Turned my ignition, nothing then a whirring noise from the back - what happened?
 

Hey all,

I need some technical help please. I turned the key on my boxster (2003 2.7) for a normal start and it didn't start or tick over however a whirring noise from the back went into action and stayed on for about 30 seconds (felt like a minute). During that whirring noise time I had turned off the ignition and had the key pulled out.

Has anyone experienced this before and/or have an idea of what just happened.

The noise was still going even with the key out of the ignition!

I waited until the noise stopped, turned the ignition again and it started really abruptly (almost perfectly) and no issue at all. Really strange.

Thanks, I look forward to your responses.

Sticky or failing starter solenoid ;)
Rebuild or replace soon or you'll be paying for a tow.

Thanks for your input. So, does this mean replacing the whole starter motor or is there another option?

Clean and lube the solenoid and bendix and take your chances.

Could be the ignition switch going bad

Personally, I'd just disassemble and clean the solenoid and lube the bendix, as Paul said.

Thanks for your comments. It has been 6 days and not a sign of it happening again. Prevention is better than a cure though. I have never done this before and am brave enough to have a look at tackling this. Any pointers?

buy a good manual first- I have a Bentley and it seems to skip a lot of details.