Anyone heard a lot of ticking on cold start with 997.1 or .2 engines?
They are noisy by nature as H-6's. GT3 really clackety.
I heard it on an older C4S that sat all winter.
Then heard it last month on my 2011 Turbo S. Felt sick as I was not the last one to drive it. Gone in just a second. Thread search did not reveal much.
Check oil (level, not pressure) msg has been coming often too...pressure and level are fine though. Weather has been cold. I did an early oil change at 2000mi. Not sure what grade is in it.
Also got droning bridgestones and squeaking paddles. Best Porsche I've ever driven though. Got sottozeros on it now and doing fine in upper MI.

 

Never heard a click on my .1 turbo. I started it yesterday for the first time in 3 and half months, it didn't make any unusual sound. However, I did pull the fuse for injectors and Coilpacks, and cranked it for a few seconds before the start up.

How long did you park the car?

 

Just a few days. That's why I wondered what the last driver did to it. The 997.1 C4S was parked all winter. Will cranking without inj/igntn circulate some oil?

 

There was a brand-new 2010 GT3 at my local dealer with a loud rattle/click. PCNA had the dealer replace the engine and send the noisy one back to Germany with specific instructions: replace the engine and send the old one back, do not diagnose the issue, do not open the engine, just replace. The tech though it might be a loose/defective cylinder liner, but that was a guess. Probably a completely different issue from what you are experiencing.

What is your mileage and model year?

 

I don't know how our oil pump works. I am assuming it helps a little before start up; but the oil pressure gauge didn't move a bit while I cranked it.

 

It's probably nothing. Just take it out for a good run and check if it's still doing it when you bring it back. Best not let just anyone drive your car anyway. You tend to pay more attention to every little noise wondering what went down in your absence. I recall my last c2s had the odd clicking sound on cold start after not being driven for a while or after really hard driving but it always cleared itself after a long run and normalized. I thought at the time it may have been something more sinister like a big end knock or piston rattle but thankfully it cleared. Hopefully yours will too.

 

The oil pumps are mechanical so commence pumping as the engine crankshaft rotates. The oil pressure gauge is electronic (not capillary fed) therefore relies upon the electrics to generate correct power levels before giving a read out. If an engine has been standing for a period of time the oil pressure in the galleries will bleed off to an extent via the bearing clearances and whist there is usually some oil still remaining on the bearing surfaces it is best to crank the engine without firing for a few turns (if possible). A turbocharged engine develops higher temperatures that can remain longer after shutdown than a naturally aspirated engine therefore if the engine has not been shut down correctly after a very hard run, remaining excess temperatures can rise before they fall and disipate the oil film on certain running surfaces. The bearing and cylinder components (eg nikasil liners) on these engines are however very resilient to scuffing due to having less frictional properties than say regular or cheaper components so failures associated to momentary dry run scuf would be very rare unless the engine has been operating at full loads with minimum or low oil levels. Just my 2 cents. I dont think anything major is wrong here unless there was an inherent fault that has finally reared its head.....possibly bought on by harsh operation.

 

It's just your valve tappets that are empty at start up. Pulling the fuel pump fuse and crancking it a bit before starting makes all the difference in the world...

Don't worry, and change your oil in any case, being sure about its grade.

 

Excellent information! Thanks alot!!

 

Abby, do you know which fuse it is? presumably by the driver's footwell? I could look in the manual I suppose.

 

yes. It's in the fuse box by the dead pedal.
I believe the fuse for the injectors/coilpacks is Row 4, fuse 7
and fuel pump is row 4, fuse 4 or 5.

I just pulled those #s off my head. always double check with the little manual attached to the back side of the fuse box cover. There's also a yellow plastic plier that you should use to pull the fuse out of its slot.

 

If the car is left for a long time (above a week) without a start,it is ok to hear a ticking sound for ONLY ONE SECOND when you start it...If you hear it after only one or two days in the parking,check the O ring in the oil filter housing at the centre...its about 1/2 inch diameter and it may fail resulting oil pressure to drop faster than normal when engine is off...

 

The car is a 2011 Turbo S with 3800 miles. I regret that I had to let someone move it, and it was not someone I know or trust. The tics probably were just about one second, seems like longer though haha.

I need to get that O-ring looked at, thanks skandalis.

I sometimes grab a phone pic of the odo when I drop off a car for service. Lots of idiots out there doing cold revs, etc. I feel better when the engine is still warm or the car not too exotic. People aren't tempted by base models versus say a GT2 RS. I wish it was possible to govern the throttle or review ECU data. Maybe I'm too OCD.
I'm going to do a cold shutdown then a hot one and see if I can reproduce it.

 

okay, thanks. Did you pull the fuel pump fuse too?

 

997.2 DFI engine tick on idle, injectors opening an closing under very high pressure.
Listen to any DFI equipped engine and you will hear ticking at idle some more some less.

997.1 engines should not tick on idle.