HLAs....

Author
Discussion

NiceCupOfTea

Original Poster:

25,289 posts

252 months

Saturday 18th August 2007
quotequote all
OK,

My car has been rattly ever since I bought it. It's low mileage, but I'm guessing many short journeys, and it has sat for a long time and gone a very long time between oil changes at times (3 years at one point, although less than 10k miles covered in that time).

It got a full service with semi-synth when I got it (even did diff/gearbox oils), and subsequently some of that wynn's stuff, and after a while as it was so bad I got the oil changed for fully synth with a flush, which did improve things.

It has of course had the requisite Italian tune-up wink

Symptoms are the usual rattle then quieten down on startup, but then when it becomes warm (or after starting for a second time) it's very ticky from the top end.

It drives fine and it's not affecting the running, but it sounds like shit and is embarrassing and irritating.

I'm going to try one more flush/oil change, but after that the only way I can see getting it sorted is replacing the HLAs - my mech reckons it's usually only 1 or 2, at 30 quid or so each, but with all the labour involved what sort of costs will it be? 3-400 quid?

Just so annoying as it doesn't need doing but spoils my enjoyment of the car. Surely there must be some way of ungumming the HLAs without replacing them? frown

DennisTheMenace

15,603 posts

269 months

Saturday 18th August 2007
quotequote all
only other thing you could try is remove the cams pull them out and clean them out with petrol , mine has the odd hla moment on start up but has been really good all round , would drive me up the wall if it done it on the move

Evil Edna

389 posts

234 months

Saturday 18th August 2007
quotequote all
NiceCupOfTea said:
OK,

My car has been rattly ever since I bought it. It's low mileage, but I'm guessing many short journeys, and it has sat for a long time and gone a very long time between oil changes at times (3 years at one point, although less than 10k miles covered in that time).

It got a full service with semi-synth when I got it (even did diff/gearbox oils), and subsequently some of that wynn's stuff, and after a while as it was so bad I got the oil changed for fully synth with a flush, which did improve things.

It has of course had the requisite Italian tune-up wink

Symptoms are the usual rattle then quieten down on startup, but then when it becomes warm (or after starting for a second time) it's very ticky from the top end.

It drives fine and it's not affecting the running, but it sounds like shit and is embarrassing and irritating.

I'm going to try one more flush/oil change, but after that the only way I can see getting it sorted is replacing the HLAs - my mech reckons it's usually only 1 or 2, at 30 quid or so each, but with all the labour involved what sort of costs will it be? 3-400 quid?

Just so annoying as it doesn't need doing but spoils my enjoyment of the car. Surely there must be some way of ungumming the HLAs without replacing them? frown
Is it definitely the HLAs making the tickety sound?

It's just that when an engine is hot the injectors can also make a pronounced ticking sound that is easy to mistake for dodgy HLAs.

Please forgive me if it definitely is the HLAs, I am not trying to be patronising, but it is worth making sure before taking the valve-train to bits.

P.S. I always thought that HLA was a particular branch of the porn industry.

Edna

giryan

29 posts

212 months

Sunday 19th August 2007
quotequote all
If you really do need the HLAs replacing then Kia(I think) ones are exactly the same part and cost ~£13 as opposed to Mazda's £30.
My HLAs are probably about the same state as yours, sometimes I'll be driving round constantly with them ticking.
I've bought a head from another 5 and I'm going to look at either grabbing HLAs from it, or just refreshing(& maybe porting & polishing wink ) and swapping it for my current one.


How would you work out if it was the injectors Enda?

fentuz

91 posts

202 months

Monday 20th August 2007
quotequote all
humm, I remember my 5 used to do similar noise on takeover during cold winters... hydraulic pushers...

Where are you? You should be able to get some help from MX5OC...

NiceCupOfTea

Original Poster:

25,289 posts

252 months

Monday 20th August 2007
quotequote all
SE London - been talking to Mark at Freelance Mazda in Chatham and he reckons if another oil change doesn't sort it then it's HLA time frown

skinny

5,269 posts

236 months

Monday 20th August 2007
quotequote all
what oil are you using? if it's ticking when hot then it's either too thin (like a 0W-30 or 5W-30) or it's too old and has sheared and therefore lost its high temp viscosity. if the HLA's were goosed then at medium temps, they would still probably be noisy.