HLA (Hydraulic Lash Adjuster - Lifter) Help??
 

I have a 92 Protege LX 5-speed (1.8 DOHC) - 148,000 miles. I've had the HLA-lifter tapping problem ever since I bought the car 8 months ago (135,000 miles). Lately it seems to be getting worse, especially since it's been near 90 degrees every day for the past month. I've noticed that I hear the tapping for about 1-2 seconds when I first start the car in the morning or when the car has been sitting several hours in the parking lot at work. I've also noticed that if I've been driving at highway speed (70 mph) for a while and stop/shut down the engine, I can re-start the engine 2 or 3 minutes later and the engine taps LIKE HELL for about 5 minutes or longer. It's VERY embarassing especially when there are people around and your car sounds like the engine is going to come through the hood any second!! I've tried different weights of regular oil and just recently switched to full synthetic oil (Mobil 1). The lifter tapping problem is still there. I've searched this site and found several discussions on this topic. Most/all of the discussions mention some sort of oil flush or engine cleaning/flush which will clean all the gunk and crap out of a high mileage engine and quiet the lifters. My question is this: Is there anybody out there who has actually used an engine/oil flush on this particular engine (1.8 DOHC)??? If so, what kind of results did you get? Did the lifters quiet down? I'm willing to try this if it's going to help. I actually thought about buying new lifters and replacing them myself. My local Mazda dealer wants $45.00 EACH, and I need 16 of them!!!! Has anybody actually did the engine/oil flush?

i was told not to use mobil 1 unless i ran it from day 1, and since the car was 2nd hand.. well i couldnt' do anything about that.. but a friend of mine used mobile 1 and found that it was great for a little while then it got noisey.. the engine oil i was recommened to use is mobil Super S .. and i have found it to be really good since.. i used castrol magnatec until i found out it was bad ..

btw mines the BPT..

The oil level is right on the full mark. As a matter of fact, I have NEVER had to any any oil to this engine. It stays right at the full mark all the time. For the past 2 oil changes I've been using Mobil 1 (Full Synthetic, Syntec ?? or something like that) 10w-30 weight oil. I think the bottle said "for higher mileage engines."

There are a few other things I need to do to this car before winter comes (like new tires, rear brakes, etc), but I'm kinda hesitating doing anything else to the car. If I can't quiet the damn thing down, I'm not so sure I'm going to keep it very much longer. I don't like weird noises coming from the engine bay, and this noise is about the worst one I've tried to deal with.

ive got the same problem with my lifters. i used an engine flush then switched to 20W50 synthetic valvoline oil and my engine is quiet as can be. the only time i hear the lifter again is when its time for another oil change like after 6,000 miles of hard driving. peace.

BTW i have the SOHC

I'm using a Purolator filter right now. I'm going to change the oil next week and maybe try a heavier weight oil. I have to take my 02 Protege ES to have it's first service at the dealership on Monday, so I'll pick up a mazda filter for the 92 LX while I'm there. I sure hope this does the trick. If not, I'm sure you guys will hear me again!!

thats nice you think its bullshit.. but to tell the truth ... after my friends car getting more noisey i'm not going to put it in mine.. of course you can put one in then go back.. thats not the point!.. its how well it will work in your engine!

UPDATE!!
 

I changed my oil today (Valvoline 20w-50 Synthetic Blend) and replaced the filter with a genuine Mazda oil filter (little bigger one for the v-6 engines) and the HLA noise is GONE GONE GONE!!!!! Absolutely NO NOISE at all now, not even after driving the hell out of it on the way back from my parents house today (50 miles away). I guess the big test will be when I start it in the morning going to work, and when I start it to leave work after it's been sitting in the hot parking lot all day long. I'll keep my fingers crossed....

K&N has the check valve, and it's the only thing I use.

*shrug*