for MK1 folx,
have you used either of these Wynn products successfully for the HL problem and so would you recommend?
An Italian tune up usually sorts things out. Don’t confuse HLA clatter with a dying oil pump.
i had to look that up 
i thought it had something to do with that film with the minis.
I mention oil pump because a mate got hold of a RS Limited that was part of the EVO fleet. It had been standing a while. Clattered at bit, so ihe decided to street tune it. Clatter didn’t go away, and he starved the engine of oil…
The engine was fully rebuilt. That engine is now in my own car, many miles later.
one more q about this:
if your engine already has exactly the right amount in, 3.7L, can you just put 325ml of wynn’s in it? won’t that be over-filling? should you syphon off 325ml first? or does it not matter for such an amount?
Before you bother, have you yet to rag it’s little nuts off for a half hour?
And I mean…off the rev limiter IF…only IF… the oil is fresh-ish and up to the dipstick.
Might not be required to add anything…or it may do no good at all but how will you know till you try?
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i’m not discounting the possibility that could be the solution, although i am sceptical that driving really fast will solve this.
but lets say that doesnt work, can you add 325ml to 3.7L and still be ok? 
i’m reading stuff on here than you are ok up 6mm above full. i just wonder what that translates to in mm.
I’d probably add that to fresh (cheap) oil, with a new filter, run that, then do another oil change, keep the filter. Some wouldn’t bother with an additive, but use a thinner oil.
Of course doing all that also might not solve a genuinely sticking HLA. Try the Italian tune up/ revving the nuts (go for a drive, try and keep in 2nd/3rd to get the revs up, and the oil hot). Its free and fun.
but just in case that doesnt work, do you syphon oil directly from the engine or the dip stick ? 
With the engine off, obviously most of the oil is in the sump. There’s only a little bit of oil in that camcover area. Those oil pumps that syphon use the dipstick tube.
If a hot engine run doesn’t improve things, I doubt a magic additive will do much. I suspect these snake oil products are just for salesmen to shift along problem cars by masking a sound.
You have HLA noise that never goes away, or its rattle on cold start. Or you hear one constantly ticking away?
You wouldn’t add these to old oil, so why are you worrying about overfilling. Drain the oil, add the additive, fill to mark, drive car.
i’ve just changed the oil. its brand new and wasnt cheap.
In which case, you are most likely wasting your hard earned money adding anything, but yes if you must bung it in after draining equal amount out. It won’t blow anything up but I doubt it’s going to help.
Modern engine oils are a miracle of science really, which is why it’s not cheap.
We are not guaranteeing a thing, equally we have been around these engines in some cases for decades.
Mine rarely gets a bit of upper clatter but when it does, it gets a good ragging.
Usually works.
Not always.
Your shout really.
After a good run, I might let the car idle for a while, to bring temperatures down a bit. Usually means less start up chatter next time. Sometimes, I get one recalcitrant tappet/lifter, but a good run always eliminates it.
Also, take note of what oil filter you fit. I think the Mazda filter has a non return valve. Cheap ones might not.
If you have it bad, the process is usually to try a flushing oil then change oil to the good stuff. The HLA rattle is due to a varnish build up. The stuff to deal with that I don’t think is something you add to the oil then let it stay there. Its a treatment that you need to flush pronto.
These other additives just change the viscocity of the oil.
Here’s one regimen that claims to fix HLA chatter, from Miataforum (there are many variations of this):
My favorite is to do 2 oil changes.
On the first, put a cheap filter in the car and put 1 qt of really thick oil and 3 quarts of auto transmission fluid (yes, ATF) in the engine and run it for about an hour.
Drain that out. While the drain plug is off, run about a gallon of kerosene through the engine to flush it out good.
Then, put your good Mazda OEM, Mobil1, or Purolator (NOT FRAM!) oil filter on the car and fill with your favorite oil (dino or synth)
Others will just tell you to adjust the viscocity of the oil.
I have found the adjusting the viscocity only moves the problem to one end or the other. If you go thicker to address the hot tick, you’re more likely to cold tick. If you go thinner to address cold tick, you’re more likely to hit tick.
I believe that the lifters tick because the hole in them that allows the oil in is too small, and over time this hole closes up a little due to varnishing of the oil and other deposits.
The strong detergents in the ATF help to dissolve these varnishes, restoring these holes to closer to their original size.
Own risk etc. This is a variation of the 2twisty flush; google it.
I’m assuming you’re using 10W40 oil. These days, I leave it to Thrussingtons to put in whatever is their current favoured brand, but back in the day, I would happily use Comma or Halfords 10W40 semi synthetic; I believe it actually comes from Esso/Exxon.
What is annoying is picking the car up from a garage, and it rattles like the proverbial fatherless baby on the way home. What happens here is a garage turning on and off a car to move it around a workshop. The oil is not warmed, and worse, because the car is running rich when cold. When that’s happened, I really had to thrash the engine, but after, its fully sorted. And my engine isn’t young, and it had that ancient history of oil starvation, but can still purr when it wants to.
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A Good engine flush is needed ,follow the instructions to get rid of the old sticky oil, change the oil for a good grade of oil and filter, and things should become a hell of a lot better, do not do this treatment every year and do not leave it in and use the roadster.
M-m
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which oil would you recommend?
Its a can of worms question, most of the time it comes done to personal choice ,like pads,disks, tyres ,boosting, turbo or charger etc etc.
My choice will not be someone elses.
we have always used magnatec or edge, but i am hearing good things about liqui moly at the minute, but never used it to give an opinion, mobil 1 is good,shell is good, QX is ok, there is plenty on the shelfs to pick from, but all i would say is always use the best you can, even if its hellfrauds own , as long as its changed at the right times, there should be no issues,if your doing higher miles , then it needs to be changed more regular , but its usually every 12 months at service time.
10-30 or 10 - 40 semi synth or part synth 3.5 liters.
Keep an eye open in the big shopping stores of the likes of Asda etc, they can have some good deals on with oils on prices like GTX. ,
M-m
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