So, I have a 2008 Mazdaspeed 3 that just had the vvt job at a Mazda dealership a week ago. I had to bring it back a couple days later because they didn't put the valve cover gasket on right... Anyways, ever since I got it back, I'm still hearing the grinding sound when I first turn it on for a second or two, on a cold start. Well yesterday when I turned it on, I heard it for a little longer than usual. As I started driving, I had all the windows down, and I'm hearing a grinding/whining noise from the passenger side. It's pretty loud when I'm up against something like a barrier on the passenger side, and it's only when under load. If I take it out of gear and coast, I can't hear it anymore. I didn't check the chain after I got done driving, which I should have, but does anyone know how much slack there should be when the car is cold? I can almost pull it off the teeth when it's cold. Is it likely that they could have messed up this job? I keep seeing conflicting things about the chain slack when the car is cold. Any other ideas of what it could be?
Sorry for the wall of text, I'm just pretty annoyed/scared right now. It's not normal and I'm not trying to blow the engine yet. Thanks for looking...