Grinding Noise Inside Valve Cover
 

It started yesterday when I started the car in the morning b4 I went to work...I though it was a belt maybe hitting my intercooler piping so I shut down the car and looked but saw nothing. I started it again and the car did it for a second then stopped doing it, no other problems until today when I started it and it did the same thing...again it stopped after I shut it down and restarted it and let it run for a bit. Now it does it anytime I stop at a stop light and most of the time in lower RPM range. It has gotten much worse now. It sounds terrible like deep grinding noise. I just pulled the valve cover off...what could it be?

Could be a bearing on one of the cams.

is there a bearing in the CAS...it is really loud and sounded a bit like it was coming from about that area. Can someone tell me what I need to do to replace the cam bearings. Is it a part I can get at my local auto parts store or special order. What is the procedure for replacing the bearings. Do I have to redo the timing? How many bearings are there? Anyone with experience doing this help would be appreciated.

It does sound like extra clearance in the cam bearings. Once the oil is pressurized, the oil crates a cushion.

UPDATE-
well guys...upon further investigation the noise seemed to be coming fromt he front of the motor and is now a constant loud whirring rubbiing noise...We believe it to be the water pump. what do you guys think

Water pump would probably leak. More than likely in that location it is one of the timing belt tensioners(bearing wheels)

Could be the tensioner/idler pulleys. They make quite a racket when giving up the ghost.

Sounds like it's time for a timing belt, water pump, and related items.

Wouldn't recommend driving it until repaired; water pump failure could be terminal. Timing belt failure wouldn't be catastrophic, but will leave you stranded.

not sure if this has anything to do w/ it, but my timing belt did seem really lose...????

My bet is on WATER PUMP

every time I see you av, I want to stab myself in the heart.


I'm putting my money on a tensioner.

well guys...here is what all I ordered...let me know if there is anything I am forgetting

Timing belt Kit
Water Pump
Cam Seal Set
Crankshaft front Seal set
Valve Cover Gasket
Camshaft Belt Tensioner
Camshaft Valve Idler

Looks like I got some work ahead of me...any tips would be great

Where did you order from and what was the cost?
I might end up doing all that and we talked about it earlier, just curious what route you took. I've been convinced to buy my parts from Mazda which was going to total out to like $170-180 or so.

Since you have the front end off, you mind as well pull the timing belt gear and replace the front main seal. Mine had a small leak that drenched the bottom of my motor and steering rack (as you can see, filthy!) I just completed the project last week at a tech day and let me tell you.......it's like they tell us in the military, "Use the right tools for the right job". When removing the timing belt gear, we couldn't find a puller that had claws small enough to go behind the gear so we went to Sears, still nothing. We ended up (well, Bill Wilner, of miataroadster.com) fabricating a a puller from a brake press.....

Attachment 216766

After a few tweaks, it worked like a charm. But it wasn't until afterwards that we looked at a helms and the book recommended using a steering-wheel puller.DOH!! That would've saved us about 3-4 hours of trying to get that dayam thing off.

Tips:
Don't forget the CAS seal (easier to do with the valve cover off), and don't forget to mark the CAS so you don't have to change timing.

Have the right tools

Have a big-ass breaker-bar for the gear bolt

Don't forget a new Woodruff key and bolt (and use Loctite if you have a short-nose)

Torque ALL bolts to spec

Have some kind of cam-lock device to keep your timing the way you left it, we used the Brainstorm cam-stopper thigmagiggy and it worked wonderful.

When re-installing the timing belt gear, be sure the notches line up.

When installing the timing belt, its WAY easier to line up the cams first then work the belt over the tensioner (loosened).

After we installed everything, the nervous part is always the first start. Mine started up without a hitch and purrrrrd like a pussy. The timing was just the way I left it!

Good luck and don't forget to post any problems you might have. I think everything that could go wrong with my install, did, so i learned a lot.

Good tips...the main thing I am worried about is keeping the timing how it is. This willl be my first timing belt replacement and hopefully all goes well. What is a "woodruff key"...is it something I should for sure replace?
thanks

I bought my parts from www.autohausaz.com I have purchased many VW parts from them and they are a company I trust. Everything cost me like $180 shipped. They were the cheapest I could find

woodruff key is the metal deal that goes into the slot of your crank pulley if it looks worn replace it. if the crank looks worn you might look into the locktite fix. once you have it close to being apart this will all be aparent to you hopefully.

Here;s a good read: http://www.miata.net/garage/hsue/LoctiteCrank1.html

Good tips on the timing belt replacement: http://www.miata.net/garage/timingbelt.html