.

I'm sure it's about time for a change anyway! I use 0w-40 M1 with pretty good results, I think its a little different for everyone.

5w-30 like whats intended...but changing oil weights wont fix compressed lifters.

This is true.

here is the guide to cleaning them, be very careful and take your time. i don't recall what used price is but new they are $18 dollars a piece, im sure in Hawaii they are much more.

so I should just do both ?

And thanks for the link ill study it befor i get started.

Try oil first, Then if it still does it all the time go for the lifters. Mine ticks here and there usually on a hot restart for around 30-40 seconds.

will it hurt the motor if i drive it befor i change the oil

Obviously check to make sure there is oil in the motor before you do much, but as long as there is I dont see why not. I would definitly get it changed ASAP though.

the noise is simply the lifters making contact to the cam lobes...

we have hydraluic lifters that compress down as they hit BDC and expand back as they reach TDC again. Problem is they get gunked up with oil and stay compressed, so as the lobe rides down on them, they stop making continous contact and the noise you are hearing is them tapping together.

Some say that changing oil weights will help, but I've never bought into it. You must decompress your lifters. They get really nasty and require a thorough cleaning in order ot get them to spring back into life again in a lot of cases. Last time I did mine I had 6-9 "solid" lifters. Mine have been noise free since.

I have a feeling the chaning of oil weights is a placebo, as lifters will tend to make noise if your oil is low anyways. So obviously, change your oil and volia, no noise for a while.

this is normal and you can ignore or fix.

My lifters were making a lot of racket when I bought my car because it had been sitting a long time. Fresh oil change with synthetic Rotella made it quiet within 50 miles or so. Rotella and other diesel engine oils are higher in detergents than oils for gasoline engines because diesel makes more soot.

Nice

lol

ok well I did it. and it sucked but its much better now. but I do belive I may have made a mistake. I redid my timming and I didnt turn over the cams befor putting it back together. I started the car and it runs fine but is there a chance that I damaged my valves. I read that if I didnt hand turn the cams that my pistons could have hit thim. is this true. and if so how would i know?

its a non interference engine so i would think not, are you sure you got your timing marks lined up correctly.

The miata BP is an interference engine.

Where did you come by this information?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_B_engine

sweet. thanks. that gives me a since of relief. and i followed the manufactures guide i found online

I know someone that has had valves make contact with pistons on his 1.8.

I think he may have had 1mm oversize valves but 1mm is pretty small. Wait, as I'm writing this I'm remembering that he had higher compression pistons so he probably had domed pistons. Nevermind me. I'll just stand over here... lol.

:) lol