Metallic 'Ticking' Noise on my Carrera 2 Tip

Hi, have a metallic ticking noise on my 98' carrera 2 Tiptronic. It only appears when the car is on tickover in 'park', when i put it in 'drive' or reverse and hold the car on the brake, it cannot be heard. When it went into silverstone OPC, they said they 'think' it is a bit of piston wear on number 5 cylinder, but are not sure. However, they want £1900 +vat to take the engine out to check whether it is the problem or not. When I questioned what technical wizardry makes them 'think' that is the problem, they told me that was the opinion of the mechanic who checked it.... expensive way of eliminating a theory :frustrated: So, anybody out there got any ideas?? I am not a mechanic but wondered if it is anything to do with the gearbox etc appreciate any pointers :?

I'm no expert, but if they are suggesting piston slap, then this sounds a little dubious to me. I didn't think piston wear was an issue for the 996. More likely to be a sticky tappet, though others on this forum will be able to offer much better advice.

I have had an engine re-build with Hartech (including replaced liner and piston) and my engine remains a little bit "ticky" on idle. However, before it went to Hartech it suddenly started to make the most horrendous, loud, ticking noise that was a ruined piston and liner. I am no mechanic, but I would guess it is either nothing to worry about or something to worry about. I am not sure this post is very helpful to your situation but hope you can see what I am getting at!

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:lol: I like that!! My '98 C2 has 'the tick' too, but it doesn't sound too scarey. Had a camera inspection done at Sports & Classic (digital cam' down spark plug holes) and they couldn't see anything other than some light score marks. I like to think it could be a sticky tappet...and I'll keep on praying it is! Just rev it more or turn up your tunes!

If it is related to noisy tappets then thicker oil might help (something an Indy mentioned to me a few months ago)

PM'd you!

Spill the beans then Simon!!!

its a noisy cam follower caused by wear.. my car has been doing it for two years its not a problem that needs a panic to solve... one of your cam follower / hydraulic tappet has too much wear. On my car it worse after the car has been stood ... oil in sump... Dont worry about it unless it gets bad or changes... keep the oil level right i.e 3/4 full on stick and use the right oil... with thicker oil you might stop the tick but god knows what else it might stop what a stupid idea! :floor: You could always try engine flush it may be the hydraulic follower is stuck due to dirt / oil deposits but if your car is 70k+ miles its more than likely simple wear and tear... my tap goes off at 1000rpm just can be heared on tickover of 1000rpm or below... sometimes it does go of ... Stp do oil additives like slick 50 but i dont think it will solve the tick unless it is dirt thats stopping it from adjusting... The piston slap comment is rubbish if youve got piston slap on a 996 I dont think you will be driving the car very far suggest the first destination is the bank... :floor: The cam follower is an engine out job if its just a cam follower its more a labour issue but you may need a new cylinder head bank which is not cheap.. probably 2k plus. Is your oil pressure OK on tickover and with revs.. are you using mobile one? if everything ok try engine flush and clean oil but in reality its probably wear Phil :bye:

Why is a thicker oil a stupid idea? Moving from a 0W-40 (which is as thin as gnat's pee when cold) to a 5W-40 might just make the difference. There are more 5W-40 oils on the Porsche Approved Oils list than 0W-40 BTW. It is a 12 year old car we are talking about here, which probably has a few miles on the clock. Whereas Mobil 1 0W-40 might be excellent for a factory fresh engine, the older and more higher mileage engines can benefit from using a higher viscosity oil.

Guys, all of you, really appreciate your input and suggestions. The mileage is 85k, so to be fair it probably may be a little tired. I cannot make my mind up if it affects performance, sometimes i feel it is a little flat, other times, it seems ok... strange :? However, it has been well looked after, had regular oil changes etc, uses Mobil One and the oil pressure is consistently excellent. No smoking at all. Following the experience at the OPC, I am getting a 2nd opinion this Saturday at an independent. Once I have the 2nd opinion, I will let you know. :salut:

Come on Simon, what was the saturday update? For info I have a tapper too, it goes away at 1k revs, so not too bothered, its sounds nasty at tickover, but not nasty enough to get a new tappet set. I did try swapping my mobil one for some 10-40 to see if its any different. Simple answer no, well thats 100 quid down the drain. I get around 1.2 bar when hot and above 3k, 4.5 bar. I guess its not problem unless I want to sell it. Oh and my aircon packed up..... it was so cheap up to now too. I cant see any leaks on condensors, but I might get a kwik fit job with some dye.