Engine ticking noise

[AkiRofe]

Hi is every one well?

I am in Sydney and have just bought a 2002 Boxster - why I didn't acquire this wonderful thing earlier I don't know!

Just one day after purchasing the car (for a very good $10K below market price from a very nice old man as as-is private sale, and already have a strong feeling for it, honestly >< so I want to fix rather than return it), I noticed an engine rattling/knocking noise.

I think these are IMPORTANT infos:
0. With a stethoscope and without taking the engine out, the mechanic told me he heard the noise coming from the timing chain area.
00. The ticking is faster than, and not, the 0.5 second ticking.
1. The noise started quiet and got louder after ~5 minutes as the car warm up.
2. After being tilted to get on a tow truck, the noise disappeared for a good 30 minutes.
3. After a quick check it's not exhaust shield nor anything outside. It's 'inside'
4. I hope the previous owner serviced the car before selling and may have used wrong type of oil viscosity...
5. Oil level is good.
6. It's winter time so before start the oil temperature is around 15 Celcius.

An engine-out diagnosis only here cost $3K so I have spend $600 with 2 mechanics and still nobody could 100% pins point the problem without engine-out.

As an unfortunate cynical person, I only have 80% trust on the everything in life including the poor Porsche mechanics/dealers , and always want to know everything myself . I am here seeking you guys' helps with the best of your guess, before I shed $3K for engine-out diagnosis:

1. Would these factors be in line with a timing chain area problem?

2. Would just changing to a heavier / lighter oil help?

3. What else could it be please?

And, could you please tell me if I go ahead to have engine out to fix the timing chain area:
A. Would it a save in "engine out labour" to also do the IMS?
B. What else to do as well for prevention please?

Thank you very much again to everyone and hope you are well.

Kind Regards,
__________________
TIM QUACH Director/Architect | SydneyByDesign.com.au
Wolli Creek, NSW 2205, Australia.
Current car (love him!): 2002 Boxster blue/tan
All previous cars (love them all!): 2003 BMW 325ci, 2001 BMW 320ci, 2002 Toyota Celica, 1998 Toyota Celica

[Anker]

For now, I'd stick with the lifters. Buy some Liqui Moly Hydraulig Lifter Additive and add it to the oil. I'd also change the oil and make sure it is synthetic and either 0-40 or 2-40. And then take it for a good run to get the temperature up.

Bad chain tensioners usually cause a rattle at startup and the quieten down after a few seconds when oil pressure builds up.

Best of luck, mate!

[thstone]

I'm with Anker - sounds like a hydraulic lifter isn't being reliably pressurized.

Hydraulic lifters are wonderful - by using pressurized oil, they raise up and provide perfect valve lash (gap) regardless of temperature, age, or wear. Thus, valve lash adjustment is never required (unlike my air cooled 911SC which needs the valves adjusted at least once a year).

However, if the small oil passage to a lifter becomes partially or fully clogged (or the lifter itself becomes stuck), then the oil can't reach the lifter and/or it won't take up the gap - this results in a tap-tap-tap, tick-tick-tick, or click-click-click sound. It is usually most noticeable at engine start and may or may not go away as the engine warns up.

If this indeed the problem, there isn't much you can do about it without opening up the cam covers to get to the lifters. You can live with this but there is a possibility that eventually the gap will become large enough that the lifter is moving back and forth in the gap which could cause it to start to deteriorate and eventually fail. This will take tens of thousands of miles so don't worry about it happening overnight.

The long term question is whether a noisy lifter will be the first engine component to fail and cause the engine to fail or if one of the other 30 known engine failure modes will occur (before the lifter fails) to cause the engine to fail.

As Anker mentioned, you can try different oils/additives but if that doesn't solve the problem, then you can either live with it or open up the engine.

Can you record the ticking sound and post a video for us to hear? That would improve the certainty of this diagnosis by about 100%.

[Gilles]

+ 1 on the LiquiMoly Hydraulic Lifter Additive

I tried it after Doug Haydon a friend of mine (local P indy) suggest it for a noisy lifter issue on my 987 CS, and did the work..

[pomerlo]

About the same problem with my 2002 base last summer.
I changed my oil filter housing and switch for Liquy Moly oil(No additive) and the tick went away.

Cannot tell if it has been corrected by the new oil filter housing or the Liquy Moly. I did both at the same time.
But my bet is on the new filter housing.

[ArnoldA]

Originally Posted by AkiRofe

Hi is every one well?

I am in Sydney and have just bought a 2002 Boxster - why I didn't acquire this wonderful thing earlier I don't know!

Just one day after purchasing the car (for a very good $10K below market price from a very nice old man as as-is private sale, and already have a strong feeling for it, honestly >< so I want to fix rather than return it), I noticed an engine rattling/knocking noise.

I think these are IMPORTANT infos:
0. With a stethoscope and without taking the engine out, the mechanic told me he heard the noise coming from the timing chain area.
00. The ticking is faster than, and not, the 0.5 second ticking.
1. The noise started quiet and got louder after ~5 minutes as the car warm up.
2. After being tilted to get on a tow truck, the noise disappeared for a good 30 minutes.
3. After a quick check it's not exhaust shield nor anything outside. It's 'inside'
4. I hope the previous owner serviced the car before selling and may have used wrong type of oil viscosity...
5. Oil level is good.
6. It's winter time so before start the oil temperature is around 15 Celcius.

An engine-out diagnosis only here cost $3K so I have spend $600 with 2 mechanics and still nobody could 100% pins point the problem without engine-out.

As an unfortunate cynical person, I only have 80% trust on the everything in life including the poor Porsche mechanics/dealers , and always want to know everything myself . I am here seeking you guys' helps with the best of your guess, before I shed $3K for engine-out diagnosis:

1. Would these factors be in line with a timing chain area problem?

2. Would just changing to a heavier / lighter oil help?

3. What else could it be please?

And, could you please tell me if I go ahead to have engine out to fix the timing chain area:
A. Would it a save in "engine out labour" to also do the IMS?
B. What else to do as well for prevention please?

Thank you very much again to everyone and hope you are well.

Kind Regards,
__________________
TIM QUACH Director/Architect | SydneyByDesign.com.au
Wolli Creek, NSW 2205, Australia.
Current car (love him!): 2002 Boxster blue/tan
All previous cars (love them all!): 2003 BMW 325ci, 2001 BMW 320ci, 2002 Toyota Celica, 1998 Toyota Celica

Hello Tim
I've noticed this post of yours from a few years ago - I've got a similar problem, did you get to the bottom of the issue please ?