I have an 04 MCS with a 15% pulley, Milltek cat back, Denso IR22 plugs, and JCW airbox and when driving in 5th gear at WOT there is a slight ticking sound between 3 and 4 K. Its sorta hard to hear and you have to listen carefully. I have only put 91 octane minimum in the car. I haven't really noticed it in any of the lower gears when accelerating but 3-4K goes by so fast (in the lower gears at WOT). Any suggestions? Is this engine pinging? Should I look into getting the ECU tuned? Maybe put the stock plugs back in?

Thanks

Erik

 

Does it sound like coins being dropped??? That's what I would describe pinging as.. I have read that with the 15% pulley and CAI, the OEM DME should be able to adjust properly but it wouldn't hurt for you to see how you're a/f is...

DETONATION is never good .... Also, what is the outside temp when you're hearing this PINGING... With my Turbo Miata, when it's hella cold here in the bay area, I do hear some pinging.. I guess since it was leaned during summer in South Cal....

So maybe ECU will be next for your shopping list...

///Gilbert

 

Are you sure the car only makes the ticking sound in 5th? There is a known problem that kinda sounds like your issue, but it happens in pretty much any gear at around the same rev range as you've commented.

Here's some light reading for you.

http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40874

 

Thanks for the responses. The ticking seems pretty randomly timed. It could be there in other gears but it seems like theres a lot less drag on the engine when accelerating in the lower gears and those revs go by so quickly at WOT... hardly enough time to listen. I've heard it recently with the temperatures in the 60's here.

 

bring back an old thread...... i have this same problem, im not sold its pinging and it is a randonly timed clicking kind of sound from about 3000 rpm up. Most noticable at freeway speeds and it seems to be coming from the drivers side. Any ideas?

 

clicking? maybe a tensionser... i have heard this noise as well... its definetly not pinging... it sounds completely differnt

 

yea ive never had a car ping before so im not sure exactly what pinging sounds like

 

also if it is the tensioner, where can you get one, and how much are they?

 

Wow I haven't been on this board for a while. I still notice the ticking every once in a while but the car still runs great after ~12K miles since I noticed it, so it's probably not super critical. I think isellem is right and its something to do with the tensiometer.

 

I have an '05 MCS and had the ticking issue between 3 and 4000 RPM most pronounced w/ the window down and being next to a building or curbing, something for the sound to resonate off of.

The fix was with the harmonic balancer, had to take it to the dealer a couple times for them to "hear it" also and riding along w/ the tech.

Good luck

 

i read about the crank pulley issues but those seemed to be heard on the passenger side and mine is coming from the drivers side. I also hear the noise much eaiser with the windows up.

 

if its the tensioner, if your car has warranty it is free. the tensions itself is around a hundred bucks i think... someone makes a reinforced one though... i can't remember who though...

 

IT IS YOUR HARMONIC BALANCER. bodenski did alot of research on this a long time ago. mine did it as well, got the harmonic changed . went away. but came back as they didn't make the better one then .now the new one has been out since what? 05? it's the way to go my friend.

 

my hesitation withe the harmonic balencer is that the noise from that was heard from the passenger side and heard better with the window down, mine is from the driver side and heard better with the window up

 

cool!

By the way... i now have an 06... same noise... so im not sure if it is much improved

 

Yikes!

Just read through twenty minutes of "ticking" threads and I can't be for sure whether my '06 JCW MCS has the same problem or if it is actually detonating.

Mine appears to be pinging (pre-detonating) under moderate load in the 3000-4000 range. It does not happen by lugging at a low rpm. It is most noticeable with windows up, 3000-4000 rpm and lasts only about a second. I noticed it occasionally with my previous '03 MCS, but blamed it on shi"#ty gas. On my new JCW MCS, though, it has become more than occasional.

 

well if it helps, mine doesn't sound like pinging more like... umm... clicking...

 

seach bodinski. or maybe it's on mini2 . he stuffed a rag in his harmonic and duct taped it . the sound was cut in half. dealer swapped out the harmonic and voila all set. for a time anyway but they've redesigned them since.

 

is there any way to test to see if the tensioner has gone bad?

 

that's passenger side too. i think there was talk of the #4 cyl' being a lean issue. in other words if you're lean at all this is the one to be lean first . has to do with the intake flow i guess as this would be bypassed somewhat doue to the sharp rt. turn . just speculating; but this ciould explain why only drivers side. unless you've got a valve train issue over there. get out the stethescope (screw driver).