Drove around the block before putting my 04 C4S in the garage and heard a loud ticking from the rear of the car. I'm leaving town for the Holidays today but when I get back need a good reputable shop to take a look. I'm in Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley). Any suggestions or am I just better off going to the dealership? In the event this is an IMS failure, I'd love to find someone familiar with the upgraded LNE parts. I searched and came up with very little info...

Here's a sound clip I recorded. I have since shut the car off and will not crank until someone looks at first. No engine lights, no leaks...

http://www.dailypost.tv/graphics/Sound/PorscheSound.aif

TIA

 

Sounds like an exhaust lifter which is a very small internal part inside of the engine...

As for a shop, I would have your car towed down to GMG Racing in Orange County, as for the cost of a tow, only if you have AAA it will be free.

-Alex

 

Firstsly check your oil pressure, and level, if all is ok then procede.


due to not hearing it inperson this is just my oppinion , but from the pitch and frequency of the ticking . I would say it probably is one of two things.

1 Clogged lifter.

2, small exhaust leak at one of the exhaust primaries.

while the engine is running and car safely secured , you can look around the underside of the motor and listen to localize the ticking. if the noise it coming from the exhaust it would be obvious. look at all the connections of the system especially the primary runners gasket/flange on the heads.

If the ticking is not obviously coming from the exhaust i would bet, its a clogged lifter. The hydraulic lifters basically take up valvetrain slack as needed with oil pressure, so we doint have to do valve clearance adjustments.

Oil flows through small passages to pressurize the lifter, these passages are easily clogged with oil sludge. Especially on a car with long interval oil services. The lifter an no longer pressureize fully to take up the slack in the valvetrain and you here the clicking from excess clearance.

There are detergent additives that can help dissolve the clog in the lifter but porsche officially doesnt reccommend them, (atleast in the owners manual).

My first step would be to change the oil, with the lowest viscosity you can use for your climate. this would help the oil get past the clog in the lifter. You can ask someone oil knowledgeable about an oil with high detergent levels. I then would change the oil after 1000 miles or so. This may clear the problem up. depending on the severity.

 

It's your cats

 

Cats would be a random rattleing, that tick is increased linearly with increase in rpms

 

I've had cat issues with other cars in the past and this doesn't sound like that.

I'm pretty sure oil pressure and level are fine. I'm just afraid to start the car due to all of the paranoia regarding IMS failure. Based on the clip, is it possible that this is an IMS issue? ie: is this consistant with the noise that a failure makes? Also, if I were to crank the car, does the sound of an ims failure rise and fall with the engine or is it a steady sound regardless of engine RPM?

Also, at one point there was a video clip of a guy in his garage with IMS issues. Anyone have that link? I searched but did not find it...

Thanks guys!

 

I had the same thing after the car was sitting for a few weeks while I was in Europe. I checked the oil......it was low. Ticking went away.