http://srpmotorsports.com/Files/Videos/mofoaka's%20engine.AVI

Right click and save as.

i've grounded the vtc.. not sure if i did it correctly. the sound dies down after 20 seconds when the car is warmed up. but it happens in all temp, during a cold start( as in letting the car sit for a while). if i warm up the car and let the car warm up, turn off the car, and turn it on again. the noise is gone. any suggestions? thanks

link no workie for me?

link fixed. just right click and save as Thanks

oh that noise is bad

sounds like it might be your belts, have you checked them lately?


Doesn't sound like the vtc, not the ones that I've heard anyways.

belts were all replaced. i don't know what else is wrong with it. coudl it be a bad camshaft? cuz the mechanic at nissan took off one of the rockers that hold the camshaft down and the underside was scored up. it looked like a oil starvation issue.

that almost sounds like a chainsaw... could it be a manifold stud? where is the sound coming from? left side right side high low?

the noise in coming from the front of the car. near the high left side if your facing the car. yea it does sound like a chain saw which is why i lost on what's wrong with the engine

where you doing anythings to it as it idled, or was it jumping on its own?

i was reving it slightly

what camshaft was taken off? the one closest to front?
and also did this noise start happening right after you ground them?

the camshafts weren't taken off just 1 rocker was removed. it was the rocker removed was on the camshaft that has the VTC unit on it.. this happened suddenly and it sounded like a loose belt when it first started. we even took off all the belts to all the accessories and it made the same noise.
btw . grounding didn't help any.

your probably gonna have to pull the front valve cover and take a look, maybe a lifter is bent or that rocker was positioned or installed incorrectly....... what VTC one was it on, the front or back?

vtc on the front

was the rocker replaced with a new one? you should take it back to Nissan and have them listen to it and tell them they screwed up. maybe they torqued it down inproperly and its loose..

no they didn't replace it, they were actually diagnosing it for the noise. is there an online service manual for the VE engine? i might just replace the camshafts, valves, springs, and lifters myself but my haynes repair manual only covers the vg and vq engine. thanks

I use a chiltons 85-92 manual, it covers the ve30de motor

thanks imma try and reground the vtc's again. maybe i didn't do it right? but i'm thinking its gonna be some major headwork... =(

alright, before i even read past the second post or any other post about a camshaft, i watched the video and my opinion was: a broken camshaft. i had an '86 honda which made the exact same sound shortly before the camshaft sprocket broke off destroying my engine... of course it could be something different but that's my educated guess.

its the vtcs i have the same noise unplug your knock sensor andd it; ll quite alittle becuase it retarts the timing( just do that to check if thats the noise ) sythetic helps remove the noise slowly !! its normal for bad vtcs !!!

which one is the knock sensor? thanks

wow that sounds bad

so where exactly is the knock sensor? sorry i dont' have the manual for this engine. only the VG and VQ=(

look for a wire that runs inbetween both heads, right below where the intake plenum connects to the motor, on the drive side....it should go to a plug, thats it.

is it the connector that's red? .. oh i regrounded my VTC.. and it still makes the noise. so i guess its not my vtc? but after 10 seconds the noise goes away even if i rev up my car.

bump anyone else have suggestions?

yeah, don't drive your car until you figure out the problem

lol nice, thanks for that suggestion. lucky i have another car ( turbo protege5) w00t but does anyone know if there's a how-to write up for repairing the VTC? and also.. if the VTC was faulty.. and i did ground it correctly, would it still make noise?

you really might want to check your camshafts and make sure the sprockets aren't about to break off. seriously man, my honda made that exact same sound right before the sprocket busted off. maybe it's hitting something. sounds to me like metal hitting metal. i really wouldn't like to see you do what i did with my honda and keep driving it while it makes that sound and destroy your engine when the sprocket finally breaks off.

edit: nm, you have the mazda to drive so that shouldn't happen

didn't craig and mike do a VTC writeup a week back or so

when you un plug the knock sensor does it get alittle quiteer

well when i unpluged my knock sensor there was no noticable difference. one, because the sound goes away within 10 seconds. 2 it only happens when i rev it a lil to around 1.5krpm - 2krpm. i will be checking the cams but what are the torque specs of the rockers and sprockets.

btw. if i were to replace the rockers . would i need to remachine the cams and the head?

well i have the same noise i know its the vtcs

does your noise only appear when you rev it a lil at cold start?

Where is the ECu located ? i wana check for engine codes

i looked closer at my exhaust manifold, and one of the studs are missing. the one closest to the A/C compressor. could that cause any sound?.. doesn't seem to be any exhaust leak though

unpluged the VTC seleniods and no noise difference.. but i do notice that when i plug them back in, there's a slight pop sound and the idle drops for a lil and raises again

i would say its the studd.... I have heard from other people that exhaust studs can make some nasty almost like VTC sounds....ask some of the people who have done it before...usually the studd is loose, not missing....

thanks i PM someone for help.

the ticking part does sound like it could be VTCs, but that scratching noise doesn't really sound like it to me
it's really hard to tell without hearing it in person though

but if you are missing a stud, you should take care of that to be eliminate that possibility

VTC rebuild kit is only $40 or so each sprocket, but you'll need gaskets, fuel and vacuum lines, and a couple other little things. While you're in there, you should probably do the knock sensor too which is another $100 or so.
pics of VTC disassembly here
http://community.webshots.com/album/228997037rnrRbN
the TSBs are in the FAQs and also check out the autozone repair guide and 4dsc.com/articles for more help
it's not that hard but lots of things to keep organized and kinda tight to do while the engine is in the car

If you need to do VTCs and rear exhuast studs, I'd recommend removing the engine to do it. It makes it 1000x easier and isn't that hard to pull the engine.