Engine Ticking Sound: How much is ok?

Similar to many of you who are OCD about their car - constantly cleaning, constantly listening, checking, re-checking, observing, obsessing, etc., etc., etc., - I always listen to my 996 engine during idle or when warming up. Naturally, when you keep listening, you start to go paranoid about **** you hear because you become more and more auditory sensitive. I've been hearing a very, very, - and I mean VERY - slight ticking sound when the engine runs at idle. And, since I've been OCD all my life, the slight ticking is not unfamiliar; I've heard it before on Beamers, Benzes, etc., and none have exploded during my lengthy ownership. I guess some ticking is normal, but when does the "Oh ****!" ticking take over? Needless to say, the best is to actually for you to hear it. I'm not posting a recording because I'd like to keep this at the discussion level versus "Oh ****!, You better flatbed your car to the nearest Indy." But in my mind, and based on my memory, what I hear falls into the "It's normal" category. So, how much is too much? P.S. Do the SoCal RLers meet at some regular interval? It would be nice to have someone from the forum hear it in person or to hear someone else's.

I guess you should probably remove your radio now. Ticking as you know can not only be subjective in terms of intensity but also hard to describe in spoken words. With that said, if you're talking about a really really faint tick, I've heard them on new 997 models too before. I attribute it to the Porsche boxer motor and all the quirks on it. Something where I wish was more refined like an inline BMW or Honda motor for example.

Thanks Alpi! I guess a little bit is OK. My Benz was making a knocking noise a couple years back and I was ****ting bricks thinking the engine was toast. It turned out to be a bad AC compressor! If it's bad, you hear it. If you have to really, really try hard to hear it, then it's probably nothing.

I get a rapid ticking when I start my car in the morning and it dog cold. But it is only when the door is open that I hear it and so I shut the door. Everything is fine. And if it turns out that it isn't, well then it isn't. Do what Don Draper did last night as his life fell apart...chant....OMMMMMM.

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You are absolutely correct about listening to any "other" sound than the ones you regularly hear - especially in the garage where the sound is amplified, bouncing off the walls and floor area. About 3 years ago I became aware of this ticking noise that was new - to me anyway. On my Boxster S engine, the accessory belt and all that it drives is right next to your ears, so I was pretty sure that there was a new noise & it was from that part of the motor. After disconnecting the belt and running the motor for 20-30 seconds, the noise disappeared, so I was on the right track. Found out that the alternator has a one way clutch fitted (inside the drive pulley) which had seized and was click, clacking away at idle. It was only then that I learnt that only the manual version of the M96 engines have this clutch - tips don't. Lets hope your noisy heart rate monitor is as easy & cheap to remedy....

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Not sure I'd consider the BMW engine more refined. Mike Miller wrote some time back about the issue of BMW moving away from mechanical lifters to hydraulic. The feedback from the techs was you can pay me to adjust the valves everyone once in a while when they get noisy or you can pay me to replace the hydraulic lifter when they get noisy.

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Any distinct regular/irregular ticking/knocking is cause enough to get the car checked by someone who knows from his training and experience what is "too much". What one has to be careful of is mistaking the normal noises these engines make for something abnormal. It doesn't help that humans are good as finding patterns. It is what helped our distant ancestors identify/spot the predator in the grass and survive. The problem is we can find patterns when there are none. This includes, of course, engine ticking. The engine ticks. This is normal. After all it is a internal combustion reciprocating engine and things happen at regular intervals. Pistons go up and down. Valves open and close. Injectors squirt fuel. Spark plugs spark. Combustion happens. If one listens he can hear all of this. The problem is one is can focus on one noise and this then becomes a "tick". Bottom line, though, is if you have any concern a noise is not normal and are unable to differentiate between a normal engine noise and an abnormal engine noise my advice is to always enlist the ear of an experienced technician.

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I beg to differ and have first hand experience building and owning several BMW motors except the newer turbocharged variants over the past 25 years. The inline 6's basic configuration has been used for the longest time with great reliability which can't be said of the Porsche's various configurations. People complain on things they don't understand or are lazy to address(points ignition vs. distributorless, drums vs. discs, mechanical FI vs. EFI). I'm not saying any of these are superior but I often encounter people complain about things they're not intimately familiar with and the reason why it's more effort for them to repair/sort out. BTW, I own an s14 so I know about valve adjustments.

Everyone, thanks for the comments. I gues one must have an experienced ear hear it just to make sure. Alpi, BTW, my brother has two S14s one in its own body but one in a 1973 BMW 2002.

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Sweet! I contemplated a s14 in my 02tii but couldn't bring myself to deviate with the Kugelfischer Mechanical injection which was/is somewhat cool and was used in the M1.

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Ya, man! That thing is a little beast. And it's got straight pipe Magnaflows. Puts my 996 to shame in terms and of exhaust notes. You have an e30 M3 and a 02tii? Sweet!

Well, I'm not sure the BMW basic inline configuration engine has been around any longer than the Porsche basic flat configuration engine. As for reliability, when I followed BMW cars -- via the two BMW car mags -- there were a number of complaints about the engines. They were not all the bastion of reliability you remember. Regardless, you are driving a Porsche now. If you have rebuilt engines you should have a good ear for what's normal noise and what's not. But if you want a second opinion, my advice stands. Let a Porsche experienced tech have a listen.

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Thanks Macster. I'll have someone listen to it so my mind can be set at ease.

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1st post guys, glad to be here, really have enjoyed your insights and humor. I believe there is a pump which diverts emissions when the engine is first started. On my 2000 c2, I hear a loud ticking almost like a popcorn machine for about 2 to 3 minutes. There are other thread's that describe this in more detail and of course being as ocd as the next p car guy, always check with a qualified mechanic to put mind at ease.....or not

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Notwaiting, what you describe sounds a bit more alarming than what I was referring to earlier. The SAI doesn't make popcorn noise; it's more a whining. What I was referring to is more like taking the sound coming from an automatic Rolex and amplifying it to about 10 decibles. Popcorn could be something a lot more serious. You may want to get that checked out soon.

That air pump = SAI

I pay more attention to the rhythm of the noise than anything else. Lots of the small ticks that are heard rapidly as from fuel injectors. DFI engines have very loud injectors. One thing is for sure, within an engine no noise is a good noise.

Rubik, you could just get a mechanic's stethoscope (~$15) and start to poke at the injectors (cyl #1 next to the alternator) steering pump, evap purge valve, alternator case, idle pulleys, SAI pump, cam cover, heads, exhaust, IMS area, etc to learn all the different noise from all the different sources. http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-52500-Mechanics-Stethoscope/dp/B0002SQYSM

Thanks both. I guess a mechanic's stethoscope is in order.

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Thanks and I will have it looked at. My ticking is only on cold start for a few minutes vs the subject of the thread which sounds like a more consistent ticking but either way as we go into summer and seek out the back roads, the cars will probably be pushed more so any unusual sound should be identified, always better safe then sorry .

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OMG, if you get the stethoscope through Amazon, maybe get the package deal with the microscope. Paul Waterloo should be able to consult with you on a good model.

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That's just an entry level tool. I use this as well http://www.tooltopia.com/steelman-68...FZWCaQoddbYAuw You will be amazed how much you can learn about noise just from a $15 tool.

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LOL.

image.jpg

Hahahahahah......

Lol

Wrong end. Engine's in the back.

His frunk actuator just broke

Also have a ticking sound, both sides, cannot hear it when engine is cold only when proper warm, on idle. Can not hear when revving, too much other sounds I guess, or inside the car. Not pronounced and only audible from the sides not the back. Previously used Mobil 1 0w-40, changed to Mobil 1 5w-50. This says to me that it is coming from the valves, timing chain or other unmentionables. No debris in oil filter or on the magnetic oil drain plug. Have played with the idea of replacing the chain tensioners, but several of my previous cars also ticked without them blowing up. Guess I'm just overreacting and love my car way too much. I think I'll stop reading forums now and just drive my car.

Rubik: " I gues one must have an experienced ear hear it just to make sure. " I applaud your attentiveness but you need reliable symptoms for a group diagnosis. It is difficult to describe the sounds and even an audio clip can be useless because of the cacophony of multiple nearby mechanical noises. The best tool I have found is "Engine Ear". It allows you to probe around to precisely locate the source of the noise and to identify nearby 'normal' sounds like injectors ticking as opposed to lifters ! Amazon.com: Stethescope Electronic Engine Ear: Automotive Amazon.com: Stethescope Electronic Engine Ear: Automotive We've had "worried about a noise" threads and when you compare the original posting of the location of the noise vs the eventual diagnosis ,it makes you realize how futile the discussion is without use of a good diagnostic tool. For example a suspected 'bearing noise' turns out to be the 'brick' in the catalytic converter rattling. The 'caveman' long screwdriver stethoscope would identify/locate that ! keep digging and hopefully your engine noise will be judged to be benign.