strange noise from front of motor at around 2800 rpm - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

poorsche1 · 02-08-2011, 08:01 PM

2001 boxster S
this afternoon started to hear a rateling noise from the front of the motor when i drive. it is not there at idle but begins to resonate a fast clatering, rateling sound when i reach 2800 rpm and gets louder to about 3500 rpm. if i rev the motor i can hear it right behind me, always at the same rpm. what the hell can that be

i parked it until i can work on it. tried to insert a mp3 recording of the sound but i can't figure out how

Frodo · 02-08-2011, 08:58 PM

I'm no expert, but...motor mount possible? Read the descriptions and see if they fit:

http://www.pedrosgarage.com/Site_3/Install_Front_Engine_Mount.html

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/10-ENGINE-Engine_Mounts/10-ENGINE-Engine_Mounts.htm

...or do a Search here.

poorsche1 · 02-08-2011, 09:20 PM

thanks for helping, but there is no vibration just a sickening schreechy clattering sound that starts around 2800rpm.

Jake Raby · 02-08-2011, 10:16 PM

Water Pump bearings.
Idler bearings.

Pull the serpentine belt, fire it up and see if it goes away, if so its a sub-system. if not, its internal and you should call me and DO NOT run it any longer :-)

Frodo · 02-09-2011, 05:02 AM

There ya go. I'd probably go with Jake's response...he knows a little more than me when it comes to Boxster repairs.

In any case, that's a pretty easy diagnostic to do. Let us know what happens.

jmatta · 02-09-2011, 05:49 AM

"Tick, Tick...BOOM"

I'd definitely listen to Jake's advice...

poorsche1 · 02-09-2011, 05:15 PM

tic tic boom huh. thanks for your optemistic support

well i got in from work and took the belt off, started it and wassss veerry glad to hear nothing

so i guess it must be one of the attachments. although there was a small tick tick tick coming from the pasenger side of the motor i don't know if that is something normal. just glad to not hear the clattering sound from inside the motor.

papasmurf · 02-09-2011, 05:48 PM

making some noise which to some degrees is normal or sometimes the injectors make a clicking sound each time they fire.

poorsche1 · 02-09-2011, 07:16 PM

is the alternator pulley supposed to engage one way and disengage clockwise?

ddb · 02-10-2011, 12:29 PM

poorsche1,

If your car has a manual transmission it has an alternator pulley clutch that rotates freely in one direction only. You shouldn't try to rotate it in the other direction because it could cause damage.

A while back I experienced an odd noise that turned out to be my alternator clutch pulley going bad. It happened right after I installed a new water pump and a whole bunch of other parts so I already had my access panel off. It was rather easy to hear that the noise was coming from my alternator.

I would describe the noise differently from your description, but that doesn't mean it isn't the same problem. In my case it was obvious from idle. If you've ever heard an automobile AC compressor cycling on and off frequently due to low freon, my clutch pulley noise was similar.

Here is a thread I started when I experienced my problem.

Best of luck,

ddb

http://www.986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21779

poorsche1 · 02-10-2011, 07:57 PM

looked up your thread, you are right not the same sound, but what is crazy is that i bought the alternator tool you have pictured at a swap meet for 5 bucks a while ago. when i bought it i didnt know what it was for and the guy i bought it from didn't know what it was for either, i bought it because it looked cool. when i saw the pic i went to my toolbox and sure enough there it was. hope i never have to use it.
well as for the brokster, all the pulleys, spin fine, sound ok, and no play to speak of, but i did notice that the AC pulley when i try to twist it up and down does have slight movement which i am not sure if it is normal. i bought a mechanic stethescope and will put belt on tomorrow and try to hear where noise is from.

poorsche1 · 02-12-2011, 03:32 PM

not good news today, i spent almost an hour and a half trying to single out a pulley by spraying WD 40 and listening with a stethoscope but couldn't single out a pulley. i finally pulled off the belt to try one last time with no belt and i heard it. at 3000 rpm you hear a clattering sound at 3000 rpm. the other night with the belt off i didn't hear it but today heard plain as day with the belt off wondering if it can be a collapsed lifter or a chain tensioner or a chain guide broken. I already changed the ims bearing about 2000 miles ago to the LN Engineering ims bearing. at that time the rear main seal sprung a big leak so while changing that i decided to change the intermediate shaft bearing, glad i did because it had already lost all its grease and the balls looked scored and it didn't spin smoothly at all. the motor has 42000 miles on it. now what?

RandallNeighbour · 02-12-2011, 05:31 PM

If I were you I'd call Jake. He'll give you the best advice on this forum.

poorsche1 · 02-12-2011, 08:12 PM

ENGINE CLATTER
FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO UPLOAD A VIDEO. you can barely hear the clatter on the video it is more a clatter.to me it sounds more like loose chains clattering. can the tensioner break or get weak and let the chain smack the case at a certain rpm? can the chain guides break? or is there something else that will make a clattering sound like that?

jdiba · 02-28-2011, 11:54 AM

Poorsche1, you find out what the issue was yet ??

poorsche1 · 02-28-2011, 08:58 PM

been slow working on her due to time cosuming work project. but have managed to do the following so far
removed the belt to make sure it was not one of the pulleys-- noise was still there at 3000rpm
drained the oil--found nothing
cut the oil filter apart -- found a few really small pieces of brown plastic ( about 1/16" in diameter)
dropped the oil pan to see if larger pieces in bottom-- found nothing

put it back together put car on trailer and took it to a porsche mechanic friend of mine to hear the noise. he sais it is ims bearing or a bad tensioner.

about 2000 miles ago i replaced the ims bearing with a LN Engineering bearing and do not think it could have gone bad. so i will purchase the tensioners and swap them as soon as i can get a break in my schedule. will keep you posted

poorsche1 · 02-28-2011, 09:16 PM

here is a pic of the pieces of plastic i found in the filter and a sacrilegeous but easy way i found to work on my cars. whats 2500 lbs to a 15000 fork lift?
i will post if the tensioners remedy the clatering noise

clickman · 02-28-2011, 10:55 PM

Those brown plastic bits look like what I and many others also find in their filters. Probably chain tensioner plastic. It'll be interesting to see what sort of condition yours are in if you replace them.

jdiba · 03-01-2011, 10:25 AM

That think is awesome ! LOL. Think about how much easier all our lives would be
as Boxster owners if they came with one of THOSE !

heiwaz · 04-14-2011, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poorsche1

here is a pic of the pieces of plastic i found in the filter and a sacrilegeous but easy way i found to work on my cars. whats 2500 lbs to a 15000 fork lift?
i will post if the tensioners remedy the clatering noise

The pieces of plastic maybe come from gasket, if they are soft, are gasket parts.

Did you found the problem of the noise?