Question on Mazda 3 timing chain tensioner

Hi all, I've noticed that when I start my Mazda 3 lately I get a clattering noise that goes away after about 3 or 4 seconds does it mostly on cold start but will sometimes do it when hot. I think it is the timing chain tensioner. My guess is that is like a Mercedes that uses oil pressure with a one way valve to provide the tension and perhaps the valve is worn?? Question is if it is only making this noise on startup is it a detriment? How hard is it to swap out? is it like a toyota/honda in that I can undo 2 bolts and remove it with out having to take the cover off? With my luck is probably like the ford that I'll have to remove the cover to change out....any info appreciated.

It might be the cam phaser, if you have it. I know there was a tsb for the first gen ms3 mzr motor for them (had it done when I had mine), same symptoms you describe.

Cam phaser? is that like the VVT controller (thing that is built into the cam sprocket)? If so it is the same amount of work required to swap that as it is the timing chain bits and tensioner Just not motivated to fix it. I guess I could get all the parts and have them until I get motivated to tear into it.....certainly don't want to imagine the raping I would get having the dealer do it.

What year Mazda 3? 2 different engines are used.

ChasH wrote: What year Mazda 3? 2 different engines are used.

3 motors in 1st gens (2.0, 2.3 mzr and 2.3 disi turbo mazdaspeed) 2/3 in the 2nd/3rd gens (same 2.0, 2.5, skyactiv 2.0, and the 2.3 disi turbo ms3 again)

I had the dealer do mine, it clattered all the time once it got to 150,000. It was $600 or so with phasers, tensioners, chain, plugs, oil change and all the various stuff. It saved me from having to do it and left me time to work on something I wanted to work on. Mines a '12 2.5.

Strizzo wrote:

ChasH wrote: What year Mazda 3? 2 different engines are used.

3 motors in 1st gens (2.0, 2.3 mzr and 2.3 disi turbo mazdaspeed) 2/3 in the 2nd/3rd gens (same 2.0, 2.5, skyactiv 2.0, and the 2.3 disi turbo ms3 again)

The MZR engines are all basically the same inside. That's one engine. The other engine is the Skyactive, which comes in 2 sizes, which are, again, pretty much the same. Thanks for the pedantry, but it didn't answer the question.

Mine is a 2006 2 liter. Actually very happy to hear that it ran you about $600 because I was figuring it to well over a grand....I'm going to have the dealer do this after researching it further. If the engine was out of the car and I had the parts I'd consider it, but it is not and it is in my daily. Also apparently it is very dicey setting the timing and if it is not done properly it can be a recipe for disaster. Still bummed but if I can get this done at the dealer for around 6 bills, I'll be both surprised and very happy.

Rumnhammer wrote: Also apparently it is very dicey setting the timing and if it is not done properly it can be a recipe for disaster.

It's not really dicey, just different. There are no keyways on the crank sprocket, just some special diamond coated washers. You use a special thickness bar in a slot in the back of the camshafts and there's a plug you remove from the crankcase that you fit a special length bolt that stops the crank against one of the counterweights. I found the measurements for the bolt online and I have a piece of angle iron and some shim stock I made for the cams.

Then you zip the crank pulley off, remove the timing cover (and they bolt the alternator to the cover... with studs... grr), do what you need to do under the cover, and put it all back together. When you put the damper back on, there's a hole in it that lines up with a hole in the cover, you need to stick a dowel through and then zip the bolt down.

This is pretty much the way everyone does it now, because it makes assembling the engine actually easier. You can't get the chain a tooth off. The only silly part in my mind is the fact that the damper has to go on a certain way because the trigger wheel for the crank sensor is on the damper, not the crankshaft. At that point they may as well have just keyed the dang crank.

My dealer is pretty awesome, my bill was over $1k but I had a lot of other stuff done while it was there.

Mazda Direct in Fostoria, Ohio.

Yeah, My dealer proably not so much... just made the appointment to get it done. It will be $1600 parts and labor, $600 for parts alone. They quoted 7 hours labor. To be honest this about the amount I was expecting. Even if I did it myself it would still be $600 for the parts. If the engine was out of the car and on a stand I would have considered it because I've already watched a couple of videos on it an I've done far tougher jobs before, but for a daily and given that it would take me far longer then 7 hours, I'm going to let the stealership tackle this one...sucks I know but sometimes that's the more doable thing.

Yeah, so I pick up the 3 from the dealer tonight after paying $1500 and on the 8 or so mile drive home the car starts making a high pitched squeal and my wife says it is puffing smoke out of the tail pipe. This car doesn't burn oil at all so I know somethings wrong. I get it into the driveway and pop the hood and it sounds like one of the cams or something is not getting oil..... I call the dealer and tell them what happened and they send a tow truck. When I start it up to put it on the tow truck and the high pitch squeal is gone but now huge amounts of smoke are coming out of the tailpipe. The tow truck driver says looks like a blown headgasket. I'm like no that is oil smoke not coolant. Definitely some type of internal damage done. Thank god I had it done at the dealer. Maybe they will put a new short block in it, because they don't do internal work anymore.........This is exactly why I didn't want to do this job, and glad I didn't. Just hope the dealer does right by me or else Mazda will be getting a call from me.

that's bad news, hope they make it right for you.

Won't be the first time I've call them, although the last time it was Subaru North America, they ended up kissing my butt big time. Before that it was Mazda when the dealer didn't want to replace the steering pump that was faulty and issued a tsb but not a recall until someone got hurt. That was in my old Mazda 5 and in the end they caved and replaced the pump.

Turned out that it was how I had the cam cover vent plumbed into the PCV line going to the air/oil separator. I called my buddy Bryan at Fab 9 since he does a lot of NC miatas and the first thing he asked is about this setup. Said this would absolutely cause this to happen.. Apparently the MZR engine is extremely sensitive to crankcase pressure and having this line plumbed in wasn't letting the pressure by having the 5/8 line going into the intake manifold suck shut. The stock line for this is a small diameter hard line to prevent this. I have heard of adding a check valve in this setup for turbo cars but apparently I would need to do this for a normally aspirated Mazda 3 as well! I believe the whistling noise was the air pressure trying to blow by the spring in the PCV valve. So I went back to the dealer and put the stock line back in place and all is well again......