1998 Mazda Protege valve noise

Hi lpeek,

Thank you for the donation.

Valve adjustment can be made without taking the head off. It requires shims to be replaced.

My personal ecperieices indicates that oil additives should not be used for good engines, they would cause more harm than good. Good quality oil would be all you need.

which repair manual will have specs. for shimming , and I assume I will have to remove the cam shafts.

No, the camshafts need not be removed but a special tool would be required to compress the valve springs to remove the shim.

Valve clearance checking procedures. 1. Remove valve cover. Ensure engine is cold. Rotate crankshaft clockwise until No. 1 piston is at TDC of compression stroke. Measure valve clearance between base of camshaft lobe and valve tappets at "A". See Fig. 3. If clearance is not within specification, replace adjustment shim. 2. Rotate crankshaft clockwise about 360 degrees positioning No. 4 piston at TDC of compression stroke. Measure valve clearance between base of camshaft lobe and valve tappets at "B". See Fig. 3. If clearance is not within specification, replace adjustment shim.

Courtesy of MAZDA MOTORS CORP.

thanks for your help. also what do you consider a small donation ? I like the way this works.

We do not get to see the donated amount so I am not too sure about that but any amount is accepted with thanks.

Checked valve lash as you suggested. #2 intake both, and both #3 exhaust, are out of spec .02 inches or .5mm. Should I change shims as ticking goes away after about 1 minute of running? thanks

I posted a question and made a donation03-07-2010. Blackop555 reposted my question, but I don't see any answer. Am I do something wrong?

Hi, sorry for the delay in geting back.

Actually you should have used this link to reply so that notification would be sent to me and I will get back to you once I am online.

Posting a new question might get lost or delay in replies due to the overhelming number of questions coming in.

Blackop555 reposted the question here so that I would be notified.

0.5 mm is quite a lot of clearance. I believe it is 0.05 mm out of specs.

Since it is out of specs, it would be best to get the shim replaced to get the clearance to specs. Prior to doing so, check that the cam lobes are smooth and no abnormal wear or roughness are present.

Thanks for the info. I was looking in the wrong place for your answer. The clearance is .002 inches out or spec. I had thouble with the converson. I am having trouble finding the shims , even at the mazda dealers any suggestions Since you think I should try to replace the shims, where I might try to buy them.

If the dealer does not have it, then the other place you can try would be major parts store. It need not specifically be for Mazda. Just ensure the diameter and thickness is correct and it would work.

Do you have the procedure for getting the correct thickness?