Clicking/ticking under hood
 

Ok i just recently got an Rx8 and i noticed a strange noise coming from under the hood. im just wondering if this is normal or if there might be a very big problem. also my airbag light is flashing and staying on. i really love the car and dont want to give it up so soon. here's a link to hear the noise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_ripXKWbxk

yes a got the same here my car sounds like diesel truck hahahahah
the air bag light is the plugs under the seats maybe.... just push the connectors together and check

Maybe one of the belts? I know when I had a small oil leak some of it got on the belts and they sounded like that, although not nearly as loud.

valve or a pushrod. take the heads off and check. okay, maybe not.

can you isolate where it's coming from?

Well the problem seems to be a bad pin in a valve on the intake. Don't know how much it's going to cost yet but at least I know it's not too big of a problem...hopefully

Shouldn't cost you a dime...unless you already have 36k miles on it.

^...................good call jmc...........that's exactly what it sounds like to me. Plug is arching.

what year is your rx-8?

leaking exhaust manifold? could be a loose sparkplugs

you beat me to it :banghead:

Its an 04 A/T with 76k so im far past the 36 mark.
heres a very poor description of what was knocking

ssv actuator i think.did you get fixed?

wow........would've lost money on this one! Sure sounded like spark arching!

lolz it sounds so much like it...

yep !!!it was that :wallbash::wallbash::wallbash: thanks

so did anyone manage to fix this without having to dismantle half the engine bay to remove the ssv? mine is starting to do this too.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-remove-ssv-beta-teaser-video-184663/

i think we need jon316G advice here please

powertrain extension warranty covers the intake and that is part of the intake i will check in the dealer first ok tomorrow monday

I had a sweet ticking/knocking sound and I was sure it was a spark boot loose or something, I checked it a handful of times or more. So I got in there with a stethoscope and found the idler pulley was doing it so I lubed it and it disappeared and no sign of it so far since.

Interesting...
I've heard spark arcing before and that doesn't sound like it (though the sound quality isn't the greatest).
Spark arcing tends to sound like a quick, high tapping sound and in the clip is sounds more like a low, rough clunky sound.
Again... I wouldn't rule out that the spark is arcing, just doesn't sound like it from the clip.

Now the SSV... its possible for it to be a valve (don't forget about the VDI) if the solenoid was bad and just cycling it continuously.
But both the SSV and VDI is visible without removing anything so you'll see it moving if it were the valves.

So two things to get you started:
1) Watch the valves and see if one of them is moving.
2) Verify the ignition wires are secured to the spark plug.
If the wires are secured, you may want to remove them and inspect for any white spots that'll indicate arcing.
Its possible a wire could have been rubbing on something and cut through the insulation.

Good luck and keep up posted.

Don't know why I just thought of this...
With the car sitting idle... have someone rev the engine.
If the ticking sound/rate increases with the RPM, then I would definitely say its spark arcing.

ok is the rod of the ssv ,the ssv is ok it works fine but the dealer wants 300 to replace it
and is not cover under the powertrain warranty i will try to fix it myself this weekend

you can touch it and it stops so i guess is the plastic clip

Umm... no plastic clip... there is an e-clip that secures the rod to the valve.
Your sound could be the bushing.

well i touch it and i move the plastic a little bit and it stop but then again after a 2 min. start again yep is the little plastic and the two metal are hitting and that is the clicking noise

Can you take a pic of what you're referring to and attach it here?

yes a do that saturday

thanks jon for chimeing in.

last night i checked if it was the ssv that was causing the knocking noise and found it only does it when the engine is hot at idle.the noise would go away when i put the butt of my hand on the intake and pull up with my fingers on the edge of the ssv actuator.

any ideas?

my rx8 is a 04 with 84k km i wonder if this would be covered under waranty.

First thing I would check is for pinholes in the actuator... its happen a few times before.
If you have a vacuum pump (like from a brake bleeding kit), disconnect the airline to the actuator and hook the vacuum pump to it.
Give it vacuum (about 10in.Hg) and see if it holds the vacuum.
If you notice the vacuum going down, then you know the actuator has a pinhole.

ok will do. just watched your vids damm good stuff very helpful thanks.
http://www.vimeo.com/5353829

canadian tire here i come to buy a brake bleed kit.

Californa jmc and sebarx8 i was priced the same amount just for the part. After reving the engine the noise also continued to speed up with the RPMs. It wasn't until my mechanic touched and felt the wiggle that was coming from the part in question were we able to finalize that was the part. I still want to check the plugs but I'll save that for another day :D

scottish this part is part of the intake but mazda won't cover it under the powertrain warranty ....
yes the powertrain warranty will cover the intake ....... but not the valves!!!!!!
too me this is BS......


ok is the rod of the ssv ,the ssv is ok it works fine but the dealer wants 300 to replace it
and is not cover under the powertrain warranty i will try to fix it myself this weekend

you can touch it and it stops so i guess is the plastic clip

Here are a couple pics of an SSV that I removed.
Can you point to this plastic clip you're referring to?
Attachment 153425 Attachment 153426

Here is a good side shot:
Attachment 153427

i am sorry is not a plastic clip it is a plastic bushing and a e-clip.... my bad!!!
when i touch it felt like a clip

No problem ;)
Yeah... I've seen the bushing cause the chattering sounds before.
I use a small film of grease on the bushings whenever I reinstall the SSV.

thanks bud realy 300 for that ?????

You're probably paying for a new valve + labor, which that isn't a "shocking" dealer price.
But if your the kind of person who isn't afraid to tackle this yourself, you can save a bunch of money.

yes i know but i told the mechanic the valve is working just fine no power is lost
its just the little bushing or clip and he said the hole thing has to be replace
and i was like are you :cussing: kidding me man

Quick question jon, would the whole SSV need to be replaced if the problem i have is exactly the same as sebar's with the little bar on the SSV causing the noise?

Like I mentioned above, you need to find out if there is a pinhole in the actuator by apply vacuum to it and seeing if the vacuum goes down.

Alright the SSV was actually stuck so it seems a new one is in store. Jon you know alot about this you wouldn't by any chance have a DIY on this? :D

Don't think you have to replace the SSV at all, there is a DIY video in the DIY section that shows you how to remove the SSV and clean it.

here a link to jons thread http://https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=184663 very helpful with video too.the mods should make it a sticky.

mazda canada will not even sell you the ssv valve on its own they want you to buy the full intake assembly for $1200 CDN :(

Clicking on the link you posted doesn't work because you have an extra "http://".
Here is a the link:
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=184663

Well i cracked it open and finally saw how much carbon was built up inside the intake area. I cleaned most of it out and sprayed some engine cleaner from the dealer down the intake to see if that clears some of that carbon out. Cant wait to get back on the road, thanks a million Jon for the instructional vid... well thanks 300 :D

Evening and Hi All,

Well i have spotted a strange noise in the engine bay that has got me worried...its a kinda like ticking noise most noticeable at idle and seemly coming from around the oil cap/ Intake area. When i put my hand on the intake i can feel some vibrating other than the engine like something is moving inside. I could be completly wrong im just slightly worried. The car is running fine and there is no marbles in a can" noise with high revs.

I am wondering if this is the same thing you guys are talking about or am i way off????

I know that is a pretty poor explaination....so i recorded a video...in the video the sound seems very loud it is not quite as loud as the vid suggests.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw0Tjx2X6cI

That sounds about the same noise mine was making. There was some noise from the intake as you mentioned when I had the problem. The easiest way to tell if it's your SSV is if you feel the bar on the SSV rattling. That's the source of the noise. If you put pressure on it an it goes away tada there's the source

my car is brand new and it ticks, also the fan runs forever after i drive it somewhere in this 90 degree heat for longer then 30 minutes

Hi guys,

So, what was the final verdict here? Sparks or SSV? Mine is doing exactly the same as the two vids.

Thanks

It could be either or, it just all depends on the location of the noise. since ive experienced both, my carbon locked up SSV and a spark plug that is stripped and wont stay tight, its just going in and seeing where exactly its coming from.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/unique-rough-idle-w-video-205555/

I have this problem as well, I have no idea if it has to do with my rough idle... but my idle is my main problem... Jon, help a brotha out... Im in desperate need heh

I took my ssv valve out and cleaned it now I have that same tapping noise around the actuator. If I'm understanding correctly all I have to do is apply some grease to the actuator levers and it will stop? How do I go about finding out if one of the valve solenoids has gone bad. BTW sorry about the picture being so large couldn't get it any smaller.
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._5064356_n.jpg