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I have recently noticed quite a loud ticking sound coming from under the engine cover. The car has not been started in awhile so I'm not exactly sure if i failed to notice it before or its new

Does anyone know what the sound is?

Probably a dry lifter. Should fix itself after a few k's on the road.

Dann

I noticed it after I warmed and took the car out for a quick spin.

Just had another listen, the noise is basically coming from right where the dipstick is.

The NC does not have hydraulic lifters. It may be an injector ticking, cam follower shim/bucket out of adjustment, broken follower, chipped cam, VVT http://parts.arlingtonmazda.com/documents/01-010-11-2508.pdf.... It would be best to get a professional opinion - too hard to diagnose over the web.

Wow you have got to be kidding me. Might be the same problem with the '07 CX-7's...Serious design flaw that may end up with needing a new engine...

Check your spark plugs. Are they all inserted correctly?

Mine recently developed a ticking noise and the cause was one plug somehow worked its way loose. Once the plug was screwed back in, noise was gone.

I picked up the ticking noise after running at Phillip Island 20 months ago. Probably caused by a slight over rev on the down change into Honda.

I tried to find where it was coming from using a short length of garden hose like a stethoscope but couldn’t isolate it, though I suspected it was the VVT cam gears.

I chatted with Chris Gough (MX5 Racing) and he said he’d had a similar issue and his went away after a few weeks and a few hundred kilometres.

The weeks went by, track days were done and my ticking noise remained. Various oil grades were tried but still the noise remained.

Last December the “PISSers” went back to Phillip Island and low and behold after the track day the ticking noise stopped and hasn’t returned.

So if it isn’t a bearing, you might not need to worry too much.

Thanks Charlie!

After all the things I have seen with the CX-7's I was really worried that this might've been the same problem.

Ill also double check that all my spark plugs are tight.

Its quite surprising that this noise popped up as the car only has 30,000 on her and just recently serviced too