The other day i started my GT3 (997) and right when i when i turned the key and it started up i heard a very loud grinding/clicking sound. It was a cold start, first time started that day, but everything else seemed fine and it drove fine. The car was in neutral and the clutch was depressed all the way. Today, again on a cold start it did it again only was a little quieter and shorter. It seems it only happens on the first start of the day and not when it has been used that day. It does not happen all the time, only twice so far and i have 1,000 miles on it. Its hard to descrie the sound, but it sounds like a loud grinding/clicking sound, almost like a gear is trying to spin the wrong way. That's the best i can describe it.

The engine is stock, all i have done is that vacume line pulled so the car is louder, but i did that a long time ago and it just started to make the noise first time last week.

While i am on the noise subject, when i go in reverse, and then put it in 1st gear i hear and start to go i hear a loud click almost like something is closing? But i heard that since day one and assumed its normal.

Does anyone now what any of this is? Or is it normal? The car drives excellent and there are no check engine lights on, so i would rather not have the dealer play around with it for no reason.

Thanks in advance!

 

normal. do a search here. nothing to worry about.

 

Really? Wow! You sure made me feel better! Are both things normal? And what is it that is causing both sounds?

I actually did a quick search before i made the thread, about noises at start up, but only came up with threads on smoke at start up.

 

Chain tentioner. It's all normal.

 

Great Thread, thanks for sharing your insights



**my car recently started having this similar noise as well

 

Thank you very much, I will sleep well tonight knowing all is well with the new car!

 

yo beef bowl,
only on GT3 though as far as i know.

 

I get that sound pretty much on every cold start. It's a very loud metal on metal clicking sound which lasts a second or so.
How is the chain tentioner making that sound?
The idle sound is pretty mechanical too but that's normal and the LSD's whine is noticable, I actually like all the sounds except the loud clicking metal on metal sound which does not sound right.
There are numerous odd sounds on this car that seem to be unique to this model.

 

I get that too on startup.

But after a drive, at idle, I hear a clicking, ticking sound. Are these from the valves?

 

Clicking and ticking from a hot 911 engine cooling down is normal. The older air-cooled 993 and prior models do that. The 996's with water cooling have become more quiet and civilized in appearance and also have gotten softer and duller in feel.

The thread starter's inital noise as described made me think the starter was being engaged after the engine was already started and hence a grinding sound from the starter pinion clashing with the ring gear? But since everyone else with a GT3 have the same sounds then it must be normal.

 

After a while, you look forward to that sound/noise.

 

[quote=20C4S;1376248]yo beef bowl,.... Arling, didnt know you had it in you...but maybe Pat likes chicken bowls

 

I've got 25,000 miles on my GT3 and I don't hear any "grinding" noises whatsoever. I wonder if what you're hearing is the secondary air injection pump that will run for varying intervals at start up depending on temperature.

 

I think they all do that, the idle sounds very mechanical and I would think it's from the valve train.
I want to know what the loud clicking (not grinding) sound is on cold starts.

 

Bruce, that noise scared me to death given the cost of this car. I asked my friend who is a 911 mechanic for the past 35 years what the hell it was. He told me it's the chain tensioner and that is of no concern whatsoever.

My GT3 is not a daily driver, so it can be in the garage for over a week at a time. It seems the longer it goes without being driven the louder the noise. However, when I drive it 2-3 days in the row, the noise is less noticable and over course it doesn't do it when the car has been sitting only a few hours upon restart.

I still cringe when I hear it, but I've been reassured it is absolutely normal with no issues.